The 2021 winter hockey season will begin on April 24/25, and conclude with Grand Finals on September 11/12.
In total, 25 junior teams and 18 senior teams from 6 clubs have submitted team entries by the due date. Team entries may be altered up until April 11 to accomodate any increase in membership. Fixtures will be prepared ASAP after this date.
Both the senior men’s and women’s competitions for 2021 will be played as 1 pool of all teams entered. However, those teams which submitted an entry for Division 1 will play for Division 1 Finals, and teams which entered for Division 2 will play for Division 2 finals.
The men’s competition will include a Hockey Geelong Sharks development team. The players participating in this team must also be members of a local club, and must give their first commitment to their local club. The team will play for points and goals, but will not be eligible to play in finals.
Junior competitions are offered for:
- Under 8 Mixed – Saturday 9 am, Lloyd Reserve
- Under 10 Mixed – Saturday 10 or 11 am, Lloyd Reserve
- Under 12 Mixed – Saturday or Sunday morning, Stead Park
- Under 14 Mixed – Saturday or Sunday morning, Stead Park
- Under 17 Mixed – Saturday or Sunday morning, Stead Park
Ages for junior competitions are taken at January 1, 2021. Junior players who have not played before in an organised competition, and who are not more than 12 months over the specified age limit may be eligible to play in a lower age group. Any requests for special dispensation outside of this situation should be submitted to the Match Committee Chair, Alan Climpson.
Local rules for the Geelong Hockey Association competition
- Match format. All matches will be played using the usual format of halves, and not quarters.
- Under 8 – 20 minute halves plus 5 minutes half time
- U10 to U17 – 25 minute halves plus 5 minutes half time
- Senior men and women – 35 minute halves plus 5 minutes half time
2. Junior competition rules.
- Tomahawk shots are allowed for U12, U14, U17 competitions as long as the stick is not raised above the shoulder and the shot is not dangerous or does not lead to dangerous play.
- In U17 competitions, a girl must take the first shot at a short corner. If there is no girl on the field at the time for the attacking team, the first shot at goal may be taken by a male but must be a push. Teams are asked to avoid intentionally passing the ball more than 5 m from the circle in order to allow a hit by a male.
- A team which is participating in a junior match may include 2 players who are registered with a different club providing that the team has 7 of its registered players available to start the match and the team will have no more than 11 players including the players from a different club. The captain or coach of the opposing team must have given their approval. An individual may play with a different club from the club with which he/ she is registered for a maximum of 20% of the home and away matches for the season.
We can expect that some teams will be short of players during this recovery season, so clubs and teams are asked to be supportive in these situations by:
- Encouraging junior teams to loan players to the opposing club/ team in order to ensure a match with balanced numbers on both teams.
- If one player volunteers to play for the other junior team, the player would be permitted to swap back to their own team at half-time.
- Allowing a player to join the junior game after half-time in order to make no more than 11 players.
3. Senior competition rules for 2021 – relevant to the pooled competitions
- In the last 4 rounds of the home and away competition, a Division 2 team may not include more than 2 players who are classed as Division 1 players.
- When any match features a D1 team competing against a D2 team, umpires shall award Best and Fairest votes (3,2,1) to both teams, and record both separately on the team sheet.
4. Sharing of face masks and short corners.
As the problems still exists with infection transfer if face masks are shared, we are seeking advice from Hockey Victoria as to the recommended procedures for playing short corners or replacing them with an alternative. Further information will be distributed when available.
Umpires Wanted
Umpires are wanted to officiate for both junior and senior matches. Contact your club if you are able to assist. Umpires fees for 2021 are:
- Division 1 (men or women) – $35
- Division 2 (men or women) – $30
Recommended umpires fees for junior matches:
- U17 – $20
- U14 or U12 – $15
- U10 – $10
Watering of Pitch 2
Clubs are asked to nominate 1 volunteer to learn the procedure for watering of pitch 2. A date for this training will be advised.
Match Committee
Chair – Alan Climpson
Junior Competition Registrar – Claire Barnes
Senior Competition Registrar – volunteer wanted
Umpires Committee Convenor – Andrew Crowley
Committee members – Wendy Climpson
Gillian Armstead (to be confirmed)
Plus 1 volunteer wanted