SURREY mayoral candidate Barinder Rasode and her One Surrey team will make Surrey the largest field hockey hub in North America by building a new facility at Tamanawis Park, the team announced on Monday.

“Surrey has established itself as a premier field hockey destination and most of the top players in Canada come from our city,” said Rasode, adding the sport has become so popular, turf time is fully booked and junior programs are unable to expand. “We know that sport and public safety go hand-in-hand. If youth are engaged in recreation activities, they are much less likely to be lured into a life a crime and gangs. Enabling our clubs to expand will increase sporting opportunities for our young people, and allow Surrey to host more tournaments, which will be a big boost to our economy.”

The new facility will be built as part of the Build Surrey program of community investments.

“I’m pleased to see that Barinder Rasode and her One Surrey team understand that sport and physical fitness play a critical role in keeping our kids on the right track,” said Olympian Ravi Kahlon.

“The new field will allow us to reach more young people and expand our programming, which will benefit the entire city,” said Narinder Sangha, India Club President.

One Surrey was joined at the announcement by former and future Olympians, including Ravi Kahlon, Sukhwinder Singh, Bindi Kullar, Poonam Sandhu, Priya Randhawa, and Jagdish Singh.