Southern Grampians Shire has learnt its application for a $1.7 million federal grant to overhaul Hamilton's Pedrina Park was unsuccessful and will soon consider whether to reapply for state support.

John Mitchell, president of the Glenelg Regional Hockey Association (GRHA), said a lack of synthetic pitches in Hamilton increased the chances of players using facilities in Warrnambool or Portland.

"We really don't want that to happen at the association level. We're desperate to keep as many clubs and teams in our association as we can," he said.

"(Players) have got the skills at the early age to compete but as the age groups get higher mastering those skills on synthetic fields becomes a greater issue.

"We've got some really talented youngsters in our association and at the moment for those kids to go and get experience on those fields is a pretty heavy commitment."

Hamilton philanthropist Geoff Handbury has given GRHA $200,000 towards synthetic fields, though Mitchell said the money would not be used until the project's full cost was met.

The shire sought federal cash for a $2.6 million upgrade that would include not only hockey pitches but lighting towers and new facilities for other sports clubs based at Pedrina Park.

Mayor Marcus Rentsch said the council would be unable to meet the project's cost on its own and was committed to exploring other funding opportunities.

"We've been always given the figures on how strong hockey is in Hamilton, especially with the junior numbers," he said.

"We haven't seen anything to change that, although we would be concerned if those numbers dropped away remarkably."

Independent Wannon candidate Katrina Rainsford pledged to seek support for a new pitch if elected.

"Warrnambool has a synthetic field and their young players are performing brilliantly against teams from across the state," she said.

"Having another centre with synthetic fields in Wannon will help the profile and competition across western Victoria and if elected I will make it one of my priority 'catch-up cash' for Wannon projects."