People Make Glasgow Taxis Wednesday, October 2, 2013 Glasgow Academy unveils new £300,000 Olympic-standard hockey pitch -Chair of the 2014 Commonwealth Games organising company Lord Smith of Kelvin and Academy Director of Sport Rhona Simpson open new facility which will be used as a 2014 training base – A new £300,000 elite water-based, all-weather hockey pitch, built to Olympic standard and to be used as a Commonwealth Games training base, was officially opened at Glasgow Academy today. Chair of the 2014 Commonwealth Games organising company Lord Smith of Kelvin and Academy Director of Sport Rhona Simpson, herself a two-time Olympic hockey player, unveiled the new facility which will be played on by around 350 young players every week. Situated at Windyedge Sports Fields in Glasgow’s west end, the new pitch is said to be one of the most modern in the world and an exact replica of the pitches being used at next year’s Games. Constructed in just 12 weeks by WH Malcolm, the pitch is designed in Glasgow Academy’s colours with sprinklers which can be raised from beneath ground level to water the surface to provide livelier and quicker playing conditions, help improve technical skills and restrict injuries. Lord Smith of Kelvin said: “This new Olympic-standard pitch is a terrific investment by Glasgow Academy and one which provides a truly world class playing surface for training and competition. “This standard of facility helps both the Academy provide the very best for hockey players within its current roll and also supports Scotland and Great Britain’s ambitions to compete on a world stage in the future.” The inspiration for the pitch came from Academy visits to Holland, home of some of the greatest hockey facilities in the world, as well as feedback from surfaces and conditions at London 2012. Rhona Simpson, who represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games and Scotland at three Commonwealth Games, said: “All the top games in world hockey are now played on water-based pitches so this fantastic new asset allows Glasgow Academy and Scotland to provide an elite training and playing experience for many of the country’s top young players. “Our pupils absolutely love it and it is testament to the quality of the pitch that it will be used by Scotland for training for three weeks ahead of next year’s games. “With 14 teams and some 350 pupils using the pitch every week the value of providing such a world class facility is clear already. It all adds up to a very exciting new chapter for hockey at the Academy, in Glasgow and for Scotland.” ENDS Issued by the BIG Partnership on behalf of Glasgow Academy For further information, please contact: Brian Welsh on 0141 333 9585 / 07976 456 765 [email protected] Fisher on 0141 333 9585 / 07749 328 096 [email protected] Notes to editorsThe Glasgow Academy was established in 1845. It is the oldest fully-independent school in Glasgow, with a school roll of 1350 young people. The Academy has occupied its Great Western Road site on the banks of the River Kelvin since 1878 when it moved from Elmbank Street. The Academy’s merger with Westbourne School for Girls in 1991 was a very significant milestone in its development. When two high achieving schools come together, they form a very powerful combination. Our experience since the merger has shown that boys and girls work best when they work together in an environment which encourages cooperation. The Academy also has Prep Schools to the north and South of the city, TGA Milngavie and Dairsie in Newlands, and 30 acres of sports grounds in Anniesland. Lord Robert Smith was appointed Chairman of the Organising Committee in February 2008. He is one of Scotland’s leading business figures and Chairman of both SSE and the UK Green Investment Bank. He was knighted in 1999 for services to the National Museums of Scotland, and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Edinburgh (1999), Glasgow (2001) and Paisley (2003). He became a member of the House of Lords in 2008 as an Independent Crossbench Peer. In May he was appointed University of Strathclyde Chancellor. The Academy’s Director of Sport, Rhona Simpson, is a double Olympian having represented Great Britain at Hockey in the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and again for Scotland at three Commonwealth Games – Kuala Lumpur 1998, Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006.