ANYONE FOR HOCKEY?

If proof were needed about the too-high cost of playing hockey in this area, Brigg followers of the game need look no further than the findings of a new national survey by a team of experts.
Brigg can boast thriving men's, ladies and colts set-ups, but unfortunately there is no full-sized, floodlit, artificial pitch within the town boundaries, meaning facilities must be hired in Scunthorpe, Winterton and even Lincoln for home games.
Very little grass hockey is played these days, certainly at league level for men.
And it costs a lot, lot more to hire so-called plastic pitches than it does to turn out on grass.
This is demonstrated by a new survey which shows the hourly rate for playing on all-weather surfaces in Yorkshire and Humberside is over £20 per hour more expensive than a game on grass.
Carried out by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the survey shows the cost of an all-weather pitch now averages £63.42 per hour, leaving Yorkshire and Humberside nearly £10 more expensive than the national average (£53.56) for the special surface.
The cost of playing on grass in Yorkshire and Humberside declined slightly, however, to £40.63 per hour - well below the national average of £46.75.
The figures are published as the Government launches a campaign to encourage children, adults and pensioners to take more exercise in an attempt to combat obesity.
Julian Mund, director of operations for CIPFA's Commercial Services, told Brigg Blog: "Local authorities have so many spending priorities it is difficult to price sporting and leisure facilities in a way that keeps everyone happy. It is important to maintain a prioritised balance across all services."
Having been a keen playing member of Brigg Men's Hockey Club for the best part of 20 years, a team captain and a member of the committee at various times (but now retired), it's disappointing to find councils in this region charge over the odds for hiring artificial pitches.
The Government is right to encourage healthy exercise, but it certainly doesn't come cheap for hockey clubs trying to do just that in Yorkshire and Humberside.
Is this just another example of the Government saying one thing (nationally) and local government seemingly working against what the people running the country want to achieve?
If they really want to get more people playing sport, then cut the cost. Either by subsidising pitches or instructing local councils to cut their charges.
With the cost of pitch hire being at the level it is, a great deal of fundraising has to go on to keep clubs like Brigg going from year to year.
This season is proving a very successful one for the men's club, which has four senior teams, despite a difficult early period when Quibell Park, it's home base, was out of action after being contaminated by sewage during the summer floods.
On a personal level I must admit to being a hockey dinosaur. Playing on grass - at Brigg Recreation Ground - was far superior to having to trek to Scunthorpe for a home match.
But the game moves on with old players fading away into retirement. And that's how it should be.
Note to North Lincs Council and the Lottery folk: We have been trying to get a floodlit, all-weather pitch in Brigg for more than a quarter-of-a century now. With the new anti-obesity initiative to the fore, let's get the necessary cash released and the go-ahead given.