University Of Westminster Sports Ground

The University of Westminster Sports Ground, also known as the Quentin Hogg Memorial Ground, is familiar to hockey players in SW London, hosting league and friendly matches on its water-​based and sand-​based astroturf pitches
Yesterday, I attended one of the Olympic ladies hockey warm up tournaments, which was hosted here. The London Cup was contested by world number 1 Holland, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Ireland as well as the home side Great Britain
The ground had been expertly set up and the event was well managed throughout the day. The main rugby field was turned into the car park and there were marshalls to help with orderly parking of the cars
The organisers had set up a retail area, food and drink stalls and portaloos. There was a lot of space for spectators to wander around between matches though we were all glad that the feared rain didn’t arrive in earnest until after the tournament ended.
I’ve been a long-​term critic of Hockey England. At a time when the GB men’s and ladies’ hockey teams have been very successful, there has been very little visible promotion of the sport and hockey clubs have been shrinking. Also, rule changes have been refining modern hockey into a very fast, flowing exciting sport with many goals and easily accessible to the casual spectator but there is still no hockey on TV, either on terrestial or satellite channels
However, I was impressed by England Hockey’s efforts at this event. They’ve set up a Hockey Nation program, trying to encourage and enthuse younger players. They had set up lots of different skills for youngsters to try and for once, I felt the future of the sport may be in more secure hands. One of the main things promised by London 2012 organisers has been to leave a sporting legacy and I hope that they carry through long after the Games have ended
There was a nice grandstand area set up for the tournament and the seats were well raked for good views though we did lose the ball on the near touchline
The tournament provided tough competitive matches — the Oympic squads for most of the countries have yet to be announced, so players were playing for their places. There was much to admire and lots to learn from watching these professional athletes perform. The tournament was eventually deservedly won by Holland, who beat Australia 4 – 1 in the gold medal match. GB finished 5^th but they have a lot of injured players to return, who will hopefully strengthen the side
What was nice was the chance to meet the players and get autographs signed
This event has whetted the appetite for the real thing! Roll on London 2012!