Newcastle International Hockey Centre chairman Bob Fernance hopes upgrades at the Broadmeadow venue will be completed by the end of next season and admits the current pause on games and training provides "a little bit of help" for the redevelopment to occur.
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Fernance said he was aiming for the $10 million project, first announced in 2016, to finish "around about late August" in 2021.
Civil works got underway this month after lights on all fields had been installed.
The centre, marking 30 years in 2020, has been closed since mid-March because of coronavirus.
In terms of returning to training, Hockey Australia on Sunday released a "COVID Resource Hub" with "Return To Sport Toolkit" online while last week Hockey NSW confirmed an earlier recommendation for clubs and associations to "hold off organising any formal training sessions under the eased restrictions".
In relation to 2020 competitions, Newcastle Men's Hockey Association have two scenarios, both starting on the same July 18 date but one finishing as scheduled on September 26 and the other extending into October while Newcastle District Women's Hockey Association are set to review a player survey.
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