ILLAWARRA DISTRICT HOCKEY INCORPORATED

Transcription

1 MAJOR SPONSOR ILLAWARRA DISTRICT HOCKEY INCORPORATED ABN ANNUAL REPORT 2012 SEASON JUNIOR HOCKEY SPONSOR JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT SPONSOR UMPIRES SPONSOR REPRESENTATIVE TEAM SPONSOR

2 ILLAWARRA DISTRICT HOCKEY INCORPORATED ANNUAL REPORT 2012 SEASON Life Members: Messrs. Claude Armstrong*, Wayne Billett, W (Bill) Castle*, Peter Cummins, Vic East, Keith Eastham, David Johnston, Wesley Johnston, Gerry Kelly, George Moorehouse, Barry Reid, L. Ryan*, Danny Shipp, Ray Tolhurst, Allan Went, Gary Wilsmore. (*Deceased) BOARD OF MANAGEMENT President Immediate Past President Vice President Garry Bull Craig Nealon Terry Ashby Administrative Officer John Pemberton Director Administration Director Records & Registration Senior & Junior Director Promotion & Media Director Coaching Director Competition Director Development Director Finance Director Indoor Director Planning Director Rep Teams Director Umpiring Director Veterans Judiciary Committee Delegates to Illawarra Hockey Public Officer Ernie Orth David Brookfield Lauri Nyrhinen Wesley Johnston Warren Gale Ian Counsell Janet Cowan Craig Klaus Brian Eastham John O'Donnell (chair) Garry Bull, Warren Gale Ernie Orth & Allan Went Allan Went

3 Presidents Report Firstly, congratulations to our outgoing president from 2011, Craig Nealon, for all he achieved over his term in the leadership role for Men s hockey in the Illawarra. He has left a legacy of a widely admired, growing association with outstanding success from our juniors, open s and veterans. The continuation of these results and the direction towards collaboration and amalgamation represents the real challenge ahead for the Association. As my first year in the role comes to an end, I can honestly say it has been a steep learning curve. Notwithstanding my other commitments with Illawarra Hockey Inc., Hockey NSW Facilities Committee and the WCC Sports Facilities Reference Group, plus the Shellharbour Hockey centre working party, much has been achieved in the past year. The viewing/amenities building at Unanderra, informally known as the Bullpen, has been a big hit for our spectators who have enjoyed an out of the elements view of the hockey games. On grand final day, to see the terraces packed with the grandstands near full and the building being used by those who preferred a great view and some shade from the sun, along with the players utilising the changerooms, it can be said that the facility upgrade is delivering on its promise. Further enhancements are planned with a formal bar and trophy/award display area thanks to the dedicated volunteers who make it all happen. Along with both synthetic surfaces now renewed at Unanderra, we can all be proud of the facilities available, which once the turfs settle in, outside of Homebush, are the best in the state. The usual early start of the field season with U17s in February was soon followed by the three Test, Australia-China International Series, which happened to coincide with major family commitments for myself. This period stretched my abilities to keep it all together. However, during this period and beyond, I must thank all the Board members who with their knowledge, experience, initiative and drive moved forward with all the necessary tasks for the local field competition and representative commitments. With the U17s well underway and the International Series completed in late March, then came the start of the field season in early April, the Academy Games (Hockey) in mid April and O45 Masters late May, along with the State Open s mid June, all at Unanderra with O45s also at Croome Rd, there wasn t much time to settle in to the new role. Congratulations to all our representative teams again this year. From our junior winners through to our veterans, Illawarra has once again shown its depth of talent. Though more work will need to be done at junior level for us to retain and improve on this year s results. The open s who shared the result with Sydney were unfortunate, that due to extreme wet weather they couldn t formally defend their title on home turf. However, they showed in the rounds that they were raging favourites going into the final. We hope all these players can stay available for us next year. With five being selected in the NSW Waratahs, it highlights what a talented group of players are currently available in the Illawarra. With a number of other young players chasing positions at this level, we may continue to excel for a number of years. Along with the continued dominance of our Indoor teams at state titles at all levels, I m sure we could still lay claim, as Craig did last year, to being the strongest performing Association in the state. London Calling 2012 was the tagline this year, and with Casey Eastham (Hockeyroos), Kieran Govers (Kookaburras) and Dave Gentles (Umpiring), it was a treat for all Illawarra hockey players and fans to watch the games with our players represented. The Association was extremely proud of their performances and achievements. A continuation of the introduction of technical officials for 1 st and 2 nd grade continued to deliver improvements in the conduct of our matches and on a number occasions at lower levels and ages events highlighted why and how it would benefit the competition if it could

4 also be introduced for these matches. With the standard of umpiring continuing to be of some concern to players it is hoped that with some guidance and assistance from our own International umpire, Dave Gentles that we can improve this area. We need strong leadership in this area to ensure we can deliver on the needed improvements while making the task less onerous for those who gratefully take it on each week. We changed some things this year for grand final day and based on feedback from players and spectators, the presenting of medals on the day was greatly appreciated and preferred. All games were played in great spirit with tight tussles throughout the grades and many clubs involved. Thanks to Craig Nealon again for his work with ihockeytv which is being watched by more and more people both locally and especially internationally. It is becoming a big hit. Don t forget to have a look. You can find ihockeytv either on YouTUBE, or as a free podcast found in the itunes store. I look forward to Craig continuing his efforts and assistance in the media and communications area for which he has a passion and abundant skills. The Board has done a great job in supporting me in my first year with a special mention to Wes Johnston who has devoted significant time and effort to fill in some of the gaps as they have occurred during the year. Thank you, for the efforts of all those involved at club level, which is the real engine room for the Association. Club executives, coaches, managers, umpires, technical officers and all the other volunteers, I hope your love of hockey and the people involved continue to drive your passion for the game. Special thanks once again to John Pemberton, who year in and year out, organises much of what we all take for granted in the running of the Association. Thank you, to our current sponsors, who continue to see hockey as a worthwhile investment that contributes to the wellbeing of the community. We are and we need to do more in this area also. I look forward to the Association tackling some of the big issues in the year ahead for the betterment of hockey in the Illawarra. Garry Bull President Administration Report When I first started administrative duties with men's hockey 13 years ago, I recall a spirited talk by Denis Beynon at our first meeting about the local hockey fraternity. At the time I wondered what Denis was going on about - coming from a cricket background. It did not take long for me to see how passionate all of the Illawarra hockey people were about their game and I consider 13 years later that it is still a pleasure working with all of the hockey fraternity. Hockey is the family game and I appreciate all of the support from so many people each year. There has been a name change! Illawarra Men's Hockey Inc has been replaced by Illawarra District Hockey Inc - IDHI. The decision was made at the July SGM to comply with Hockey Australia and Hockey NSW vision of gender neutral governing bodies of hockey. It has been another outstanding year on the representative scene. Note the large number of Australian and NSW representative players - three local London Olympians! Read about the dominance of the Illawarra Indoor teams in their state championships. What excellent results in the Opens men's titles (without the rain Illawarra would be A & C division champions). The U17s are state champions. The Masters teams finished near the top of their championships in all age divisions. All players and officials should be justifiably proud of these achievements. We must be doing lots of things very well.

5 The first grade competition is of a high standard as the recent final series highlighted. A Captains Forum was organised last December and the clubs introduced a number of changes to the competition format (interchange numbers; Friday night matches; restricted teams in 2nd grade etc) with the aim of improving the first grade competition in the future. Unfortunately Bowral could not field a side in 2012 yet it is planned to field a 10 team first grade competition in future years. Welcome to the new juniors club Seacliff who entered teams in the minkeys, U11s & U13s. We look forward to their growth through the age divisions and into grade in the future. However, it was disappointing to see the demise of the Oak Flats club - both at senior and junior level. Thanks for the past hard work by the Cohens and Adams families in organising OFHC. Hopefully the club can resurrect itself in the future. Overall the IMHI competitions continued to run smoothly and without too much drama obviously the main aim of the competitions. The two playing surfaces at the Illawarra Credit Union complex were replaced in February and together with the building between the fields, Illawarra has the facilities to host international matches. And they did so with a three test series between Australia and China in late March. in addition the Men's O45 and Open championships were held in the Illawarra (utilising Croom rd fields as well). With these excellent facilities, local Hockey has the opportunity to showcase the region on the bigger scene. Many thanks to ALL of the Board members for their efforts over the hockey season. IDHI have a very experienced and stable Board. Their hard work and experience are invaluable for the successful functioning of local Hockey. Special mention to new President Garry Bull. The presidency is a most demanding role one in which everyone underestimates the time and dedication needed to fulfil the position. Garry has been involved in all local hockey matters making decisions, arbitrating disputes, listening to all comments & arguments - and always well organised and enthusiastic. He has also been involved in a number of issues on the bigger scene with HNSW and both local Councils. Thanks, Garry. Welcome to new director Lauri Nyrhinen who has taken on the Development portfolio. My thanks also go out to those hard working club officials who made my job easier with their support. They are the backbone of the club s administration and I urge all other players to get in and have a go to support these club officials. In particular I thank Peter Wilson from Albion Park seniors and Jan Massie from Albion Park juniors; Tamara Thorburn from Flames, Brad Boon and Warren Gale from Dapto; Dave Sharpe and Richard Heffernan from Fairy Meadow; Dave Brookfield and Will Carney from Kiama; Marcus Reed from University seniors and Wendy Condon from University juniors and Craig Arthur and Chris Brown from Wests. Keep up the good work. Thanks to Jason Collett for all aspects of Croom Rd organisation, John O'Donnell as Judiciary Chairman and Allan Went for his continued role as Public Officer. Sarah Pickering did a fine job once again as Minkey co-ordinator. Well done to HNSW Illawarra/South Coast Development Officer Emma McLeish. Thanks also to the Southern Highlands HA administrator Kate Van Eimeren for her assistance with all matters relating to SHHA. Thanks also to the players for supporting the annual Call to Arms Mens Cancer Awareness day. Players made a gold coin donation when they took the field for the last competition round. Thanks to the organisers at each field Dave Brookfield at Croom rd; Wests Hockey

6 at Lindsay Maynes and Craig Johnston at Uni Field for their collections. Together with the kind donation of the Uni Recreation and Aquatic Centre (URAC) of field hire fees for the day, we were able to again donate $600 to the Illawarra Community Cancer Link - to assist their project for specialised day care lounges at Wollongong Hospital. Well done to all. Thanks to Wayne Billett and his band of life members who organised a raffle and ran the bar during the final series to raise $2000 for our London Olympians. Thank you to all officials of the Illawarra Women s Hockey Association and the band of helpers in the canteen at Lindsay Maynes. Their hard work is greatly appreciated. Congratulations to University HC who held their 50 year reunion in August. If I have missed someone who I should not have Thanks for your help. Sponsorship The IDHI is very appreciative of the continuing support of its sponsors - the ILLAWARRA CREDIT UNION as MAJOR SPONSOR (past 14 years for the IDHI and more recently the major sponsor of ALL Illawarra Hockey competitions (Men s & Women s Field & Indoor) as well as the Illawarra Hockey Stadium); ILLAWARRA MASTER BUILDERS CLUB as Junior Hockey Sponsor (past 13 years); SMART EYES OPTICAL as Umpires Sponsor over the past 5 seasons and FHE in their 7th year as Equipment Sponsor (and Rob Davis has also been of great assistance supplying clothing to the representative teams and Hockey fraternity in general via the FHE Shop at the Illawarra Credit Union Hockey Complex). Many thanks to Craig Arthur and BLOOMS THE CHEMIST who started a new sponsorship as Junior Development sponsor. Thanks to departing sponsors BETTA MAID CAKES & PIES who were the Foods Sponsor for 7 years. The Lavendars sold their business and the new owners did not have a hockey interest. It is very important that the IDHI, affiliated clubs and all players support ALL sponsors. Remember that the IDHI sponsorship monies lower the cost for all players playing in the IDHI competitions. Media The Illawarra Mercury includes weekly results on Mondays with stories from the first grade matches and junior results on Thursdays. My thanks to Mike Gandon for including the stories and results in the paper and to Terry Ashby who wrote the first grade match stories for Mike. WIN TV did provide regular Hockey coverage during the season for 1.30 pm matches at ICU and University Fields. Unfortunately the local Rugby League and Soccer matches gain WIN TV priority for later Sunday afternoon filming. Tony De Souza once again wrote a weekly column in the Wollongong Advertiser Tony has been doing so for the past 11 years. Tony s stories were always informative and accurate and were very much appreciated by the hockey fraternity. Tony was nominated by IDHI for the HNSW Media award for his wonderful media contribution. First grade results could also be heard on media associated with Southern Highlands News, Prime TV, Wave FM and Southern Cross Broadcasting. Thanks to the contacts at these sources for promoting hockey. Craig Nealon produced many episodes of local Field and Indoor Hockey on ihockeytv,

7 which you can visit either on YouTUBE, or as a free podcast found in the itunes Store. These Webisodes are very popular with a very wide audience. Web Site All competition and registration data are incorporated on the Hockey Australia Hockey Net site. All players can register themselves on Hockey Net and clubs can administer their player registration details. Wes Johnston uploaded all competition draws on the site. Many thanks to Wes - his expertise and organisation are very much appreciated. John Pemberton continued to collect hard copy results sheets and manually enter all match data into the system and transfer the results to the ihockey site. The data entry on Hockey Net is time consuming yet Sporting Pulse are continually modifying and improving their product and will become more time efficient as IDHI moves towards electronic capture of all competition data. Contact details and links to all local hockey clubs as well as sponsors and affiliates links, all competition results for Men's & Women's Hockey, ihockey TV and the IDHI Resource Library can be found at Many thanks to Craig Nealon who updates and maintains the ihockey site. Australia vs China International Test series The Illawarra Credit Union complex was host to international hockey when the world champion Kookaburras met world no 18 ranked China in a three test series in March. The Series was hosted by both HNSW and IDHI with the GET EXCITED catch phrase. This was a great opportunity for the Illawarra Hockey community to showcase the upgraded facilities and the ability to organise a great hockey event that was sanctioned by Hockey NSW and Hockey Australia. The Chinese team played warm matches against the NSWIS team on Tuesday 20 March (win 2-1) and the Illawarra open team on Thursday 22 (thrilling 3 all draw when the locals scored two late goals) the latter being played for the City of Wollongong Challenge Shield. The Kookaburras arrived on the Wednesday of that week and supporters were able to watch the elite players train on our local fields before the Test Series on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 afternoons as well as 7 pm on Tuesday 27 March. For the record - Australia were too strong in all three matches winning 10-1, 10-0 and 7-0. The crowds were excellent for all three matches and it was a great thrill for Kieran Govers to represent Australia in front of his home crowd and as expected David Gentles umpired all three matches. Thanks must go to a lot of people - the Organising Committee of Garry Bull, Debra Tuckerman, Ray Tolhurst, Gay Tarrant, Craig Nealon, Sue Abba and Elaine Carr and Tourism Wollongong's Courtney Beaton - the clubs for their volunteer support with pre-game setup, post-game cleanup, drinks and meal assistance, ticket sales at the venue, car park attendants, gate management (and in particular Warren Gale (BBQ) and Wes Johnston (bar)) - TAFE with scaffolding and catering staff - Illawarra Academy of Sport for the ball people - UOW's reception for the Chinese team and so on.

8 Illawarra and Chinese players after their match at ICU field IDHI Golf Day 82 golfers enjoyed the excellent course and facilities at Port Kembla Golf Club on Thursday 16 August for the 13th IDHI Golf Day. The event was a 4 person ambrose with a shotgun start. Cost was $60 each for which the players received the round of golf, drinks on the course, lunch during the round and dinner after the game during the presentation. The clubs were required to gain a number of sponsors ($400 per hole) or a group of four golfers. Companies very generously donated over 100 prizes for the various events as well as the raffle. The IDHI raised over $1500 from the Golf Day from the sponsorship and raffle proceeds. In addition, clubs that gained a hole sponsor were reimbursed for their efforts ($1400 in total). Many thanks to the clubs that supported this very important IDHI Fundraiser. Nett winners were the University Rec & Aquatic Centre team. Runners up were the Dapto Leagues Club followed by the Entertainment Distributors Company team. Gross winners were the Lakeline Butchery team followed by the Warren Gale and Wollongong Ministorage teams. Nearest the pins were won by Jim English and Cam Dean. Drive and Pitch winner was Paul Manning and the longest Drive was that of Lance Cross. Hole Sponsors (in order of their hole) were: Illawarra Credit Union, University Recreation and Aquatic Centre, FHE Hockey Supplies, Jones & Associates Dentists, Dapto Leagues Club, Lakeline Butchery, Specialised Automotive Services, Albion Park RSL, Wollongong Ministorage, PM Woods & Associates Solicitors, Diskray Pty Ltd, Samson Controls Pty Ltd, Entertainment Distributors Company, Kiama Leagues Club, Wests Illawarra Leagues Club and Blooms the Chemist. Many thanks for your support. The IMHI is very appreciative of the following companies who have generously donated items as prizes for the golf competitions and for the raffle Crown West Cellars, Diskray Pty Ltd, Entertainment Distribution Company, Illawarra Credit Union, Illawarra Golf Range, Jones & Associates Dentists, Petstock Albion Park, Samson Controls & University Recreation and Aquatic Centre. Presentations The Illawarra Junior Hockey presentations were held at Illawarra Credit Union Fields after the Junior Grand Finals on Saturday 8 September. Major Premiers were awarded their perpetual and individual trophies in each of the U11, U13 & U15 competitions; Wests

9 Illawarra won the Club Championship trophy. The Under 17 presentations were made after their grand final on Wednesday 27 June. 110 people attended the presentation night at the Master Builders Club on Friday 31 August - the Friday night before the semi-finals. The Board decided to change the previous date (the Friday after the Grand Final) after requests to change the date to avoid the usual clash with the Sydney HA night. The Illawarra Womens Association had a separate presentation function after their grand final. Special guests included HNSW President Jeff McEwan, IWHA President Elaine Carr, International Umpire David Gentles, IDHI Life Members, sponsors and various Friends of Illawarra Hockey including Tony de Souza, Ian & Jenny Govers and Jocelyn White. Ticket price of $33 provided a 3 course dinner and 2 drinks tickets. Many thanks to Bec Goodman from the Builders for her assistance. The meal was excellent receiving favourable comments from many attendees. Craig Nealon did a fine job as always as MC and produced an excellent slide show of the award winners and also from his ihockeytv clips. Highlight of the evening was a chat with David about his London Olympics experience and the official awarding of London Olympic plaques to David Gentles, Kieran Govers and Casey Eastham as well a Kookaburras plaque to Tristan White. Awards were also made to team and individual award winners as well as various Australian & NSW representatives. Garry Bull was the winner of the Administration Appreciation Award for his contribution to Illawarra Hockey over many seasons. Meritorious service award plaques were presented to Warren Gale and David Sharpe. The presentations finished earlier than normal which allowed all present to chat about our favourite winter (and now for many summer) past time. John Pemberton Administrative Officer 2012 Competition Winners Minor Premiers Major Premiers First Grade University Second Grade University Red Third Grade Dapto Fourth Grade Albion Park White Fifth Grade Albion Park Under 17 Albion Park Under 15 Albion Park Green Under 13 Wests Red Under 11 Wests First Grade University Second Grade University Red Third Grade Dapto Fourth Grade Albion Park White Fifth Grade Fairy Meadow Under 17 University Under 15 Albion Park Green Under 13 Wests Red Under 11 Wests

10 Senior Club Championship Junior Club Championship Player of the Year First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade University Wests Oliver Walker (Fairy Meadow) Jon Marr (Fairy Meadow) Lionel Billett (Dapto) Zac Nyrhinen (Albion Park Green) Chris Thorn (Fairy Meadow) Highest Goal Scorers First Grade Simon Beaton (University) Second Grade Beorn Hulme (University Red) Third Grade Brodie Billett (Dapto) Fourth Grade Phil Prohm (University Blue) Fifth Grade Damian Jones (Fairy Meadow) Administration Appreciation Award Senior Rep Player of the Year Under 21 Rep Player of the Year Garry Bull Tristan White Flynn Ogilvie Representative Players & Officials 2012 Field Hockey London Olympians Kieran Govers, David Gentles NSW Under 18 - Paul Counsell, Jack Hayes, James Olsen, Blake Govers NSW Under 21 - Blake Govers, Flynn Ogilvie, Heath Ogilvie, Josh Walters NSW Under 16 All Schools - Blake Govers, Max Hughes, Cameron Parsons NSW Country - Jeremy Huk, Ryan Nicol, Joe Plumb, David Reid Australian Under 16 Boys All School - Paul Counsell ( toured 2012), Cameron Parsons, Blake Govers, Max Hughes (shadow) Australian Under 16 Girls All School - Mikaela Patterson, Maddison Smith, Grace Stewart Australian Country Under 21 - Josh Gregory, David Reid NSW U15 Boys Josh Mayo, development team Brady Anderson, Thomas Miotto, Kieran Richards NSW U15 Girls Chelsea Ford, Riley Smith, Riley Wishart, Grace Stewart, development team Keeleigh McCauley, Kelsey Wishart NSW Boys U13 Daine Richards, Will Orth, Thomas David NSW Girls U13 Comfort Fergusson, Chloe Johnston, Chloe Thurgate, Montana Marsh, Maddison Smith, Lily Stewart, Rowey Worner-Butcher Masters Representatives NSW O35 Glen Stolk (vc), Paul Munro, David Rieck NSW O40 Aaron Lloyd, Laurie Nyrhinen, Wes Johnston, Michael Thomas NSW O45 Bob Hughes, Craig Sherry, Neil Harper NSW O50 Graham Body(vc), Jim O`Shea, Mark Jennings, Phil Brown, Paul Van Eimeren NSW O55 Andrew Terrey, Terry Ashby, Warren Gale, Gary Bull, Roger Franklin, Tommy Zaulich

11 NSW O60 - Dennis Cranston, John Williams, Phil Younger, Rick McConnell NSW O65 - Keith Coombs NSW O70 - Vic East. Australian Masters Over 50 Peter Hammond, Greg Johnson Indoor NSW Representatives Opens Simon Beaton, Flynn Ogilvie, Heath Ogilvie Under 21 - Josh Anderson, Blake Govers, Scott Govers, Jack Hayes, Jeremy Huk Under 17 James Olsen, Blake Govers, Jack Hayes, Joe Plumb, Steve Boothroyd, Paul Counsell Under 15 Josh Mayo Under 13 Invitational - Patrick Everett, Callum Mackay, Zac Nyrhinen, Kevin Mansell, Will Orth

12

13

14

15

16

17 Competition Report This season included a number of innovations involving the capacity of clubs to influence the makeup of the draw - concepts derived from the pre-season Captains meetings where ideas for improvement were encouraged. The idea of Friday night feature 1 st grade or club night rounds and changes to the end of year presentations stemmed from direct consultation with clubs and participation in these brainstorming sessions should be fully encouraged for the benefit of Illawarra hockey competitions. In 2012 there were 36 senior men s teams, with the loss of one southern Highlands team and Albion Park fielding one less team. Dapto played with no 2 nd grade team and Kiama played with no first grade. The imbalance of numbers in 2 nd grade worked against the draw cycle and made the resulting draws somewhat scattered for teams in the higher grades. The junior competition featured 38 teams, one more than the previous year, including 8 teams in U17s with the welcome addition of the Southern Highlands playing in the Illawarra competition for the first time. The new Seacliff club was represented in U11s and U13s. Unfortunately Oak Flats were only able to fill an U17 team. The increased number of teams meant that minkey games were moved to the indoor stadium due to lack of availability of outdoor field space at times. There were nine teams in U15s, fourteen teams in U13s and nine in U11s. This unfortunately resulted in changes to the timeslots of some U13s games breaking from the conventional staged age and time format. This may have affected clubs negatively and the hope is that there will be a more even spread of age groups in As usual some are always affected more than others. The end of year finals series included split A and B divisions and the intent of involving as many players in finals as possible extended to a C division in U13s. It would be good if all these late season draws could be published earlier in the season to ensure clarity of commitments for all participants; however, the complexity of these decisions means that not everyone will be happy all of the time. The aim is to minimise these inconveniences as much as possible whilst maximising opportunities for everyone to enjoy their hockey! Thanks go to the Board of Directors for their support and assistance, especially Wesley Johnston and John Pemberton for their support in my role as Competition director. Congratulations go to all club s and players for their efforts and successes on the field playing in our competitions. David Brookfield Competition Director Minkey Hockey 2011 It was another successful year for Minkeys with 14 teams entered throughout the two age groups. There were 6 teams in our Under 7s and 8 teams in our Under 9s. Seacliff was a welcome addition to our competition. They were a delight to deal with throughout the competition and always willing to lend a hand when needed. Numbers are shown in the table below:

18 Team Total Players 2012 Total Players 2011 Notes for 2012 Wests U7 s = 10 U9 s = 9 &7 University 9 19 U7 s = 6 U9 s= 3 Flames U7 s= 8 U9 s = 6 Fairy 6 7 U9 s = 6 Meadow Dapto U9 s = 14 Albion Park U7 s = 9 & 8 U9 s = 10 Seacliff 17 N/A U7 s = 6 U9 s = 11 Total Players As you can see although numbers are up in total, this is only through the addition of another team in the competition. Some teams did struggle to fill a side, however, this was generally not a problem with teams willing to lend players. This also helped promote a sense of good sportsmanship in our young players with the onus being on everyone getting a game and not on who they were playing for. We stayed with the same format as previous years of Under 7s playing 2 x 15min games and Under 9s, 2x 25min games. This once again seemed to work well. The half field games are beneficial for the Under 9s and would enhance their skills if they could play these more often. Bunching up is always a problem for them on the ¼ fields and then trying to get them to spread out when they go to the ½ fields. Indoor games proved popular once again. We had a few more this season due to field availability, however, you would still need to keep them to limit. Both carnivals went well, with everyone getting into the spirit. Thank you to Wes for organising certificates and vouchers. It was a pleasure to run Minkeys this year, unfortunately it was my last with children moving on. Thank you to all that helped. Sarah Pickering Minkey Hockey Co-coordinator Development The primary focus of development this year revolved around trying to expand the number of clubs participating in our competition. The unfortunate collapse of the Oak Flats club has left a largely untapped area in the Shellharbour/Warilla/Flinders region and it was with this in mind that we looked at ways of making ourselves known to the potential players here. The introduction of the Monday night junior competition at Croome Rd has enabled players, who are otherwise involved in different sports on the weekend, to try our sport midweek, but further investigation revealed that these teams were being supported by clubs already within our competition so although a great idea this alone has not resulted in the formation of new clubs. Our next focus area was to get the word out to school children in this area so with this in

19 mind we have liaised closely with Emma Cobbin-McLeish and her role as NSW development officer. Emma has taken our sport to many schools in this region and has undoubtedly influenced many young children into considering taking up hockey. To add to the already great work Emma is doing we have envisaged producing a flyer for IDHI, showcasing our sport, it s clubs and contacts, and delivering these to all schools in the district early in Lauri Nyrhinen Development Director Game Development During 2012 the following was achieved: Development Squads: IWHA Development Squad: 9 sessions each Friday from 13/1-16/3 SCWHA Development Squad: 6 sessions each Monday from 23/1-27/2 School Clinics: January - Kiama PS February - St Pauls Albion Park, Nareena Highs PS March - Mt Kembla PS, St Lohn Vianneys Fairy Meadow, Berkeley PS, Keiraville PS May - Bulli PS, Jamberoo PS June - Stella Maris, Shellharbour July - St Michaels Thirroul August - Illawarra Christian School, Tongarra; St Josephs Bulli September - Warrawong PS, Tullinbah PS October - Figtree PS Holiday Programs: 4 th and 5 th July- Olympic theme Hook in2 Hockey Clinic 24 th September- Indoor Holiday Hook in2 Hockey Clinic Coaching Accreditations: 4 th July- Level 1 coaching course/ workshop Other Events: 24 th March- Kookaburra Hook in2 Hockey Clinic 25 th March- U9s competition as curtain raiser for Kookaburras v China Match Emma McLeish Illawarra/South Coast Development Officer Indoor Hockey Report 2011 Local Competitions The competition consisted of A, B & C divisions (26 teams) and Under 15s, Under 13s & Under 11s (31 teams). A Division B Division C Division Uni Young Guns Tubesteaks Black Dapto Southweststrikers Tubesteaks Grey Addlington Homes Construction Dragons Wests Blue Twighlight team Bronco s Wests Red Wests Uni Steelers Dodgers Kiama

20 The Mailmen Grumpies Matt Elliot Plumbing Uni Pink Tubesteaks Grey Hotshots Tubesteaks Black Cougars Fairy Meadow Black Brownsville Cows Cavaliers Under 11s - Wests Red, Wests Blue, Albion Park White, Dapto, Fairy Meadow Black, Uni Red, Fairy Meadow Orange, University, Albion Park Green, Wests White Under 13s - Uni Red, Wests Blue, Dapto Gold Dogs, Under 11 Development Team, Oak Flats, Uni Blue, Wests Red, Albion Park, Fairy meadow, Ingleburn, Dapto Under 15s - Uni Red, Wests Blue, Wests Red, Fairy Meadow, Albion Park White, Albion Park Green, Dapto, Oak Flats Uni Blue, Kiama Results: A Division - semi's - Uni Steelers 10 def The Mailmen 4, Broncos 9 def Illawarra Construction Dragons 8. Final - Uni Steelers 10 def Broncos 3 B Division - semi's - Tubesteaks Black 2 def Grumpies 1, Wests Blue 4 Uni Pink 4 at Full Time at end of extra time. Final - Tubesteaks Black 3 Wests Blue 3 at Full time 6-4 at end of extra time. C Division - semi's - Matt Elliot Plumbing 8 def Adlington Homes 2, Wests Illawarra 4 Cavaliers 4 at Full Time and end of extra time. Final - Matt Elliot Plumbing 4 Wests Illawarra 4 at end of Full time 5-5 at end of extra time. Matt Elliott Plumbing higher on table so declared the Winner. Under 15s - semi's - Uni Blue 14 def Kiama 4, Wests Blue 4 def Fairy Meadow 0. Final - Uni Blue 3 def Wests Blue 0 Under 13s (A) - semi's - Uni Blue 10 def Wests Blue 1, U11's Development Team 0 lost to Ingleburn 6. Final (A) - Uni Blue 7 def Ingleburn 3 Under 13s (B) - semi's - Albion Park received a forfeit from Fairy Meadow, Wests Red 6 def Uni Red 1. Final (B) - Albion Park 3 def Wests Red 2 State Championships Open Men s - Illawarra Credit Union Hockey stadium - three teams entered - two in Div 1 and one in Div 2. Team 1 - finished 3 rd place -lost semi to Sydney Team 2 - finished 9th place in Div 1 Team 3 - finished 4 th place in Div 2- lost semi to Central Coast 6-4 Under 13s - Port Macquarie - 2 teams Team 1 - finished 1 st place defeated Sydney 4-3 in final Team 2 - finished 10 th in Div1 Under 15s - Central Coast - 2 teams Team 1 - finished 1 st place defeated Macathur in final 7-1 Team 2 - finished 4 th place lost semi to Parkes 4 2 Under 17s - Illawarra Credit Union Hockey Stadium - 2 teams Team 1 - finished 1 st place defeated Newcastle 7 5 in final Team 2 - finished 8 th in div 1

21 Representative Indoor Teams Open Mens: Team 1 - Heath Ogilvie, Simon Beaton, Flynn Ogilvie, Josh Anderson, Scott Govers, Jeremy Huk, Jack Hayes, Rhys Gray, Tom Walker, Blake Govers, Matt Perry. Simon Beaton coach, Courtney Beaton manager, Tyson Street umpire, Darren Fowles judge. Team 2 - Alex Mackay, Chris Whitehall, Haydn Evans, Dean Nealon, Mitch Wray, Steve Mcinnes, Will Grant, Joe Plumb, Mitch Hurry, Alex Montgomery, Matt Burke. Steve McInnes coach, Janet Cowan manager, Craig Klaus umpire. Team 3 - Ben Walker, Cam Dean, Jack Rowe, Joel Rieck, Zac Duncan, Ross Sharpe, Steve Boothroyd, Paul Counsell, Peter Huk, Aaron Matos, Mo Akram. Peter Huk coach, Ian Counsell manager, Mungo Skyring umpire, Craig Rieck judge. Under 13s: Team 1 - Patrick Everett, Thomas Condon, Callum Mackay, Daine Richards, Zac Nyrhinen, Kevin Mansell, Will Orth, Harrison Cobbin, Bailey Frost, Josh Davies. Blake Govers coach, Scott Govers assistant coach, Brian Everett manager, Jack Adams umpire. Team 2 - Jake Rieck, Jack Colvin, Liam frost, Cody White, Luke Taylor, Hayden welsh, Joel Westblade, Luke Westblade. Cameron Parsons coach, David Rieck assistant coach, Nathan Jelacic manager. Under 15s: Team 1 - Max Hughes, Thomas Miotto, Blake Govers, Cameron Parsons, Daniel Olsen, Josh Mayo, Brent Hogg, Callum Mayo. Scott Govers coach, Jack Hayes assistant coach, Bruce Parsons manager. Team 2 - Josh Stewart, Daniell Jolliffe, Rhys Castle, Oliver Dunn, Sam Lackersteen, Patrick Everett, Charlie Scriberras, Callum Mackay. Steve Boothroyd coach, Brian Everett manager, Max Hughes umpire. Under 17s: Team 1 - James Olsen, Mungo Skyring, Blake Govers, Jack Hayes, Cameron Parsons, Joe Plumb, Ross Sharpe, Jack Rowe, Steve Boothroyd, Paul Counsell, Josh Mayo. Josh Anderson & Heath Olgivle coach, Peter Hayes manager, Kellie Thorpe umpire. Team 2 - Jake Dean, Max Hughes, Zac Duncan, Jake Haddon, Brent Hogg, Cameron Crowl, Peter Cowan, Daniel Olsen, Calum Mayo, Joel Rieck, Ben Fielder. Jeremy Huk coach, Donna Rieck manager. NSW representative players: Opens - Simon Beaton, Flynn Ogilvie, Heath Ogilvie. U21s - Josh Anderson, Blake Govers, Scott Govers, Jack Hayes, Jeremy Huk. U13 Invitational - Patrick Everett, Callum Mackay, Zac Nyrhinen, Kevin Mansell, Will Orth U15s - Josh Mayo U17s - James Olsen, Blake Govers, Jack Hayes, Joe Plumb, Steve Boothroyd, Paul Counsell Donna Rieck Indoor Chair

22 Representative Teams Reports Senior State Championships Illawarra 9 to 11 June 1st team in A Division: team: Simon Beaton (coach, captain), Flynn Ogilvie, Kurt Ogilvie, Heath Ogilvie, Tristan White, Blake Govers, Scott Govers, Oliver Walker, Josh Anderson, Elliott Ashby, Josh Walters, Dean Nealon, Jack Hayes, Steve Mayo. results: 4-1 vs Wagga, 7-1 vs Macarthur, 6-1 vs Newcastle, 6-3 vs Tamworth, semi 3-0 vs Grafton, final vs Sydney washed out As coach of the Illawarra team I had no issues with any of my team in terms of commitment/attitude etc. We also received positive feedback in regards to our discipline in the dug outs. The tech official said it was a pleasure to have the Illawarra team as there was no swearing/negativity towards umpiring etc. during our talks unlike most other teams. The guys commented on the uniforms being a lot better than previous years large shirts. The shirts this year were definitely a better size, possibly the cut could be a little tighter in future as per the current trend in sporting shirts but overall a huge improvement. The selection night was a disappointment, only a handful of guys turned up. I don't think these are necessary in the foreseeable future. The team should be able to be picked from club games. The second team was a huge success, With the players in the 1st team being fairly young they will not be a high turnover of guys and spots becoming available so these guys need to have that chance to play again next year. There would be no reason after next years championships that we cannot field 2 teams in the top grade. It should be a major priority that 2 teams attend next year where ever they are held. Feedback on the surface from other teams suggest the issue with why they were replaced has not been fixed. Teams commented on how slow the field played from one way to another but that surface is much better. My experiences feel the bounce had just been reversed and although not quite as bad as last year it is still there. The middle room and dug outs were fine. They are quite small if you are to fit 1 team in a dug out' The major disappointment was the decision to call off the final. My main concern was that the game was called off before our scheduled start time. Given how well the field drains there may have been an option to get some sort of play in if the rain eased up for a short period. Given the 2 teams in the final were Illawarra and Sydney surely we could have waited for at least half hour after the scheduled start time Simon Beaton Coach No 2 team in C Division team: Tom Walker (coach, captain), Glenn Stock (coach, VC), David Reid, Ross Sharpe, Jeremy Huk, Chris Whitehall, Haydn Evans, Ryan Nicol, Jack Rowe, Mitch Hurry, Nick Jennings, Alex Montgomery, Brock McCracken, Joe Plumb, Steve Tuddenham. results: 13-0 vs Nepean, 17-0 vs Griffith, 8-3 vs Cessnock, 14-0 vs Far South Coast, 5-0 vs Scone, semi 16-0 vs Griffith, final vs Cessnock washed out Coach/Co-Captaining the recent Illawarra 2 s team in Division C for the recent Open Men s

23 State Championships in June was a pleasure. Logistically the weekend was smooth which was helped by being a the host team. Most, if not all of our players, were first grade Illawarra players. All of which played professionally in a division which we were clearly mismatched to. This is the first Illawarra 2 s team we have fielded for as long as I can remember and the boys were aware we had to start from the bottom of the division. Our players showed great sportsmanship to continue to play competitive even in games where the score may have been There were no issues to report concerning disciplinary action and no incidents. What was a frustrating end to an enjoyable weekend of hockey was obviously the rained out final. As a player who has played in worse conditions, it was hard to comprehend this decision, however, as a tournament organiser who must consider player safety and turf integrity I can understand the reason it was called off. The only point I would suggest to the IMHI board is to consider closely what NSW hockey may decide to do with division C promotions. Our team certainly would flourish in division 2 and certainly even be competitive in division 1. With the current young talent in our side not only will many players eventually play in the 1 s squad, they are strong enough to fight for a finals position in 1 st division in the Illawarra 2 s side. It would be a shame if the joint premiership in division C meant we did not get promoted into B division for 2013 and the chance to have two Illawarra teams in A division in This would not only frustrate some of the boys, but it would be unlikely they would travel and pay expenses to play uncompetitive hockey for future Open tournaments. Hopefully common sense prevails notwithstanding NSW Hockey s policy on team promotion during a joint premiership occurrence. In addition, several of our players gained country positions which was positive end to our campaign. This squad has plenty of depth, so moving forward I can only suggest more interaction with the 1sts squad such as pre tournament practice matches or training, which could be easily arranged. As the teams move into closer divisions and the gap between the boys who are 18 and boys who are in their s narrows I can see a nice squad of two strong Illawarra teams developing which will only assist any communication weaknesses in our local competition and help young representative players play with their mentors. I look forward to representing Illawarra next year in one of these squads. Tom Walker Junior Representative Teams U17 A coach Ian Mayo & Peter Row, manager Janet Cowan U17 Development team coach Matt Davis, manager Jonathan Castle U15 A coach Matt Davis, manager Lauri Nyrhinen U13 A coach Chris Richards, manager Karina Welsh U13 Development coach Davis Rieck, manager Damien Jones U11 coach David Rieck Under 17 State Championships Newcastle - 4 to 6 May A team in A Division team: Mungo Skyring, Max Hughes, Blake Govers, Paul Counsell, Brock McCracken, Jack Rowe, Alexz Crawford, Peter Cowan, Callum Mayo, Cameron Parsons, Kieran Springett, Dean Bond, Daniel Olsen, Josh Mayo, Brady Anderson. We had a wonderful weekend with both teams. It was noted on the trip up that we actually wondered if we had any people on the bus as it was so quiet. They only started making a

24 noise about ten minutes out from stopping for dinner. Arriving at the motel all the boys helped unpack the bus with all the food and drinks and were all in bed by 11pm. The A team's first game was at 10:15 am on Friday against Central Coast - an unknown team to us. It started out as a strong game on both sides but we put in a great field goal by Jack Rowe in the 21st minute followed by a penalty corner in the 28th minute by Blake Govers. We went into half time with this score. Central Coast came out in the second half with a new intensity and they score the next two goals making it 2 all. We just seemed to have fallen off our momentum until in the last minute of the game a lovely field goal came from Cameron Parsons made the final score 3-2. We went to the Hunter Stadium to take advantage of the Ice Bath. After the initial shock of the cold the boys enjoyed the privilege of being able to use the facilities. Our second game was against Parkes at 5:45 under not very good lighting conditions. We started quickly with a field goal from Peter Cowan in the 6th minute. A very back and forth game ensued until we were awarded a penalty corner in the 26th minute which was converted by Blake Govers. In the last minute of the half a beautiful field goal came from Jack Rowe to have us going into the break with a 3 nil lead. Again our opposition came out firing and scored a goal in the 37th minute but we retaliated with a goal in the next minute from Paul Counsell. Ten minutes later Jack Rowe found the back of the net with another field goal make in the final score 5-1. We again went to Hunter Stadium to make use of the facilities. We then went back to the Motel where we all have a great BBQ cooked by Jonathan and Roger with assistance from the Development side in setting everything up. All the boys were in bed by 10pm as they all had a very big day and were all very tired. The third game at 11:45 on Saturday was a very tough game against Tamworth. It took us 24 minutes to get a ball across the line with a good goal from Jack Rowe and two minutes later Peter Cowan found the net. We went into the break with a 2 nil lead. We came out from the break and the intensity in our game had fallen off and Tamworth came back with goals in the 43rd and 57th minutes to have the final score as a 2 all draw. Ice baths again. The fourth game was at 3:30 against Grafton. This was a very back and forth game with a lot of attempts just falling short and Grafton scored in the 29th minute with a penalty corner. We entered half time 1 nil down. Six minutes into the second half we scored a great field goal from Blake Govers then another in the 50th and 54th minute to make us 3-1 up but Grafton were not done they scored two quick field goals to end the game as a 3 all draw. The semi final was at 8:00 against Sydney. This was a game we had to win as we did not have Blake as he had to attend the Under 21s trial in Homebush. He was picked up after our last game on Saturday. The boys picked up their game 110% and had a few chances. Patience was the name of the game and in the 16th minute Brady Anderson put the ball over the line. Both sides had chances but couldn't find the net. The final score was 1 nil and we were into the Final. The Final was at 2:15 against Grafton. The game started off with a lot of intensity and chances from both sides. We received a penalty corner in the 21st minute with was converted by Alexz Crawford shortly followed by another by Paul Counsell and in the 27th minute another by Blake Govers. We entered the half time break 3 nil up. After a great half time talk by all the boys and the coaches they went out pumped and in the 33rd minute we received a penalty corner which Blake Govers converted and we were on a role. From the hit off the ball

25 was stolen from Grafton and in the same minute we had put the ball in the net from a field goal by Jack Rowe. Two minutes later another corner and Paul Counsel put the ball over the line. In the 46th minute Grafton receive a penalty corner which they converted to make the score 6-1. This was the final score and the boys had become the Under 17 State Champions. I would just like to say that both Peter Rowe and Ian Mayo did a superb job with the boys and it was a pleasure to be the Manager of such a very well mannered bunch of young men. Janet Cowan Manager Under 17 Development Team in C Division The U17 Development team competed at the Newcastle championships on the 4 th, 5 th and 6 th of May in C Division. team: Josh Adams, Luke Adams, Josh Blackburn, Rhys Castle, Thomas Condon, Jaiden De Bruyn, Mitch Galea, Daniel Jolliffe, Philip McGeechan, Thomas Miotto, Zac Nyrhinen, Jack Patterson, Blake Small The team was not finalised until the week of the championships with players withdrawing from the team after the A team was announced. The disruption to the selection process was a worry, as parents could not confirm accommodation in Newcastle, players who wanting to attend not sure whether we would get a team together and coaches and managers scrambling to help Janet get final numbers. Eventually a decision to ask the U15 As team was made, but probably too late for some parents with four of the players unable to attend. The team was finally made up of some U17 players willing to represent the association, boys from the U15As and two boys who had missed out on selection in the 15s. With Under 15 coach Matt Davis taking the team and myself moving to the managers role, a team of 13 players boarded the bus on the Thursday afternoon. The team was placed in the same pool as Sydney 3, Tamworth 2 and Grafton2. After losing our first two games against the eventual finalists (1-3 vs Tamworth and 0-4 vs Sydney), the boys pulled together and played their best hockey to beat Grafton 2 in their final pool game( 4-3) to finish third in the pool. Playing for 5 th spot against Shoalhaven the boys dominated the game winning easily and showing how much they had bonded as a team. The unevenness of the two Division C pools was very evident with all the other pool teams losing on the final day to our pools teams. On a high note the boys were awarded the play the whistle award for our pool a much deserved win by a great bunch of kids. Thanks to Matt Davis, who made the long trip from Wagga, to coach the team. Matt entertained the boys at every turn and his positive approach to every game was appreciated by the boys. They responded well to his coaching and wanted to win that last pool match for Matt, even though it was partly to do with Matt's bet that he would go in the ice bath if they won. Also thanks to Peter Rowe for organising the Ice Baths and recovery centre at the Newcastle Knights Stadium. After some hard losses the boys regrouped and bonded as a team in these recovery facilities. Peter also arranged the catering for the boys which was much appreciated by the players and parents. Thanks to Janet for organising the weekend and showing me the ropes, and also to Roger the bus driver who after so many years still loves being part of the Illawarra team and