“That is something we really need because Brisbane is the biggest hockey centre in Queensland,and we are probably short a couple of turf pitches.
“It would be nice if the Olympics solved that problem for us.”
Queensland’s State Hockey Centre at Colmslie has two international standard hockey pitches.
Harcla said the State Hockey Centre at Colmslie on the Brisbane River should be upgraded.
The facility has two international standard water-based synthetic hockey fields with international standard lighting and a stand for 500 people,plus conference facilities.
“That is just over the river from the Games Village at[Hamilton] Northshore. It can be upgraded,and maybe put in an extra field or the Games.”
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“It would be preferable because hockey would get a legacy after the Games for the future,whereas with Ballymore we wouldn’t get anything.
“If you compared the two,the State Hockey Centre would win hands down.”
Harcla said Ipswich,Toowoomba and the Gold Coast – outside Brisbane – all have good hockey facilities.
“But I believe the lord mayor was pressing for hockey – as a team sport – to be held in Brisbane.”
Brisbane North Hockey Centre president Greg Swann – who has spent almost 30 years in hockey administration – agreed Ballymore was not a long-term option for hockey in Queensland.
“My concern is that if they put a hockey field at Ballymore it will only be temporary,” Swann said.
“The Hockey Centre is there and the logic to me is that the Olympic Village is across the river,and you could run a 10-minute ferry trip across the river from the Village to the Centre,” he said.
He said he was not involved in the Olympic Games sports site selection process.
“But purely from a Brisbane Hockey perspective we are just wondering what the legacy will be if Ballymore is chosen.”
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He said many people were aware that Ballymore had local flooding problems.
Swann said Colmslie’s Queensland State Hockey Centre would need to be upgraded for the Games in 2032.
“It has the two fields,but it probably needs more spectator and grandstand type facilities.”
Legacy is important to the International Hockey Federation as it considers temporary pitches for the Olympics.
“Providing the use of this technology does not compromise the long-term legacy benefits to hockey in the host country,the FIH endorses its use whenever there is a benefit in either locating one or more of the Games’ fields in an existing sports stadia,or building temporary fields that can be relocated to other locations following the Games,” it said.