Great Britain hockey goalkeeper Kirsty Mackay and her England and GB teammate Katie Long were among the star attractions at Alderley Edge Hockey Club as it hosted its Harvester ‘Grow Your Own’ Club Day on Sunday, 23rd October.
Mackay and Long, who both play in the Investec Women’s Premier Division for Bowdon Hightown and Leicester respectively, took a break from Great Britain training to help launch the new £520,000 Edge Hockey Centre at the Ryleys Playing Fields ground on Wilmslow Road.
They were on hand to deliver advice and coaching to youngsters before officially opening the pitch alongside the Club's President Mike Wildig, after the PA system blasted out the Lady Gaga anthem, On the Edge of Glory.
Kirsty Mackay said: “Being part of occasions like the Alderley Edge Grow Your Own Club Day really inspire me. It’s always great to see kids enjoying themselves. They represent the future of our sport and it’s fantastic that they will have the superb new pitch to hone their skills on. We were signing T shirts, a few hockey sticks and balls throughout the day, we had a great time.”
Nick Rudgard, President of Alderley Edge Hockey Club said: “It has been a long but ultimately very rewarding journey to build our new pitch at The Edge Hockey Centre.
"The club is very grateful to all those who have contributed to its planning, funding and construction, and we hope that it will prove to be a significant asset to the local community.
"The England Hockey Board has helped us to lay on a huge amount of hockey related activity on the day and we were delighted so many people came down to join in the celebration.It was a super day of sport at the Club with children able to play not only hockey but also cricket tennis and squash.”
Alex Teasdale, National Manager for Clubs & Facilities at the England Hockey Board, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to support a club like Alderley Edge, which has done incredibly well over the past few years. Far from being the end of a long process, the opening of the new pitch signifies the start of the next chapter in the club’s story. As our national ‘Club of the Season’, Alderley Edge is a leading example to hundreds of other hockey clubs up and down the country.”
The Club Day featured activities at Alderley Edge Cricket Club on Moss Lane and the new Edge Hockey Centre pitch. As well as dedicated coaching clinics for children, two Back to Hockey sessions were held for women looking for a gentle introduction or re-introduction to hockey. There was also the opportunity to try Rush Hockey, hockey’s new fast paced 4 or 5-a-side format.
The Alderley Edge ‘Grow Your Own’ Club Day was an amazing success with The Club's Mens 1st team winning 7-0 against local rivals Stockport Bramhall in the EHB Trophy match. The quality of the new pitch and facility design was praised by both sets of players.
Alderley Edge was recently voted 'Club of the Season' at the England Hockey Board's Annual Awards and at last week's Cheshire East Council awards ceremony were crowned Cheshire East Sports Club Of The Year.
This week Alderley are running 4 days of hockey camps at The Edge for local school children as part of their Community relationship development programme. For further details visit the events calendar.
This is a member post by Kelvin Briggs.
