New 3G to be installed at Langstone Sports Site

We are delighted to announce that we are due to start work replacing our astroturf pitch at Langstone Sports Site. The astroturf surface was first installed over 26 years ago and in that time has seen two cycles of hockey astroturf surfaces. The existing pitch is now 13 years old and past its life expectancy so we are required to undertake a pitch replacement. The carpet, which has been in need of replacing for over 12 months, has finally got the go-ahead for works to begin. The sand-based hockey carpet surface will be replaced by a 3G Pitch to increase the standard of all-weather pitches at Langstone Sports Site. The new 3G pitch will be available for use by students and the local community.

We have over recent years seen a decline in demand for hockey-specific bookings at Langstone Sports Site. Demand for 3G surfaces has grown considerably and demand for our existing 3G pitch far exceeds the availability we have. The flexibility of 3G means we can play a multitude of sports on the surface including Football (including small-sided), Rugby, American Football, Lacrosse and Softball. Changing the surface from astroturf to a 3G does not affect the fundamental structure of the pitch and in the future, if we wanted to make a return to an astro surface to enable hockey to be played on it we could.

The new 3G will allow us to meet the demand for this type of surface and provide the opportunity for more clubs to access all-weather pitches including markings for full-size football, two 9v9 pitches, a lacrosse pitch and be used as a training pitch for rugby and football. The new pitch will allow us to reduce the reliance on grass pitches which can often cause games to be called off in the winter due to bad weather and water-logged pitches. Providing the new surface also allows us to provide an all-weather pitch for our American Football team utilising the existing 3G pitch to use throughout the season which will be key for the newly promoted team into the Premier South of the BUCS league, the highest tier for American Football. Having a home base that can be played in all weathers will provide a strong grounding and drive home further success in this fast-growing sport.

Further upgrades to the area will include replacing 50% of the fencing on the astroturf to match the modern green twin bar system on the existing 3G and half the astroturf pitch. An upgrade will take place to the floodlighting and LED lamps installed reducing power consumption. Access to all other facilities will continue to be available during the works but care should be taken when moving around the site.

The astroturf pitch has been the home of the University of Portsmouth Hockey Club since its inception 26 years ago. While it is a shame that we are losing a University hockey pitch surface for the Hockey Club we have found a new home for Hockey for the University of Portsmouth at HMS Temeraire. Moving the Hockey Club closer to the central campus provides more opportunities for students to access hockey in the heart of the campus. We are still committed to hockey provision and are working with partners to ensure our University of Portsmouth Hockey Club and hockey programs are accommodated on other pitches in the city. Longer term we are exploring partnership opportunities for a shared facility in the city centre.