Building Our Future
Training Turf Project
Completed: May 2022
Project Partners: State Grant - $300K+ AUS Sport Grant - $200K- MRHC & community $175K - AMRShire - $300K
Outcome: A modern hockey training facility used weekly by more than 170 club members and the wider community
Chapter 1 - Bringing Hockey Home!
For many years, Margaret River Hockey Club trained more than 90 minutes away in Busselton.
Today, thanks to an incredible community effort, our players train right here in the heart of Margaret River on a purpose-built hockey training turf at Gloucester Park.
This project transformed hockey in our region and created opportunities for generations of players to come.
A Community Project
The training turf wasn't built by one person.
It was made possible through the dedication of:
🏑 Club volunteers
🏑 Local businesses
🏑 Community groups
🏑 Funding partners
🏑 State and Federal Government grants
🏑 Hundreds of supporters who believed hockey belonged in Margaret River.
Together, we turned a dream into reality.
🎥 Watch Our Journey
🎥 1. Why Margaret River Needed a Hockey Turf
Where could a hockey training turf “fit” on Gloucester Park?
In September 2018, Club President - Colin Fox “Foxy” and Fundraising & Sponsorship Coordinator - Maxine Williams put these questions to the Augusta Margaret River Shire. The Margaret River Hockey Committee were hatching a plan - time to switch it up a gear and start fundraising.
The turf project journey had begun
Aran Zalewski Gives the Project His Backing
🎥 2. Gaining momentum and community support
CREDIT: Craig Williams / Dotch Dis Video
With Aran Zalewski, our Club Ambassador and Co-Captain of the Australian Men's Hockey Team, supporting the campaign, the training turf project quickly gained momentum.
In November 2018, following a successful presentation to the Margaret River Lions Club, we received our first major donation. Foxy and Max then headed south, where the Lions Club of Leeuwin also threw their support behind the project.
By March 2019, the campaign had gained endorsements from regional schools, local sporting clubs, community organisations, Shire Councillors and local Members of Parliament.
People were talking... and the dream of bringing hockey home was becoming a reality.
CREDIT: Craig Williams / Dotch Dis Video
🎥3. $300,000 Raised!
In April 2019, we received the best email ever!
The training turf project had been approved for a $200,000 Sport Australia "Move It AUS" Community Sport Infrastructure Grant — a huge milestone for our club and community.
By July 2019, thanks to the incredible efforts of our committee and the generous support of the Margaret River Lions Club,, Margaret River Rotary Club, Cowaramup Lions Club, Lions of Leeuwin, and Bendigo Bank, we had reached an exciting milestone — $300,000 raised!
To help demonstrate the community's support for the project, we created the video below and invited local residents to complete a community survey. The overwhelming response was presented to the Augusta Margaret River Shire, who subsequently nominated the project for a Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF) Grant.
🎥4. 2019 - what a year on and off the pitch!
CREDIT: Craig Williams / Dotch Dis Video
The Community Got Behind Us
To help bring the project across the fundraising finish line, we appealed to local businesses for support. Their response was incredible.
A huge thank you to Fusion Electrical, SportsPower, Mitre 10, Middletons and Priceline , whose generous donations helped turn our vision into reality.
To round out an unforgettable year, we headed into the 2019 Busselton Hockey Association Finals with the same positive energy that had driven our fundraising campaign. Along with some fantastic on-field success, we took the opportunity to celebrate how far we'd come and thank everyone who had supported the project.
What a year... and the journey was only just beginning!
CREDIT: Craig Williams / Dotch Dis Video
🎥5. Fingers Crossed... 🤞
In January 2020, the Hon. Mick Murray visited Margaret River to announce the exciting news that our Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF) Grant had been approved.
After years of planning, fundraising and community support, the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.
As summed up by Louise Mann (Club Vice President):
"With the assistance of all the stakeholders, community groups, sponsors, responders to surveys, club volunteers and fundraisers, we had succeeded. This is down to the cooperative spirit of people in our Community."
🎉 The Training Turf Project was now fully funded!
The dream of bringing hockey home was about to become a reality.
🏑 Let's Bring Hockey Home!
CREDIT: Craig Williams / Dotch Dis Video
Like many major community projects, we encountered a few unexpected challenges along the way. A change of location, additional planning requirements for drainage and roadworks, and the impacts of COVID-19 all tested our patience and determination.
But our volunteers, contractors and supporters never lost sight of the goal.
By April 2022, construction was almost complete. Tiger Turf EvoPro surface was installed, Sport and Recreation Services completed the final works, and after years of planning, fundraising and hard work, we were ready.
31 May 2022
The gates opened
For the first time in our club's history, Margaret River Hockey Club trained on its very own turf at Gloucester Park.
What an incredible moment.
Just a few weeks later, we welcomed Australian hockey great Trid Woodhouse to run a coaching clinic on our new surface—a fitting way to celebrate the opportunities the turf would create for future generations.
If you want more background info about our club and turf project, read the full story, thanks to Louise Man, VP
The Official Opening
Our official opening celebrations were originally planned for 10 June 2022, however COVID had other ideas! After the Kookaburras returned from the New Zealand series, Aran Zalewski and several teammates contracted COVID, forcing us to postpone the event.
The wait was well worth it.
On Saturday, 25 March 2023, we officially opened the turf alongside our Club Ambassador Aran Zalewski, Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch, MLA Jane Kelsbie and Deputy Shire President Julia Meldrum. It was a wonderful day celebrating a project that had truly been built by our community.
The Story Behind the Turf
No one tells this story better than former Club Vice President Louise Mann, who was there throughout the entire journey.
From countless trips to Busselton for training through to grant applications, community fundraising and finally running onto our own turf...
this is the story of how our community brought hockey home.
Read the full story, thanks to Louise Man, VP (2020-2022)
What This Project Has Achieved
Today our training turf provides:
🏑 A local training facility for over 170 members.
🏑 Hockey within walking distance of local schools.
🏑 Opportunities for junior development.
🏑 Coaching clinics.
🏑 School participation.
🏑 Community events.
🏑 A facility shared with the wider community.
One project.
A lifetime of opportunities.
Building Our Future
The training turf was only the beginning.
Since opening the turf we've continued investing in our facilities through projects including:
🏗 Hockey HQ & Shelter Project
🏗 Junior Change Rooms Project
🏑 Equipment upgrades
👩🏫 Coach education
👧 Junior development programs
Future projects to improve our facilities for generations to come.
➡ Read about our Change Room Project here.
Support Our Future
Love what we've built?
You can help us continue developing hockey in Margaret River.
Through the Australian Sports Foundation, donations to eligible projects are tax deductible.
Or Contact us directly if your interested in partnering our club through sponsorship or donating your skills or materials, we would love to hear from you.
Support the next chapter of our club's story.
So, what’s next…?
We are fundraising for grandstand seating for our supporters, equipment for new players and coaching clinics for our umpires, coaches and players.
We’ve teamed up with the Australian Sports Foundation, which means that your donation is tax deductible.
Please help develop our club to support our present and future generations of hockey players.
