THE end of an era marked the beginning of a new one for Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club as they make the move to their new base.

At the weekend, their teams played their final matches at the old Woodmill High School, where the club as a whole have been located since 2005, ahead of moving to their new facilities at Dunfermline Learning Campus.

And one of Dunfermline Carnegie's officials is hopeful that a switch in location to the site which now hosts both Woodmill and St Columba's high schools can help spike interest in the sport.

Gordon Johnston, the club's development officer, said the potential of other clubs using facilities at the learning campus - Dunfermline Reign Basketball Club are one team who are moving there - could provide a boost in numbers.

READ MORE: End of an era as Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club leave Woodmill High School

"I think the outdoor facilities are a big improvement on what Woodmill and St Columba's had," he said.

"If you've got several of the big clubs in Dunfermline all moving to a similar site, particularly if they're all training during the week and playing on Saturdays, you'll get quite a large sporting day if people want to go up and have a look and see several different sports at the same time.

"It give us potential and opportunities. Woodmill did too when we moved to it, because we were all on site, but there's a bit more up at the new schools because of the nature and size of it, where it's positioned for the eastern expansion, and access to it."

READ MORE: Come with us on a tour of the new St Columba's and Woodmill high schools

The first hockey sessions at the learning campus began this week after the club bade farewell to their former home at the weekend.

Their 19 years at the old Woodmill came after what Gordon described as a "nomadic" existence for the club, who used facilities in Stirling, Falkirk, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth and Glenrothes, after leaving Pitreavie in what he said was the late 1980s to early 1990s.

During that time, the school was hit by fire in 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19 the following year, whilst the men's first team were promoted to Scottish Hockey's Men's Premiership for the first time in its history in 2021.

"Once we were there for three or four years, that really helped, because we were all based in one centre. We were quite nomadic before that," Gordon added.

"We're looking forward to the move to the more permanent facilities. It's a nice setting, with lots of fields, like Pitreavie, which was like our ancestral home so-to-speak, where there was lots of pitches and lots of things happening at the same time. I think this will be the same.

"Obviously, at Woodmill, we just had our own pitch and a game happening next to a school building. I think the setting will be good and provide some more opportunities."