THE resurrection of a committee intent on bringing an all-weather sports pitch to Presteigne has brought fresh hope that a decades-long dream might soon become a reality.
The East Radnor Astro Turf Committee announced on its Facebook page last week that it has reformed after more than three years.
Sports teams locally have been fighting for nearly 30 years to bring an all-weather pitch to the border town. There are likely to be plenty of obstacles ahead, with any new pitch potentially costing in the region of £1 million, but the wheels are in motion once more.
The committee is a small group of local volunteers who first formed a working group in February 2019 to raise money to fund an astro turf pitch on the school field at John Beddoes Campus, the secondary school in Presteigne that is now under the umbrella of Newtown High School.
Enthusiasm, predictably, died down during Covid, but Jess Goodwin, the chair of Presteigne Ladies Hockey Club, is right behind a collective, collaborative effort to finally bring a facility to east Radnorshire.
“This is a very exciting, long overdue project for Presteigne,” said Jess, who also still plays for the Presteigne first team.
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“It is undeniable that it will encourage a whole new generation of children to take up sport, whether it be hockey, football, cricket, etc, while making it more accessible.
“The opportunities are endless and the provision of our own multi-sports facility can only be of benefit."
Presteigne Ladies kick off their 2023/24 South Wales Women's Hockey League Premier 2 campaign this weekend against Cardiff Medics Ladies ‘at home’.
Except, their home is actually 20 miles away in Llandrindod. The club has not played a hockey match in its hometown for more than 20 years. Away games are played in Cardiff and Swansea, they even travel as far as Carmarthen and Milford Haven.
While the first team play home matches in Llandrindod, the club as a whole train in Kington, which is in Herefordshire.
Jess added: “Presteigne Ladies Hockey Club play in the Premier 2 South Wales League, a good standard, yet we train across the border, travel outside the area to play home games and base our ever-growing youth section outside of town due to lack of facilities.
“Yet we still call ourselves Presteigne.”
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A big fundraising push, in conjunction with the school, for the provision of an all-weather pitch, also began over 20 years ago. And a small pot of money from then still exists. However, it is paltry given a new sand-based astro will likely cost around £780,000, requiring major funding and support from the community.
Post covid, Jess launched Presteigne Junior Hockey Club, along with fellow stalwart Leanne Evans, and she hopes a thriving junior section, plus the return to prominence of Presteigne St Andrews Football Club, will further enhance chances of finally getting an all-weather pitch.
“The interest (in the junior section) is incredible but we have no facilities and have to ask parents to transport children across the border to attend club training,” said Jess.
“It is a long road ahead, but I’m hopeful Powys County council, Hockey Wales, the FAW and Sport Wales, and other potential funding sources, like local business, will see the opportunity that lies ahead.
“We are incredibly underfunded here and have a large catchment area so the project would have a wide range of benefits."
Roy Simcock, whose two daughters both play hockey, is also hopeful. “Money is tight, we all realise this, but it happens in big places, while smaller towns don’t get a look in,” said Roy, who is on the football club committee and manages the Presteigne reserve team.
“As a football club we have our own ground where we can train and play, but for the hockey teams, they’re training and playing in Llandrindod or Kington.
“It’s so much travelling and going in to other countries to play and train seems ridiculous.
“A new all-weather pitch would host hockey, football, cricket, even netball – it fits into all the criteria that authorities will ask for.”
There were suggestions a few years ago that Presteigne could get a 3G pitch, but that would benefit only the football club.
“It would be nice but we have a football pitch, what we need is something other sports can use,” added Roy.
“It’s a massive task and going to take a lot of money but resurrecting the committee is a step in the right direction.”
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