As someone who grew up on the Northern Beaches and has been involved in hockey for many years, I am writing in strong support of this Proposal. Although I no longer live on the Beaches, I am still within 30 minutes of the proposed pitch—significantly closer than the long distances many of us currently travel to access a full‑sized hockey‑suitable surface. There are no full‑sized synthetic hockey pitches anywhere on the Northern Beaches, and this gap has placed a sustained burden on local players, families, and clubs for decades.
In my role as Treasurer of Manly Women’s Hockey Club, I see firsthand how the lack of a local facility limits participation, training opportunities, and the growth of the sport. Our club, like many others in the region, is forced to travel well outside the area multiple times per week simply to train and compete. This often means late‑night training times, reduced availability for juniors and seniors, and significant travel commitments that deter new players and strain existing ones.
This Proposal would deliver the first full‑sized synthetic hockey surface in the Northern Beaches, addressing a critical shortage in local sporting infrastructure. While the project is initiated by Queenwood School, the benefits extend far beyond the school community. Local clubs—including Manly Women’s Hockey Club—would actively utilise the pitch outside school hours, ensuring high community usage and providing much‑needed access to appropriate training times.
The demand for quality hockey facilities in our region is extremely high. A local pitch would:
- Reduce travel time and cost for players and families
- Enable more reasonable and accessible training schedules
- Support growth in both junior and senior participation
- Strengthen local clubs by providing a home‑base within the LGA
- Deliver a multipurpose facility that also supports soccer and other field sports
This development represents a long‑overdue investment in community sport. It will significantly improve opportunities for current players and open the door for many more to participate. For these reasons, I express my strong support for the Proposal and the substantial community benefit it will deliver.

As an active participant in community sport on the Northern Beaches, I see this proposal as a significant and much‑needed investment in sporting infrastructure for our region. High‑quality, multi‑purpose sporting facilities are critically important for participation, access, and long‑term community wellbeing, and this development would address a longstanding gap on the Northern Beaches. There is an ongoing shortage of high‑grade, competition‑standard sporting facilities in the area. Existing fields are heavily over‑subscribed, often weather‑dependent, and shared by multiple sports with limited availability.

I play hockey for Manly Hockey Club, and it is important to note that there has never been a full‑size hockey pitch on the Northern Beaches. As a result, players, teams, and families are required to travel significant distances outside the area for training and competition, which creates barriers to participation, particularly for juniors, families, and volunteers.
The inclusion of a full‑size, high‑quality hockey‑capable field within this development is a major positive outcome. It would provide a potential local venue for training and games, reduce travel times, support club growth, and encourage greater participation in hockey across the Northern Beaches. This would be a transformative improvement for the sport locally and help ensure the region has equitable access to facilities comparable to other parts of Sydney.

I live in Cromer, have played hockey for 40+ years and have two children who also play. Despite other sports consistently taking priority, there are no full-sized hockey pitches anywhere on the Northern Beaches, even though the fields could be used for hockey. This proposal will not just benefit Queenwood School; this facility will also be fully utilised at other times by local sporting groups, such as my own local hockey club, Manly Hockey Club. We currently travel long distances to play, often taking more than an hour one way, and considerably longer during heavy traffic. We are forced to compete outside the region due to a lack of local facilities, so I strongly support this Project which will fill a much needed gap in the local sporting infrastructure.
The demand for access to quality hockey facilities is extremely high and has historically and repeatedly been overlooked. It is a much-needed resource for the broader community. Local hockey associations, clubs, and players are currently required to travel substantial distances multiple times per week simply to train and compete. A local facility will support growing community demand for hockey fields and helps to enable participation by juniors and parents who are currently constrained by extensive travel times and late-night training requirements.

Please refer to the attached submissions letter dated 3 March 2026.

I live in Manly and have played hockey for over 25 years, with my children also involved in the sport. There are currently no full-sized hockey pitches on the Northern Beaches, forcing local players and clubs to travel long distances just to train or compete.
This proposal offers a much-needed solution — providing the first proper synthetic turf suitable for hockey in our area. While initiated by Queenwood School, the facility would benefit the entire community, with local clubs like mine ready to make full use of the ground outside school hours.
The demand for quality hockey facilities is high, and this development would allow both juniors and seniors to play locally rather than travelling late at night or across the city. It represents an important investment in local sport and would support growing participation in both hockey and soccer.

I live in Beacon Hill and have been involved in hockey for most my life, including through my children. Currently, there are no full-sized hockey-suitable pitches anywhere on the Northern Beaches. While this proposal is being led by Queenwood School, the facility would not be limited to school use. It would also be available to local sporting groups, including my own local hockey club, ensuring broad community benefit. At present, players are required to travel significant distances outside the region to train and compete, so I strongly support this project as it addresses a clear and longstanding gap in local sporting infrastructure.

As a local resident, I am very supportive of this proposal. A multipurpose outdoor pitch of this nature would be suitable for hockey and directly responds to the shortage of appropriate sporting facilities in the area. As a hockey player myself, I currently travel up to an hour to access suitable turf facilities, often at very late or impractical times. Although the project is initiated by Queenwood School, the wider community would benefit greatly through access to the pitch outside of school requirements.

This development represents a long-overdue investment in local sporting infrastructure. It would deliver the first full-sized synthetic surface suitable for hockey within the region. For hockey players within this LGA, the ability to train and play locally rather than travelling long distances would have a significant positive impact. Local hockey clubs would work collaboratively with Queenwood School to ensure the facility is used to its full potential beyond school activities.

There is an extremely high demand for access to quality hockey facilities. The proposed field would serve not only Queenwood School students but also provide a vital resource for the broader community. Currently, local hockey associations, clubs, and players are required to travel considerable distances multiple times each week simply to train and compete.

This proposal directly addresses the critical shortage of full-sized synthetic hockey facilities in the area and represents a much-needed investment that will deliver substantial benefits for both the school and the wider community. It supports growing participation in both hockey and soccer and would enable increased involvement from juniors and seniors who are currently limited by travel distance and late-night training schedules.

Sporting organisations such as Manly Hockey Club would strongly welcome the opportunity to access this facility outside of school hours and could ensure consistently high levels of utilisation.

The development represents a much needed investment in local sporting facilities. The demand for access to quality hockey facilities is high and its approval would ensure greater participation at a local level. Currently my daughter has to travel distances and at fairly unresaonable times to practise. Manly Hockey Club does not have a home ground and approval would assist both the hockey club and Queenwood School.