Councillors unanimously backed the project, which will help the association construct a clubhouse and amenities building to the value of $436,000.

The project will enable the clubhouse and canteen to be furnished to include tables and stackable chairs, white goods and storage facilities once constructed.

Labor councillor Ben Whiting threw his support behind the motion, and said the hockey grounds were a “wonderful facility for our city”. 

“These updates were sorely needed, as I’ve spoken about before the need to flush a toilet with a bucket at a facility of that scale was not great – especially for visiting teams,” he said. 

“The new facility will be wonderful but the basis of this decision should be in the facts, and should be in the fact that the original loan was paid down by half by the association. 

“They’ve demonstrated that they will follow that up again and maintain secure financials. 

“I don’t think anyone should have any problems in celebrating this new facility for our city.”

The group plan to fund the project with a combination of the association's reserves and refinancing their existing loan to the total amount for a new loan of $350,000. 

“I am quite impressed with those from the hockey turf association given that they are on council land and they’ve gone to this effort to build such good facilities,” Liberal councillor Mitchell Griffin added.

“Well done to the club on the effort they’ve done to get this work up.”

The proposal comes because council owns the land where the hockey facility is built, and the association does not have any assets to mortgaged for the loan.  

In 2004, Maitland Council was the guarantor for a $300,000 loan for the association to help build a new synthetic hockey facility in the city.

The works were completed in 2015, and more than half of this loan has been paid off by the association.