THE BULLETINGET CAUGHT UP ON ALL THINGS HOCKEY IN NSW

NUMBER TWENTY-FIVEJUNE 2018

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A new look Australian Hockey League is coming later this year, and it will all kick off in Sydney on October 6th when the Arrows and Waratahs take on the mighty Queensland in a huge double-header at Sydney Olympic Park.

This year’s AHL will be a home-and-away series which will see each state hosting at least one home game in the first three group rounds.

After playing QLD here in Sydney, both of our teams will head interstate for two more games.

Firstly we will take on Tasmania in Hobart on Sunday 14th October before heading back to take on the ACT in Canberra on Saturday 20th October. All states will then head to a central TBC venue for finals the weekend after.

Ticketing arrangements are currently being finalised and will be announced in early July. Stay tuned to our website and so-cial media pages for the announcement.

Hockey NSW is very excited to announce the return of our Under 12 Development Clinics and All-Ages Goal-Keeping Clinics in the July School Holidays. DEVELOPMENT CLINICS

The development clinics are targeted for players of all abilities from ages 8-12 including those that have never played before. It is set to be a fun, active and educational experience for young hockey players to develop their core skills. All clinics will be run by our highly certified Regional Coaching Coordinators. The one day sessions incorporate Hockey Australia’s Hookin-2Hockey Program designed to build friendships and teach key skills for young players.

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Hockey NSW has welcomed the announcement that Sydney will be a host venue for six matches in the new FIH Pro-League beginning January 2019.

Sydney, along with Melbourne and Hobart, will all host matches in the Pro League which pits the world’s nine best men’s and women’s teams against each other on a home-and-away basis.

Sydney Olympic Park will be the venue for the six matches, across three days during March 2019.

The cost for our Under 12 Development Clinics is just $47. All registered players will receive a Hockey NSW water bottle. Reg-istration for all clinics is online and will stay open until the start time of the scheduled clinic. In the unlikely event of insufficient numbers at a centre, Hockey NSW will contact all registrants and provide a full refund.

Clinics will be held in over 20 locations throughout NSW. You can find the full list in the events tab on our website.

GOAL-KEEPING CLINICS

Waratahs player BJ Bruton will join Hockey NSW coaches this July for four quality clinics focused on high-performance tech-niques and game knowledge. Regardless of your age and/or ability, you will be provided with the information and practical experience to advance your goal-keeping. The price for these clinics is $195.40.

Coffs Harbour - 16th JulyMaitland - 17th JulyMarang Parklands (Greenhills) - 18th JulyCintra (Concord) - 19th July

Spots are limited so register now via the Hockey NSW website

READ MORE

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Our State Championships for 2018 are almost done and dusted but there’s still a few more to come!

The Open Men and Women’s State Championships were held over the June long weekend at Narellan and Moorebank and despite the weather being less than favourable, the action on the field was great. We then took the trip out to Parkes this past weekend for the Under 15 Boys State Championships which great on and off the field. You can view all of the results from these State Champs by click-ing here. If you’d like to see any photos galleries from the events, check out our Facebook page.

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Once again we want to thank all of our host Associations and their volunteers for the amazing work and dedication they showed during these tournaments. We couldn’t run our State Champs without your help! We would also like to thank our partners Camp-belltown Catholic Club, Rydges Campbelltown, Holiday Inn Warwick Farm, Parkes Services Club and the Parkview Motel for looking after all our players and officials.

We’d also like to acknowledge Camden Council, Liverpool City Council and Parkes Shire Council for all their support and assistance with bringing our State Champs to their areas.

We’re looking forward to the upcoming Under 13 Boys and Girls Steggles State Championships in Taree and Wagga next month. Make sure to show your support and appreciation for our partner councils - Mid Coast Council and Wagga City Council - by plan-ning a trip or taking some time to explore the great events and places these areas have to offer.

We’ve been very pleased to see many of our Associations and members supporting our new major partner Steggles over the past few months. Steggles branded aprons, hats and tea-towels were distributed to all Associations earlier this month for use in their canteens and it’s been great to see so many volunteers using them.

All volunteer officials at our State Championships this year have also received a Steggles branded jacket and pencil case to recognise their hard-work and the time they have given up to assist with our events. From all accounts these jackets have been extremely popular and can’t go far without spotting them at fields across NSW.

We are working hard with Steggles to access benefits and discounts for our members and Associations, so keep an eye out on our website and social media pages for more information. Remember next time you’re in the supermarket to pick up some Steggles products for dinner!

Hockey NSW has recently committed to recognising and acknowledging our long list of life members.

Our CEO David Thompson will be attempting to contact and meet with all of our living life members throughout the year to present them with a special life member pin.

Additionally, we will be featuring a life member in each of our Bulletins this year to allow the hockey community to get to know these great stalwarts of our sport.

Last month we profiled Robert (Bob) Aitken AM. This month, we would like to introduce you to Robert Proctor who was made a life member in 2004.

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What is your earliest memory of your introduction to Hockey?The first day I went to play hockey on a Saturday morning, I was asked which position I wanted to play. I was 13 and had no idea what hockey was about, someone said it was like soccer. I was playing soccer as a goalkeeper, so I said I’ll play goal-keeper and that’s where I stayed. I lost my second game 21-nil (Ron Riley from the Australian Hockey Hall of Fame scored about 16 of those), went home and my mum said how did you go. I told her we lost 21-nil and mum asked - did you play well?

What is your fondest memory of your journey in hockey?Playing in two World Cups in 1975 and in 1978 when I won a bronze medal. Playing in the final of the 1976 Olympics was also special. Unfortunately we lost the game, but getting an Olympic silver medal was special.

What would you tell a junior player to look forward to in hockey? You will get enjoyment and friendships and it goes from there. You’ll realise that you can play this game and if you work hard really hard on both your skills and understanding of the game, the opportunities will open up. There will be hurdles but remember, continue to work very hard. Get knocked down seven times, get up eight times.