Ric Charlesworth Classic to return in 2021

Hockey WA is proud to announce the Ric Charlesworth Classic tournament will return this year in a pre-season timeslot from March 5 to March 14 at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University, following a successful inaugural series in 2020. 

The tournament, which was first held across October and November last year, acts as a key selection tool for men’s and women’s Perth Thundersticks sides and will now also provide high-level preparation leading into Hockey WA’s 2021 Premier League season.

“I’m thrilled the Ric Charlesworth Classic has become a tournament that players in the state can use to develop and showcase their skills in an exciting format,” Australian hockey legend Ric Charlesworth says.

“There’s not another tournament like it within Australia and we’re very fortunate here in Western Australia to have the opportunity to advance our players even further through this competitive and fun format.

“Having the tournament in a pre-season format now allows players to prepare for the upcoming season against other high-quality players. I’m hoping this exciting build-up can translate into the upcoming Premier League season and we can build something special."

The Ric Charlesworth Classic provides hockey fans a feast of high-quality action across a nine-day period, with regular-round fixtures across Friday March 5, Monday March 8, Wednesday March 10, Thursday March 11 and Saturday March 13. The 2021 Ric Charlesworth Classic culminates on Sunday March 14, with a quadruple header to decide Bronze, Silver and Gold medallists across both men’s and women’s competitions. 

Last year’s Ric Charlesworth Classic was incredibly well received by sports fans across the globe, with the tournament reaching millions of interested stakeholders across the country and around the world.

The Outbacks, Highlanders, Breakers and Suns teams will line-up once again across both men’s and women’s competitions in 2021, with the women’s Outbacks and men’s Suns teams looking to defend their titles after being crowned champions in the inaugural season.

The full 2021 Ric Charlesworth Classic fixture can be found here - trade and draft information, squad lists and more will be released in coming days.