MUCH like Otley RUFC and Guiseley AFC teams at Ben Rhydding Hockey Club have been climbing the leagues only to find themselves struggling financially when they get there.

All three clubs have much in common and all are struggling to find major sponsors who can give them the boost they need and keep them performing at high levels.

The ladies and men's first teams at Ben Rhydding Hockey Club have reached the National Leagues but they still find that their brightest young stars are having to move on to clubs with new water based pitches.

Many local soccer clubs enviously eye Ben Rhydding's astro turf pitch and indeed many use it as a training facility but already its own sport has moved on.

All the top clubs are playing on water based pitches and young players raised to international level by the Ben Rhydding Club are having to move on to keep their England places.

Young stars such as Will Musgrave from Burley-in-Wharfedale and Jo Ellis from Guiseley.

Both came through the superb colts section at the Ilkley-based club where up to 80 girls train on a Wednesday night and a similar number of boys on a Friday night.

The club has a junior section admired by most and the list of young players in the last decade who have gone on to gain county, North of England and England places is endless.

Ben Rhydding is trying to establish itself as a force in national hockey - a sport which has rocketed in popularity since England won bronze and then gold in subsequent Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Seoul.

The club now runs eight men's teams and five ladies' teams on a Saturday as well as its many junior sides.

The ladies followed the men into the National League by finishing as runners-up in the play-offs at Belle Vue, Manchester, last season.

Obviously they have found the step up hard and after a string of defeats they have battled their way to two successive victories over Leyland Motors and St Albans.

They currently lie second bottom but as player and Ladies President Mel Scott says: "We are mainly trying to establish ourselves at the moment. This season is all about staying up in National Division Two."

To achieve that though the side desperately needs more sponsorship. They are grateful for the help they have already had but with a new away strip compulsory under league rules and travelling costs to such far flung spots as Exmouth, Bedford and Liverpool the costs are mounting.

As Mel points out even the subscriptions for playing at this high level have rocketed from the £250 they paid last year to £1,000.

"It does not stop there, match officials obviously travel from all over the country and at this level you have to host more people after games so it all adds up," she said.

"We need a sponsor for our new away strip and although we have done quite well for match and ball sponsors in the first half of the season we are struggling to fill the gaps for the games after Christmas."

It makes it harder for clubs like Ben Rhydding to survive at the higher levels when their young stars have to leave to keep their England places.

"It means it is harder for us to make that step up if our best young players have to move away. We have lots of promising young players at the club and we need to be able to hang on to them if we are to move forward," said Mel.

The club's astro turf pitch is over used and ideally the club could do with another one but to really compete at the top level they would need a water based one.

All this of course costs a great deal of money and it seems that our flagship clubs in whatever sport are struggling to find the sponsors locally.

Of their first season in the National League Mel said: "We have made a reasonably good start, it is a learning curve for us and we have to build on the experience.

"We can beat any of the teams in our division on our day but at this level any mistake you make is punished and we have had to adjust to that."

The ladies reach the half way stage of their National League programme this weekend when Birmingham University are the visitors to the ground on Coutances Way.

Anyone who has not watched hockey at this level is invited to go along and support the team in a game which starts at 1.30 pm. In the New Year the first home league game is against Bradford on January 31(1.30 pm).