Regional Round-up I April 2021

National visits, junior carnival fun and coaching clinics with some of Australia’s best athletes, what a past month our WA regional associations have had!

Some of the best players in the country have come out of regional associations, which reiterates the importance of grass-roots sport in those areas, and what’s going on in those sporting clubs.

SOUTH WEST:

The South West region has been the home of world-class athletes in the past three weeks, with Busselton playing host to visits from the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras squads.

The Kookaburras played a series of intra-squad matches, and treated the locals to a coaching clinic yesterday, boosting the already-strong junior talent coming through the area.

Olympic contenders Aran Zalewski and Jake Harvie nudged their way closer to home, both athletes hailing from Margaret River and Ferguson Valley respectively, before the move to the big smoke to don the green and gold for Australia. 

Harvie, who made his debut for the Kookaburras in 2017, also had the exciting addition of his younger brother Tom to the training camp.

Tom is one of three Western Australian junior athletes who have been invited on the camp on a Visiting Athlete Agreement, allowing him to train with the side and participate in intra-squad matches.

The camp follows the Hockeyroos visit in late March, and a number of other events including the 2021 Pride Cup match, where a mixed Busselton representative side welcomed the Perth Pythons Hockey Club for a friendly match as part of the Busselton Pride Festival.

Heading closer to Perth, the Fuel to Go and Play Goldstix Carnival will be hosted in Bunbury on Sunday 30th May and welcomes juniors in school grades one to six for a day full of hockey fun!

Registrations for the Goldstix Carnival close on 23rd May but for more information please head to the link below.

2021 BUNBURY GOLDSTIX CARNIVAL - Hyperlink to : www.hockeywa.org.au/events/95498

GOLDFIELDS:

The Senior Challenge Cup is returning to Eastern Goldfields Hockey Association in 2021 on Saturday, May 1, and will consist of a day of top-tier hockey for the region, followed by an after party featuring live music and entertainment for all!

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, Hockey WA has had to postpone their Regional Roadshow trip to Kalgoorlie.

Hockey WA sincerely apologises for the inconvenience, and will advise as soon as we have locked in a later date

WHEATBELT:

The Eastern Wheatbelt is bracing themselves for the commencement of One Day Sports, an initiative which aims to bring regional sporting communities together, and promote cross-sport participation between hockey, football and netball.

For more on One Day Sports, click here.

Upper Great Southern Hockey Association will look to upgrade their Narrogin turf facilities at the completion of the 2021 season, with plans to upgrade their pitch lights to a LED system.

MID WEST:

Geraldton Hockey Association’s season commenced two weeks ago, but relied on the unusual preface that the town’s power was restored.

Cyclone Seroja tore through the Mid West region almost two weeks ago and left devastating scenes, as well as resulting in power loss all along the coast, including in Geraldton.

Hockey WA wishes to extend their well-wishes to those who are affected in the Mid West region, and hope for a speedy recovery to those towns who were hardest hit.

Are you in a regional area and have a story to tell? Send it through to media@hockeywa.org.au as well as your details, and you may feature in the next Regional Wrap!