Switching from sand to water comes with a hefty price tag but hockey players throughout Central Otago and the southern lakes area will benefit.
That was the message this week as a fundraising initiative was launched for the remaining $340,000 needed in a $1.8 million project to replace the Cromwell sports turf and build a new amenities block to upgrade the facility.
The Central Otago Sports Turf Trust built the all-weather hockey ground 18 years ago and the surface needed to be replaced, turf trust chairman Michael Paardekooper said.
The turf was sand-based and the surface had deteriorated.
''We've been stitching it up to make it safe but it's really become a safety issue now and it needs replaced.''
The surface would be converted from sand-based to water-based, in keeping with other hockey grounds around the country, Mr Paardekooper said.
The Central Otago turf was one of the few sand-based ones still being used.
The majority were water-based, with sprinklers adding water to the artificial turf between games.
''Hockey's quite a different game, played on a water-based turf. It's a much bouncier and soft surface, basically all-weather and a fantastic surface. Our players are at something of a disadvantage now, playing on sand, as they're not used to the water-based turf used everywhere else,'' he said.
There were more than 700 registered hockey players in the wider district and the Cromwell sport turf was the hub for all those players, from Central Otago through to Wanaka and Queenstown.
''It's a truly regional facility,'' Mr Paardekooper said.
So far the trust had raised $1.36 million through grants and other sources.
The major support had come from the Central Lakes Trust, the Otago Community Trust and the Cromwell Community Board.
The sports turf trust had added $60,000 from its own reserves and $100,000 of ''in-kind'' support also boosted the total.
The hockey season extended from March to October and he hoped work on the new surface could begin as soon as the season ended.
''The trust has some funding applications in, but we need to do a final push to raise the $340,000 still outstanding.''
Businesses, individuals and families and organisations are being invited to sponsor a square metre of the new turf for $200.
Names would be engraved on a brass plaque at the grounds.
Signs on the fence surrounding the turf were another fundraising venture.
