Hockey SA Member Update - December 2022 edition

Welcome

Welcome to the final edition of the Hockey SA member update for 2022.
 

A message from the CEO After a tough couple of years, it’s a great result for everyone to make it through a full winter season of hockey uninterrupted by Covid. Congratulations to everyone!  Planning is well underway in preparation for a successful 2023 winter hockey season. We look forward to releasing the 2023 fixtures early in the New Year.  Hockey SA staff will be taking a break over the festive season. The Hockey SA offices and MATE Stadium will be closed from Friday 16th December, and reopening on Monday 9th January. During this closure, Hockey SA staff will not be accessible via email or phone. All messages will be replied to upon staff return. We wish the entire hockey community a safe and happy festive season and look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2023.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all …!  Geoff Riddle - Hockey SA, CEO

Hockey SA Athlete Pathway

Hockey SA has been working tirelessly on the evaluation and creation of the new Hockey SA Athlete Pathway. At Board level, a new High-Performance sub-committee has been formed to ratify these changes. Excitingly, the sub-committee have had important discussions about both the previous pathway’s structure, and how Hockey SA can assist shaping the future of hockey in South Australia. Additionally, we've received feedback from the Zone Coordinators, and have been able to streamline the pathway to a more realistic and competitive program.

Based on the feedback, we have moved to a “camp” based model for state identification and selection. The new Pathway structure is now visible on the website for all to see, including all dates for the 2023 Zones, State and Nationals season. Click here to view this information.

Moving to a camp model presented HSA an opportunity to work with country hockey associations, to host Zone Identifying Camps (ZIC’s) across South Australia. Most recently Port Pirie hosted our first Under 15 boys and girls ZIC and over the coming months we will be travelling to Mount Gambier and the Barossa to conduct under 18 ZIC. There is some serious excitement about bringing hockey together from across the state and we hope that this approach supports our vision of being stronger together.

"The Lower South East Hockey Association is excited to be chosen to host the 1st Under 18 ZIC camps in February 2023. The ZIC camps will attract the best U18’s the state has to offer and provides local exposure of what is expected from athletes who make this level. As a further bonus, our local coaches will also have the opportunity to attend a specialised coaching clinic in line with Hockey SA. Our playing and training facilities, as well as functional clubrooms and amenities, provide a great foundation for training camps of this sort. The LSEHA look forward to hosting the U18’s ZIC’s and will be working to make this a fantastic experience for all involved" - Daniel Grosse - President, Lower South East Hockey Association.

"The Barossa Valley Hockey Association is looking forward to hosting the second of the U18 ZIC camps in March 2023. The training camp is a great opportunity for the use of our facilities outside of our season and club training, as well as bringing in the top U18 athletes to our wonderful region. The two ZIC camps will provide a great opportunity for local players to be exposed to athletes' skill expectation, trialling for state, by following the skills matrix on HSA website in Athletes Pathways. Our local coaches will also have the opportunity to attend a specialised coaching clinic, and some exposure for our umpires, with a chance to umpire the scratch matches. It should be a great experience for all involved" - Gail Kirby - President, Barossa Valley Hockey Association.

Hockey SA Schools Roadshow 2023

The Hockey SA Schools Roadshow is back in 2023, following a hiatus in 2022 due to the pandemic.

Planning is well underway for the Roadshow that will deliver 100 promotional clinics across the state in February 2023. Hockey SA has been liaising with metropolitan clubs and regional associations to identify priority schools for the Roadshow to attend, promoting junior competitions and the Hookin2Hockey Program. 

For more information, or to register your school for the Roadshow, contact Hockey SA's Participation Officer - jamie.dowling@hockeysa.com.au

Thank you to our sponsors

Hockey SA and the Adelaide Fire are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of our fabulous sponsors. Their support is vital to the growth of our sport in SA. 

A huge thank you to each of our sponsors for supporting our competition and the broader hockey community in South Australia. 

• MATE 
• Belgravia Sports Apparel
• Majestic Hotels & Apartments
• Fulham Finance
• Polytan Asia Pacific
• Just Hockey
• Lion Co
• Kookaburra
• The Office for Recreation, Sport & Racing