Hockey goes high-tech at Banyul-Warri Fields
Published: 12 December 2025Hockey fans on the Surf Coast have a brand new, state-of-the-art hockey pitch to play on with the opening of the Banyul-Warri Fields facility on 10 December 2025.
Funded through the Regional Sports Infrastructure Program, this new hockey pitch means players and their families have a place to train and play right on their doorstep.
Watch the videos below to see what the community had to say.
For more information about the project, see our Regional Sports Infrastructure Program Surf Coast page.
Transcript
GRACE: I really enjoy playing hockey because my whole family plays. It just brings the family together and it's such a great community.
PEPIJN: Hockey is my favourite sport, I don't play any other sport. Being able to play in my hometown is a lot more special than just going to Corio.
ANDREW: Well it's a great story for community sport, and we'd really like to thank the Victorian Government for their support, and Surf Coast Shire, because they've walked side by side with us in this project.
We don't even know where the journey's gonna take us. The future of the Torquay Hockey Club's in great hands.
Transcript
So the synthetic turf that we've installed here is the Polygras Platinum World Cup GT, which is made locally in Victoria over in Dandenong.
It's going to be the first dry, non-sand dressed hockey pitch in Victoria, which also will be the first, uh, in Australia to be certified against the new FIH innovation category.
All the elite facilities are generally wet pitches. Due to sustainability and the cost of irrigation we have got this new technology that's able to play similar to a wet field, however not require any water.
The content of the synthetic turf includes around 20% of by-products from the cane sugar industry, and also SBR rubber in the base mat which is recycled car and truck tyres.
We started construction around April earlier this year, and approximately 170 people we had working in and around the facility and also out as our suppliers and subcontractors which involved 93 other businesses.
So a part of the funding from the state government allowed us to install six light towers which achieves 350 or 500 lux allowing for night time play, and also a tiered seating area with a custom cantilevered structure, the officials' box
and the coaches' boxes, and a new scoreboard.