2016 Annual Report Contents President’s Report CEO’s Report Competitions Report Volunteers Report 2 - 3 4 - 5 8 - 9 10 Participation Report Pathways Report Performance Report 11 12 - 13 16 - 17 Waratahs Report Arrows Report Men’s Masters Report Women’s Masters Report 18 - 19 20 - 21 22 23 Awards Night Results Australian Representatives Hall of Fame 26 - 27 28 - 29 30 31 Life Members Financial Report 32 33 1 President’s Report 2 CEO’s Report Executive Reports President’s Report It is hard to believe that a year has already passed since I was given the privilege of becoming President of Hockey NSW, but I have to say that I am proud of the achievements of the Board and the management team in what has been a year of forward-thinking change. The primary focus of the Board this year was examining growth in our game – specifically, what it is that is holding us back and what we need to do as a collective going forward. The Board strongly believed that now was the time to “start building the house” and take advantage of the unique opportunity in front of us. The foundations that were set over the last two years through Association Reform – while fully understanding the difficulty of that process – were needed in order to grow hockey. The Board focused on three specific strategic areas: • The ‘product’ of our game • Engagement with our members • The long-term financial health of the game Our work around the product of our game focussed on all aspects impacting exactly that. This included (but was not limited to) a social form of the game, small-sided games and competition structures. The sole focus here was how we could make hockey more attractive and sustainable – we asked ourselves: “is what the sport delivers right for today’s environment and times?” The engagement component focussed on how we Hockey NSW liaise and communicate with you, our members, and how to broaden the Hockey NSW family and community. This included strategies around increasing participation, communication and new strategies around diversity and inclusiveness across all demographics in our community. The financial component was focussed on the long-term financial health of Hockey NSW, looking at how we can make the sport more self-sufficient in the future. The Board is very aware of the cost of our game to members – in particular families – and the impediment this is to growing our numbers. The focus here was how hockey could be more affordable whilst maintaining strong financial health. This year we also welcomed two new Directors to the Board with the appointment of Tony O’Leary and Colin Richardson, who have added significant depth to the skills we now have on our Board. On the other hand, our current Vice President and Board Member for the last six years, Rebecca Sanders, has decided to step down following the Annual General Meeting. I would like to thank Rebecca for all of her efforts during this time – her insights into the game will be missed. 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2 From a management viewpoint, it has been a very busy year in the office, particularly with our change in CEO mid-year. I would like to thank Tony Mestrov again for his service to the game over the last four years. David Thompson, formerly the General Manager, has stepped into the role and provided a seamless transition, especially in regards to the continuity of the many initiatives Hockey NSW launched in 2016. David and the team at the office have been at the forefront of some exciting innovations – some obvious, some subtle – but have been busily improving the experience for our members and what Hockey NSW delivers to you. The management team has also been instrumental in delivering on strategic initiatives this year which recently included the Member Engagement Survey and Growing Hockey In Sydney Forum. It is initiatives such as these that has seen Hockey NSW set a benchmark among its State counterparts and the ranks of the Australian Sports Commission alike. I would like to personally thank everyone in the office for all their efforts this year. They truly are a highly motivated and committed team, all focused on growing our game and making it the best it can be. From a personal standpoint, it was very encouraging for me to see the progress and challenges faced by our Associations when I visited them during my tour at the start of the winter season. It was pleasing to meet everyone and put faces to names but also for me to understand what you think it takes to grow the game. Interesting, collaborative discussions were had where both parties challenged each other with a common goal of understanding, and a view to, the future. While our year off the field has been hectic, the year on field has certainly had a ‘silver lining’, as nearly all of our State Teams this year earned silver medals at their respective National Championships. I am a strong believer of the notion that you have to make it to the final in order to win it so I’d like to congratulate all of our teams and their support crews on a fantastic outcome this year. I also had the pleasure of attending the Basil Sellers Regional Challenge and the Open Men’s and Women’s State Championships. It’s clear to me that the passion and love of our game is very strong and is made stronger by the volunteers in our game. Volunteers are what makes our game great and the Board and I thank you for your significant contributions this year and into the future. Finally, I’d like to thank my fellow Board Members for their valuable insights over the last twelve months. I look forward to an exciting 2017! Yours In Hockey, Michael Tentomas President 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 3 CEO’s Report Over the past 12 months Hockey NSW has focussed on bedding down Association Reform, improving communication with Associations, focusing our Regional Coaching Coordinators on growing the game and improving our core business. I would like to thank our Association Executives for their tireless efforts running the hockey business in their local region. I extend my appreciation to our volunteers at Association, Club and Competition level who truly are the ones that the sport relies on to function. Growth continues to be our main focus. We have seen a small increase in our registration numbers so we must continue to work together on growth. This is our shared goal - Hockey NSW, Associations and Clubs working together to ensure our game grows. The engagement of our members through social media channels has significantly increased in 2016, improving our communication with our affiliates, members, sponsors and the general public. We have reached over 8,000 members through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope to see this number continue to grow. Our Regional Coaching Coordinators have actively been working with Associations and Clubs growing their local volunteer coaching network and delivering four week programs to primary school aged children. The Sporting Schools Federal Government funded initiative enabled the delivery of our hockey program to over 20,000 children across NSW. The Regional Coaching Coordinators, volunteer coaches and Game Development Officers’ in each Association are to be commended on their efforts. Indoor and Field State Championships are our core business. I would like to express my gratitude to the Host Associations for their cooperation and efforts, as well as our volunteers officials who have given up their time to assist in the seamless running of these events. Your contribution is truly appreciated and without it, Hockey NSW would simply not be able to run our calendar of State Championship events. The Centre of Development continued, offering participants 21 hours of off-season specialist coaching and was capped off by the Basil Sellers Regional Challenge played at Moorebank in February. This was a huge success. Basil Sellers generosity in funding this event was amazing, enabling the event to be free for all participants. The family atmosphere at Moorebank Hockey fields was a highlight of the year. A massive thank you to the Moorebank Liverpool District Hockey Club volunteers who provided great facilities and kept all well fed and hydrated. The Athlete Acceleration Program (AAP) continued to be improved upon with the selected players receiving benchmark specialist skill development both in their home environment and at combined camps in the 16 to 18 year old age bracket. The outstanding performances at the Under 18 National Championships by both State and Blues teams are an outcome of the excellent preparation provided by the AAP. Congratulations to all the players and officials who were selected to represent Hockey NSW at the Field and Indoor National Championships. We extend our congratulations and thanks to the Coaches and Managers who assisted with State Teams preparation. Our results have seen us play for first place in 13 of the events, winning five gold medals and eight silver medals. Hockey NSW has again led the way in providing a large group of high performance athletes representing Australia in both the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos squads at International events during 2016. This year has seen success for the Kookaburras at World League Finals and Champions Trophy Tournaments, maintaining their World No. 1 Ranking and the Hockeyroos have improved their World Ranking to No. 3 with strong performance internationally in 2016. 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 4 NSW have seven members of the Kookaburra squad in Tom Craig, Blake Govers, Kieran Govers, Simon Orchard, Matthew Dawson, Flynn Ogilvie and Tristan White and six members of the Hockeyroos squad in Mariah Williams, Casey Sablowski, Grace Stewart, Emily Smith, Georgina Morgan, Kellie White and Kate Hanna.