Heroes of Hockey I Nicole Connelly

Volunteers in sport in regional WA are what keep the game going. Nicole Connelly is one example of this. She is constantly giving back to her club and association making sure everybody stays involved with hockey. The great southern hockey region is lucky to have someone who lives and breathes hockey as part of their community!

“I grew up in a hockey playing family with my Mum and her three sisters all playing as well as my brother and cousins.

My earliest memory of hockey would be the cold, wet Saturdays we spent watching Mum play.

Growing up I played netball.

It was highly frowned upon from a hockey loving family but after numerous failed attempts of trying to get me to play hockey my parents gave in to my netball obsession.

However, in 2005 I decided to play hockey. My husband is a hockey player and after the birth of our first-born child I decided Saturdays would be better if we spent it together as a family, so I made the switch.

I do remember one time my mum tried to get me to play hockey though, I was on the field when it started raining.

I sent the coach into a state of panic because all of a sudden, I was ‘missing’… clearly, I didn’t like the rain and had taken shelter under somebody’s umbrella.

I think it was at the point my parents decided to give up on hope that I would play hockey…

Living in a small country town it’s important to volunteer in any capacity and many hands make light work.

I guess we all feel at some point it’s our ‘turn’ to take on a role within the club, so I joined the committee.

But for me it’s been more than just my turn, I love being able to be active in the club and strive to improve experiences, facilities and opportunities for our members.

I am the current club President and have just finished a four-year stint of junior coaching at the club where we won two out of three premierships.

I have previously coached the women’s b grade team and I umpire the men’s grade most weeks.

I have also been the coach for the past two years of the 7/8 girls’ team at state champs for Roe Districts which we won the C grade comp in 2021.

I have previously been the records clerk for the association, and I am currently on a working group committee to promote one day winter sport in the wheatbelt.

The best part of volunteering is watching the development and success of individuals and teams.

To be a part of that journey is special and to know you’ve made a difference is so rewarding.

All three of my kids play hockey and it was never any doubt that this would be their winter sport of choice.

I guess with my husband and I playing they grew up watching us and always wanted to get out there.

Our son being the eldest started playing games when he was nine so the two girls grew up on the sidelines itching to play too.

They are all away at boarding school and all play at Reds Hockey Club.

When the kids are home, we can always hear the sound of balls being belted into the back fence.

Any moment is a hockey playing moment for them!

Our club is a family friendly and inclusive club.

Last year we had so many mother/daughter combinations on the field as well as father/son combos in the men.

We have kids away at boarding school wanting to come home to play hockey just to be a part of the Corrigin culture.

We’ve created something special here! I have played on the field with all three of my kids and that’s pretty damn special. Not too many sports where that can happen.

Hockey in Corrigin is a whole day family event.

We start with the juniors then have two grades of women’s and we finish off with men.

It’s a special atmosphere when you get the whole family playing and in turn the grandparents, life members and patrons turning up to be a part of something unique.

The different grades cater for varying abilities and gives our juniors the opportunity to step up and play senior grades at a young age with the best coaching possible by the on-field guidance of very experienced players.

But what I love about the WA hockey community as a whole is how accessible the elite players are.

Having the national squads based in Perth certainly helps with that.

We have had numerous Kookaburras and Hockeyroos attend clinics held in Corrigin and the interest they show in the kids and the sport is genuine.

Just the other day I watched the Kookaburra’s intra-squad match and after the game Jeremy Hayward recognised my daughter and I and made an effort to say hello and show genuine interest in how she was going with her hockey.”