A Coruรฑa‘s burgeoning hockey scene faces a critical hurdle: a lack of dedicated field space is forcing promising athletes to seek opportunities elsewhere,โ threatening theโ sport’s growth within the city.The issue โstems fromโค intense competition for limited โคfacilities among numerous clubs andโ disciplines, leaving hockey players with few options for advancement locally.
The scarcity of appropriate playing fields is particularly concerning as youth programs-prebenjamรญn, benjamรญn, andโ alevรญn categories-continue to flourish. Coachesโ fear a wave of talented young players will be lost when they reach ages requiring a full-sized โpitch. โคThis challenge is โฃalready impacting athletes like Darรญo Sรกnchezโฃ Gerpe, a former Athletic player who recently earned a silver medal with the spanish national team in the 8 Naciones sub 16 tournament. Despite his success, Sรกnchez will compete in Valencia this season, seeking a higher level of play unavailable โin A Coruรฑa. “Itsโฃ a problem for local players; they can’t play here atโข a slightly higher level,” โSรกnchez stated,adding that his own path to the national team was โค”practically a miracle.”
Both Athletic, Escola, and Hรฉrcules are actively recruiting through schools and indoor hockey programs, building a foundation forโ future โgrowth. However, without โa โdedicated field where the sport can thrive, that foundation risks crumbling. “That baseโข we have now, when it grows, will find there’s no field where theyโค can play,” explains a coach known as Coque, who believes aโข suitable pitch would attract even more athletes to the sport.โฃ The current situation highlights the difficulty all three clubs face in securing adequate facilities amidst the city’s diverse sporting landscape.
