Proposal for hockey pitch at Fife school rejected

At the north east Fife area committee on Wednesday, councillors voted seven to six to reject a proposal which  wanted to explore the possibilo create one 2G and 3G pitches at the new Madras College in St Andrews. The current proposal will see two 3G artificial pitches.

The 3G pitches are more suited towards sports such as rugby and football, while 2G are primarily used in hockey but can also be used for sports such as netball.

Cllr Tim Brett proposed a motion which would see a study done on the number of hours each sport needed for the curriculum at the high school to see if it would be possible to make the change.

This came after locals complained there were not enough spaces for hockey teams in north east Fife, due to growing demand and interest in the sport.

Currently, the University of St Andrews has a 2G pitch, which is to be used in partnership with the school.

Cllr Brett sai: “One 2G pitch can not cope with the demand.

“There’s not enough time on the pitch for matches to be played. These pitches are not cheap -£750,000  each – so we need to get the decision right now, before it’s too late.

“The original planning application stated there would be one of each, but was then changed, saying two 3G pitches would allow the school to deliver the sports curriculum.

“I’m not in a position to challenge that, but we’ve never seen any detail and it doesn’t appear an assessment was taken.”

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Cllr Brett asked for a review of all sports needs, including community use and university.

He was backed by Cllr Jane Ann Liston, who added: “This is still a sport mainly played by women and girls.

“It did appear that the scales here were tipped more in favour to sports traditionally played by men – football and rugby. We’re trying to encourage more girls and women to take up sports.”

However, Cllr Anne Verner proposed that they continue to build the school to plans, with two 3G pitches, saying: “We put our trust in the rector that he is doing best for our children, so we should also trust him when it comes to PE.

Cllr Brian Thomson seconded the amendment, saying: “In terms of impacting the build of the school, the order for the two pitches has already been placed. If there was a review, it would have to be carried out quickly or we’d end up with extra costs.

“I found the motion unusual as we usually fully support head teachers on how they run their schools. I don’t think we’re in a position to dictate what facilities they need. The rector has already made a decision based on what they need.

“Members may also be away that a 2G pitch was replaced at the Michael Woods Sports Centre with a 3gGpitch because of under use.

“I also am willing to help secure funding for a 2G pitch at Station Park, which I have already made known to the hockey teams.”

Councillors voted to reject the motion and continue to build the school with two 3G pitches.

Emma O'Neill , Local Democracy Reporting Service