Members from Goulburn Hockey, Crookwell Hockey, NSW Hockey the Upper Lachlan Sire and the Goulburn Mulwaree Council attended the session.

Council will begin to examine hockey facilities across NSW as part of the next phase of planning to ensure there is a concrete, regional hockey hub.

This will include the allocation of land to the Goulburn Hockey Association (GHA).

Currently the hockey space is owned by the Goulburn Workers Club (GWC).

“It is important the hockey community, and the councils, work together to develop a new facility that will meet the needs of the sport in our region,” mayor Bob Kirk said.

“I feel positive about the outcome of this meeting, and if we get the planning and consultation right over the next five years, we will have a facility that will serve Hockey in this area for the next 50 years.”

President of the Goulburn Hockey Association, Marc Calvert, said it was a very successful meeting but admitted more hockey field research would need to be done to secure this goal.

“Hockey has a future here. The Goulburn Workers Club has done an amazing job over the last 20 years but they are moving in a different direction and don’t have the fund to support us,” Calvert said.

A working party including key stakeholders will be created to lead these discussions. Calvert says the partnership with the GWC is still under negotiation and hopes the GHA will be assisted in the lead up to a new facility.

“Hockey is significant in the surrounding area as far as sports go. It’s enormous. In our sporting history out of the 12 olympians from the district, seven are from hockey,” he said.

“And the only way we can continue this is if we have a quality facility.”