Growing membership numbers for the Geelong Hockey Association is one of the major priorities of the GHA Strategic Plan.
Strategic Plan Pillars.
The Strategic Plan has 6 pillars, each focusing on different aspects of hockey in Geelong. All are important to achieve a sustainable hockey community, which is important for teams in the local GHA competition and for the Hockey Geelong Sharks teams in the Hockey Victoria competition. A strong and active local hockey community underpins the capacity of the Sharks teams to compete at the highest level.
Membership History of the Geelong Hockey Association
The peak membership of the Geelong Hockey Association in recent years was in 2016, with 1248 members registered. Since then membership has gradually declined. The COVID pandemic of 2020 saw membership drop by 23% from 809 in 2019 to 625 in 2020. Much of this drop was likely due to the lack of a 2020 competition for senior teams.
The 2021 return to hockey has seen the membership numbers increase to 754, a fantastic 20% increase. There has been a lot of time and effort invested in the activities of the Membership Pillar to recruit new players, particularly at the junior level.
With the support of Hockey Victoria and GHA affiliated clubs and their members, volunteers conducted hockey clinics during the 2021 year, either as one-off Roadshows, or as Sporting Schools programs with multiple sessions for each class. Financial support provided by Viva Energy was a significant factor in the successful year.
In total, more than 2300 students at 16 schools participated in a hockey program at school during 2021. Some programs were cut short by COVID regulations, with an additional 3 schools cancelled entirely.
Following the school visits, eight Hookin2Hockey programs were started during 2021, although some were cancelled by COVID with only a few sessions run. Over 70 children participated in these programs with 50 registering with Hockey Australia for the program.
Aims for 2022
The Membership Pillar will continue its activities to recruit new members to join our hockey community, with the following targets in mind:
- 10% increase in GHA membership numbers – 830 total members
- 100 participants registered for Hookin2Hockey
- 21 schools visited during the year
- 2500 students participating in school hockey programs
Discussions with Hockey Victoria are well underway to plan the 2022 Roadshow program. There has been some early interest from schools so we are hoping for a busy program.
2022 Roadshow Schedules
The GHA Roadshows will run as follows:
- February 14 to 18 – schools in the Torquay Hockey Club area
- February 21 to 25 – schools in the Corio, Geelong and Saints Hockey Club areas
- February 28 to March 4 – schools in the Golden Plains and Newtown Hockey Club areas
The Roadshow programs will be followed by Hookin2Hockey programs in Torquay, Corio, Newtown and Bannockburn.
Can You Help?
Hockey Victoria will supply some of the coaches required for the Roadshow program, but the Geelong Hockey Association is committed to providing coaches for all sessions. The 2021 program totalled 102 hours of GHA volunteer time.
We are hopeful of gaining further funding to support the 2022 Roadshow program, which will allow some modest reimbursements for volunteer coaches.
If you are available to support the 2022 Roadshow and Hookin2Hockey programs, we would love to hear from you. Add your details here and we will contact you when Roadshow details are known.
Hockey Victoria are also seeking Participation Officers to assist with school programs in many areas of Victoria.
Coach Education Opportunities
Hockey Victoria offers opportunities to learn more about coaching which will help you develop skills and confidence in the coaching role.
Hockey Victoria are conducting a Level 1 Coach Workshop at Stead Park, Corio, on Saturday November 27. There will also be a FREE Community Coach Workshop on the same day, but the time details are not known as yet.
Enquiries: contact Peter Stuart, Membership Pillar Chairperson, ph 0417 280118,