Please take a few moments to read this message as its purpose is to express a huge thank-you to a handful of senior Club Members who, through their generosity and foresight, have allowed the Hockey membership to enjoy the benefits that a second AstroTurf pitch brings.
It was during the early noughties that the Section recognised the need for a second pitch to:
• accommodate a burgeoning Colts Section
• take advantage of anticipated grant funding opportunities ahead of the 2012 Olympics

Various schemes were appraised but, for a variety of reasons, never came to fruition. An unexpected opportunity arose in 2010 whereby our neighbours, Sonning HC, who had planning permission for two Astroturf pitches but suffered from the withdrawal of a major fundraising sponsor, needed that consent to be implemented.
The Club approached Sonning HC and a complex deal was completed within nine months primarily as a result of a small number of senior Club Members, who wish to remain anonymous, making available a total of £240k of their own money at a modest return agreed by the General Committee of the Club. The deal was complex because:
• a tax efficient vehicle (GARC Reading Ltd) had to be created to hold investment funds
• the pitch, paid for by GARC, was on land leased by our neighbours from Wokingham District Council
• Grant funding from Sport England of £166k could not be paid into a Limited Company; consequently it was necessary to establish arrangements between the Club and Company to make the grant funds accessible for the construction of the pitch

As a result of considerable efforts from the Hockey Section membership, we have now, as planned, raised the necessary funds to purchase the pitch from the Investors. Their investment return is less than originally agreed. In addition, some of the investors have decided to donate their return to Club funds.

The Hockey Section is now the owner of two Astroturf pitches which permits:
• All home games to be played within walking distance of the Clubhouse with the advantages that this brings
• The accommodation of up to 600 junior members on a Sunday morning
• The avoidance of third party pitch hire costs to match our playing requirements
• RHC to keep pace with our main competitors

This would not have been possible without the imagination, drive, and generosity of a handful of long standing and committed Hockey members together with appointed General Committee members who served on the Board of GARC. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

The Hockey Club now enters a new phase whereby it has to generate sufficient funds to maintain and replace two astroturf pitches – the challenges change but do not stop.

Geoff Ash
Club President