Government's decision to allocate $6.2 million towards the next phase of the National Sports Centre has been enthusiastically welcomed by Bermuda Hockey Federation.

The BHF have long championed the need for an artificial pitch in Bermuda and last week Donald Lines, Chairman of the Frog Lane Centre's Board of Trustees, said the cash would enable tenders to be sought for the work.

Hockey president Mike Elton described the announcement as "absolutely brilliant news for field hockey in Bermuda".

"Our executive has worked very hard in co-operation with the trustees and the Sports Ministry to reach this point and the apparent confirmation of the funding by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is surely the final process prior to actually proceeding to initiate the supply and installation of the pitch," said Elton.

The president said he believed that Minister Horton's "personal involvement in urging his Government colleagues to back the National Sports Centre development" had been critical.

"When representatives of our executive first met with the Minister some 18 months ago, Minister Horton genuinely stated that he was very concerned that field hockey did not have a home and that he was determined to work toward resolving this," he said. "Following these initial meetings the Minister took the opportunity to come and see a touring Canadian college team playing a Bermuda Federation hockey team on the grass fields at the National Sports Centre.

"I believe that Randy Horton realised then that he was backing a winner with field hockey. Clearly he saw the potential and he quickly appreciated that hockey has the potential to boom once Bermuda has an international standard hockey venue."

Elton said the hockey's executive had worked diligently over the past five or more years to reach this point.

"We have reactivated field hockey in six schools and implemented a junior programme within our federation on weekends," he said. "Added to this, by involving our key members in Pan American Hockey Federation programmes overseas, for technical and umpiring development, we are seeing clear benefits in both our men's and ladies' local hockey leagues.

"We attempt to ensure that we are financially responsible and in respect of the National Sports Centre, as president, I am pleased to confirm that our federation has no outstanding debts with the Sports Centre."

Elton said his members and supporters "fully appreciated the Minister's initiative to support football and cricket as Bermuda's national sports.

"However, we must be impressed that the Minister clearly sees the very important role that minor sports play in our community," he added. "Once the Astroturf hockey field is a reality we can vigorously expand our junior programme and the quality of our senior leagues.

"On the artificial turf, playing hockey is a fantastic sport for a lot of kids, many of whom may not currently be involved in organised sport.

"I feel sure Minster Horton would agree with me, that whilst this is obviously wonderful for our hockey federation, it is also a real benefit to the Bermuda community."

Elton urged the community to "fully embrace the entire National Sports Centre facility".

"The current plans to be build an ambitious `centre core complex' incorporating an aquatic centre, gymnasium and administration centre, doubling as an entertainment and conference centre is a community asset that, in my opinion, Bermuda is crying out for," he said. "I sense that many other sports administrators and community leaders would hope that there is bipartisan support for this development because, when completed, the National Sports Centre is really a community asset that Bermuda can ill afford not to have."