New tournament another Charlesworth Classic

The legendary Ric Charlesworth AO has been a feature of Western Australian - and Australian - hockey teams since the 1970s. The Ric Charlesworth Classic is named in his honour.

Legendary Australian player, coach and administrator Ric Charlesworth AO has another string to add to his bow – his name on Western Australia’s newest hockey tournament.

Hockey WA has announced an exciting new concept to provide the state's plethora of top-quality development players an opportunity to experience high-level competition.

The Ric Charlesworth Classic, named in honour of the sport's most decorated player-coach, is a tournament comprising of 140 of Western Australia's most talented players, spanning a week-long period. 

"It’s an honour - when you get to my stage, if it makes a difference I’m happy to do it,” Charlesworth said.

"I recognise we’re lucky locally, but a lot of players have had their opportunities truncated – our role is to provide an opportunity for them to progress. I’m pleased I can play a role in that."

The competition, hosted exclusively at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University, begins on Sunday, 25 October, comprising of four new women's and four new men's teams. Each team will play a total of three rounds over the week, culminating in the finals matches to earn a bronze, silver or gold medal. Coaches, including some legends of the game such as Jamie Dwyer, have been allocated to each team.

"I think it’ll be very competitive. All the teams will want to beat one another and because they’ve been drawn in a draft, they’re going to be very close in talent and ability," Charlesworth said.

"There’s a whole bunch of players who are aspirational, young players, trying to make their claims."

Headlining a list of talented Head Coaches is ex-Kookaburra, Olympic Gold Medalist and five-times World Player of the Year Dwyer.
 
“I’m very excited about this competition and it’s a great initiative by Hockey WA," Dwyer said.

"There are some great coaches, excellent players and I’m sure the games will be top quality and entertaining.”

Team names to be revealed in the coming days!