For the last time

HC Steffisburg played its last game on May 17, 2026. A memorable day, because the natural turf is now history.

From now on, the Steffisburg team will also be playing on artificial turf. Many will certainly miss the pleasantly soft ground, the tickle of the blades of grass on the bare soles of their feet and the smell of freshly mown grass. For more than 40 years, this was a core element of HC Steffisburg, an almost integral part of the club’s DNA. Swiss Hockey spoke to Dominik Wälti (president), Björn Häglöv (1st men’s team) and Aline Ryter (juniors) to find out how the Steffisburgers are doing and what keeps them going.

Swiss Hockey: HC Steffisburg was founded in 1982. Were any of you there as juniors back then? If not, how long have you been with HC Steffisburg?

Dominik: No, I’m not that old after all. I’ve been with HC Steffisburg since 1991. I started my field hockey career at the age of six and have had many unforgettable moments with HC Steffisburg since then.

Aline: I wasn’t yet born when HCSt was founded. I joined HC Steffisburg when I was 10 years old, in 2010.

Björn: No, I wasn’t born in 1982 either. I joined HC Steffisburg around 2009, when I was about 7 years old.

Swiss Hockey: And why did you start playing country field hockey? Who or what brought you to field hockey?

Dominik: At the time, there was already a school sports program in Steffisburg that included field hockey. I signed up for this course. To be honest, I assumed it was floorball before the first training session. At first I was surprised when I saw the small, curved sticks. However, I was fascinated by the sport from the very first second, so I’ve stuck with it ever since.

Aline: I got into country field hockey through my brother Philippe and our colleague Björn. Our families have been good friends for many years. The boys went to training there through school sports and I wanted to be there too, so I went along to a training session and I enjoyed it so much that I’ve stuck with it to this day.

Björn: Like Dominik, I found out about the club through school sports and that’s how I took my first steps in country field hockey. The first training sessions were still very special and unfamiliar at the time, but I got better over time. That’s what ultimately led to me staying loyal to the sport and the club.

Swiss Hockey: Dominik, you’ve been playing on natural grass since 1982. When the big clubs gradually switched to artificial turf, what impact did that have on HCSt?

Dominik: As a junior, I noticed this process rather gradually. It wasn’t until I played for the Swiss junior team that I realized that I had certain disadvantages as a grass hockey player. For optimal athletic development, it would probably have made sense to switch to a club with artificial turf. However, my attachment to natural grass and HC Steffisburg was always greater, so I never took this step.

Swiss Hockey: Did you often lose a home game at the Erlen sports ground?

Dominik: We did lose home games time and again, especially during our time in the NLB. Over the years, however, we had a much higher points average at home on natural grass than away on artificial turf. When the Swiss Cup was still around, we even managed to beat some NLA clubs.

Swiss Hockey: Aline, the seniors still remember the days when it was only played on natural grass. Today’s kids and juniors – how does it feel for them to train on natural grass and play mainly on artificial turf in the championships (exception: HC Höfe!)?

Aline: The change is always a bit difficult for the children. At the tournaments, they first have to get used to the artificial turf. The natural turf has lots of holes and is generally a bit more difficult to play on, so we always told the children that the artificial turf is similar to the indoor pitch. This worked most of the time.

Swiss Hockey: How were you able to convince the kids/juniors to play on natural grass? Didn’t the kids/juniors feel a bit strange about it?

Aline: No, I don’t think they ever questioned it, because the kids didn’t even know that the other clubs played on artificial turf (until their first tournament visit). There was no other option in Steffisburg than to play on natural grass. Unfortunately, country field hockey is not that popular in our region, so many people don’t even know that it is actually played on artificial turf. But I think that the first time on artificial turf was a special moment for many Steffisburg children, and I also think back to myself. The annual Tenero field hockey camp, which we run together with Berner HC, therefore has great added value for the children in our club, as an intensive week of field hockey on artificial turf has brought a lot of progress – and still does every time.

Swiss Hockey: Dominik, you now have a brand new artificial turf suitable for field hockey. How long did it take you to convince the city/municipality to build such a pitch? What were your arguments?

Dominik: I need to clarify that first: It’s an artificial football pitch and not a special artificial field hockey pitch. However, we have high hopes that field hockey can also be played well on it – this will be a significant improvement, especially for our juniors. On a positive note, we have managed to move all training and match times from the natural turf to the artificial turf. We were able to achieve this thanks to a good and constructive exchange with the municipality and the other clubs.

Swiss Hockey: Björn, with the new artificial turf pitch, is your aim now to emulate FC Thun and become champions? If not, what are your plans?

Björn: No, I also think that we will stick to our concept with the mixed team in the 1st division with the switch to the artificial turf. This model has worked well for our club in recent years and is now part of our identity.

Swiss Hockey: And what about the juniors, Aline? Final4 of the U18?

Aline: Let’s see how this season will go, as it will also be new for the juniors to train on an artificial turf. Even if it’s not an artificial field hockey turf, I really hope that the juniors can take advantage of it. But I believe that with the cohesion, the motivated players and the committed coaches, participation in the U18 Final4 will certainly be the goal for the season. We will need some reinforcements from the U15 for the U18 team, but I am sure that HC Steffisburg will perform well. This U18 Challenge is a great opportunity for our juniors to prove their skills against their peers while they are already being integrated into the 1st team.

Swiss Hockey: Won’t you miss your natural grass pitch? I mean 44 years is almost half an eternity … and one or two generations have probably already grown up there … what will you miss about the old pitch? What not?

Dominik: I’ll miss the nice, cozy and familiar atmosphere during home games. Where else can you find a sandpit for small children right next to the pitch? I will also certainly miss the natural pitch, which is pleasantly cooler in summer. What I won’t miss, however, are the numerous holes that made stopping a field hockey ball a matter of luck.

Aline: I will certainly also miss the cozy atmosphere. Many others, including myself, played country field hockey on this pitch for the first time and that makes me a little nostalgic. I certainly won’t miss the last-minute training sessions that we had to cancel due to the unplayable pitch.

Björn: I fully agree with Dominik here. I will definitely miss the great moments and the feeling of playing on natural grass. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to have a decent surface in recent years.

Swiss Hockey: Thank you very much for the great interview. Your natural turf has made you truly unique. One era is coming to an end, a new one is dawning. We wish you much joy and success with the new artificial turf.