Hockey Victoria Annual Report 2018 2 | Hockey Victoria | Annual Report 2018 Contents 2 / 15 40 / 43 Welcome & Overview Statistics 14 / 19 44 / 47 Hockey Operations High Performance & Athlete Development 20 / 27 Competition Results 50 / 73 National & State Representation 28 / 33 Awards & Recognition 74 / 91 Financial Report 34 / 39 Community Hockey Welcome & Overview 2 | Hockey Victoria | Annual Report 2018 Grow Diversify Unite Excel Welcome & Overview | 3 Hockey Victoria Executive Report A $64.6-million commitment to the re Grandstand as hundreds of Southern United faithful witnessed an historic come from behind win in the final development of the State Netball Hockey against Camberwell Hockey Club. Centre (SNHC) including a dedicated Indoor Hockey Stadium kicked off a busy, Caroline Springs Hockey Club Women ’s team won their inaugural Vic League Premiership in Women’s Vic League challenging and exciting year for Hockey 2 and the Hawthorn Hockey Club juggernaut and dynasty Victoria in 2018. continued with another Premiership to add to the list in Premier League Women’s. After years of lobbying and advocating for the need to refresh the SNHC and a push for the a dedicated and quality indoor The Victorian State teams performed strongly but lacked a little hockey facility, HV and our close neighbours Netball Victoria bit of luck in some cases. In the 2018 AHL Finals the Vipers were successful in having $64.6 million allocated to a major performed strongly losing in the semi-final to the eventual re-development of the SNHC. champions New South Wales Arrows and for the Vikings a dramatic 6-5 loss to the Queensland Blades (who were also This Victorian Government announcement was made the champions) in the Quarter final was a bitter pill to swallow shortly after Melbourne and HV secured Rounds 1 & 2 of after winning the 2017 AHL in both the Men’s & Women’s the Inaugural 2019 FIH Pro League matches against world competition. Across the other teams, we were the Australian hockey powerhouses The Netherlands & Belgium. Under 18 Champions in the boy’s, silver medallists in the Under 21 Men’s, and had strong top 4 performances in the Under 18 These two exciting announcements, coupled with the pending Girl’s & Under 21 Women’s Championships. changes to the Australian Hockey League, set HV the new challenge of fan engagement, match day entertainment and Our two AHL home matches in October 2018 were well building momentum towards the launch of the 2019 FIH Pro attended with a crowd of 1,100 visiting the Western Australian League and the new AHL. match and 1,400 attend at the South Australian match. On behalf of the Board and the Management, we would like to In April 2018, the decision was made by Hockey Australia to again thank the community for getting behind the Victorian launch the new AHL in 2019 with the current format being teams and celebrating the Vikings & Vipers era. introduced as a hybrid Home & Away League in 2018, with the Vikings & Vipers set to host two home matches at the SNHC as Off the pitch we continue to work hard with our Affiliates to part of the hybrid. This news marked two significant moments: grow the game in a number of ways. 2,000 Hookin2Hockey the last time the Victorian mens and womens State Teams would participants in Victoria, over 80 schools engaged in the play as the Vikings and the Vipers, and the birth of the Victorian Sporting Schools program and a record 16 teams in our Hockey Fan Package. The package was strongly supported by 28 All Abilities State Finals are just a few examples of our Affiliates and an additional 300 individuals totalling 1,396 Fan continued success at bringing new players and exposing Package holders. This 7-game membership entitled Hockey fans new participants to our game. to attend both of 2018’s AHL home matches and provides access to the 2019 FIH Pro League and new AHL Home Matches in 2019. Our challenge like so many organised sports is retention so in response HV launched J-Ball in February 2018 with mixed With the changes imminent it prompted a fantastic opportunity success around the state. Our most successful competition to celebrate both the Vikings and Vipers history. We hosted was held in Footscray with 8 teams of J-Ballers playing in two functions as part of the 2018 home matches with past Term 2 competition. Ballarat also hosted a J-Ball competition players, coaches and administrators of the teams, announcing in Terms 1 & 2. Of these J-Ball participants, there was over the Victorian Vikings & Vipers All-Star Teams. It was a great 50% who had never picked up a stick. In addition to modified opportunity to share an insight into the future whilst also taking competition, we also commenced a project throughout time to celebrate the past. Gippsland taking J-Ball to retirement villages and delivering Walking J-Ball. We will continue to look at ways and means to On the pitch in 2018 there were a range of highlights including deliver hockey alternatives to meet the shifting sporting needs a first ever Premier League Premiership for Southern United of the wider community. Hockey Sixers was played in a range of Hockey Club in the Men’s Competition. After 20 years of suburbs of Melbourne as well, bringing back a range of players hard work it was a scene to behold in front of the Eastern who had excited the sport in recent years. 4 | Hockey Victoria | Annual Report 2018 Indoor hockey continued to grow with increased access to As part of the changes the HV High Performance team MSAC for the purposes of Indoor Competition and player commenced the Gippsland Player Development Program development programs. In 2018 our Indoor team entry across Drouin, Churchill and Sale, attracting over 70 players numbers increased by over 10% on previous years including from across the region. In addition, the Gippsland Bulls name 33 teams entering into Term 1 Indoor Competition for the was consolidated and used as the name of the Regional first time. In Term 3 we introduced an Under 13 & 15 Indoor Representative Team of the South East Country Region as part Development Program which in 2019 will fully integrate with of the 2018 Haval Junior State Championships. state team selection and an Under 18 program introduced. In 2019 the plan is to complete a similar consolidation process For the traditional game our participation numbers remained in the North West Country Region and implement a Regional consistent in 2018 (22,000). Whilst the numbers are largely Player Development Program across Mildura, North Central, consistent, our ongoing challenge is the 20% annual churn Dimboola and Bendigo in late 2019. in participation. That means over 4,000 participants in 2017 did not play in 2018, but it also means that we attracted a The streamlining of the player pathway process and governance new 4,000 participants to hockey. Whilst research tells us the is step one in what Management believe will be a broader reasons for opting out of the game are broad it is a friendly Governance & Competition reform in regional Victoria. Ensuring reminder that we must have our eyes wide open to adapt and we develop efficient and progressive governance of the game provide flexible models for engagement, competition structure and thriving competition across Regional Victoria. and payment into the future. We would both like to show our appreciation for our In 2018 Victoria had a significant number of Umpires officiating dedicated and loyal Sponsors & Partners - the Victorian State at National Championships. A standout was Ben Hocking being Government, VicHealth, Haval Motors, Game Clothing, Just appointed to the Gold Medal AHL Match between Queensland Hockey, Bradford Capital, Man Lift Hire and Kukri Sports. We & New South Wales. The number of umpires is increasing would also like to extend our thankyou to the Surf Coast Shire through the range of programs we are delivering and more Council, Wyndham City Council, Ballarat City Council and the talented umpires are developing in readiness for Premier Latrobe Valley Authority for their support for the launch of League appointments into the future. In 2018 we conducted a J-Ball within their communities in 2018. coaching symposium which attracted over 50 coaches within To the loyal and committed team of Staff at HV we thank each Victoria to attend and develop in March. of them for their ongoing commitment to see all aspects of the We further invested and developed our organisation’s ambition game improve & to the HV Board for their ongoing support for to pursue 50/50 gender split in hockey participation across innovation and progression in our game. all facets of the game as part of the Victorian Government’s In 2018 we said our goodbyes to longstanding HV staff Change Our Game Program. As part of this program, Hockey members Mary Lofthouse, Andrea Tacono and Lauren Victoria was one of the inaugural State Sporting Associations in Camilleri. We thank all three women for their outstanding Victoria to take the pledge to improve female participation and contribution to Hockey Victoria over a significant period of leadership in the game. We will develop a clear strategy and time. Mary, Andrea and Lauren were instrumental in the performance measures in relation to female participation and development of the organisation’s professional conduct over leadership. Hockey Victoria plan to release this plan in the first the past decade. half of 2019. Finally, to the 150 Hockey clubs in Victoria we thank you for In January 2018 we welcomed Haval Motors as our naming your ongoing hard work and dedication to the sport and we rights partner to the Victorian Junior State Championships and look forward to enjoying the FIH Pro League, the new AHL and our presenting partner to social hockey in Werribee, the Surf to fostering participation at all levels of competition in 2019.