GOULBURN Mulwaree Council, in conjunction with Goulburn Hockey Association, are preparing to welcome the first of four major Indoor Hockey State Championship events, with the first this weekend.
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The four events are expected to bring 3,430 competitors, officials and spectators from across the state.
The combined economic impact for these four competitions is estimated to be $2.4 million, thanks to Goulburn Mulwaree Council securing the hosting privilege early this year.
This Friday October 21 to Sunday 23 will see open men’s teams competion for the NSW Indoor Championships.
There will be 22 teams in total competing in Goulburn this weekend. Players will be representing their cities from across the state including Tamworth, Grafton, Newcastle, Nepean, Sydney, Illawarra, Dubbo, Orange, Lithgow and the Southern Highlands - in addition to two Goulburn teams with the home ground advantage.
The first games will begin at 1pm on Friday when the Illawarra South Coast 3 plays Sydney East, and Southern Highlands 1 takes on Dubbo.
The competition will be held at Goulburn’s Recreation Area on Braidwood Road with games being played at Veolia Arena and the Goulburn Basketball Stadium. Both venues have undergone recent work to increase field sizes for the forthcoming competitions.
Veolia Arena has been re-lined to create a larger court, matching international standards and will be the main venue for division one games. The newly resurfaced and relined Goulburn Basketball Stadium gives the city an additional indoor hockey field of increased length and width.
Hockey NSW’s Chief Executive Officer, David Thompson said that they are very proud to be bringing Under 18, Opens and Masters Indoor State Championships to Goulburn.
“We have a great supporter of indoor hockey in Goulburn Mulwaree Council. They’ve provided us two world-class courts with hockey being the first sport being played on the surface of the recently refurbished Basketball Stadium.
“We can’t wait to see our players enjoying these excellent facilities and I know they’re looking forward to it, too.” Mr Thompson said.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s Business Manager Marketing, Events and Culture, Sarah Ruberto said that Council is very pleased to partner with Goulburn Hockey Association and Hockey NSW to secure Championships.
“Our strategic location makes us an ideal host city for these events, and Council has committed significant time and resources to ensuring our facilities are at their best for these events.” Mrs Ruberto said.
“Council’s Marketing and Events team are working hard to secure more Sports Tourism opportunities, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the various sporting organisations in the community.” Mrs Ruberto said.
Dates for Indoor State Championships in Goulburn are:
- October 21 – 23, Under 21/Open Men
- October 28 – 30, Under 21/Open Women
- November 11 – 13, Under 18 Girls
- November 18 – 20 , Under 18 Boys
For the full competition draw visit www.hockeynsw.com.au
Over two weekends in February this year, Goulburn hosted the NSW Indoor Hockey Men’s and Women’s Masters at Veolia Arena.
This was the first in a three year partnership between Council and Hockey NSW. The economic injection from the 2016 Masters was estimated at $1.26 million.
The second year of this partnership will continue across the February 3-6, 2017 for the Masters Men’s competition and February 10 – 12 2017 for the Masters Women’s competition.
