Have a Safe and Happy Holidays from Hockey Tasmania

From everyone here at Hockey Tasmania we wish you all a safe and happy holidays as 2021 comes to a close and 2022 is ready to greet us just around the corner.

The Hockey Tasmania offices and centres will be closed from 1pm Wednesday, 22 December 2021 and will re-open 9am Tuesday, 4 January 2022.

Next year the start of our winter season will be Saturday 19 March 2022, with the 1st Round of the State Club Cup pencilled in for the 5th of March as part of pre-season (including preliminary qualifying rounds if needed).

It has been a challenging couple of years since COVID entered our lives. We've been lucky in Tasmania to have avoided the most of it so far, but we expect that 2022 will be impacted by the pandemic as more variants crop up and spread, and that we will be living with some form of uncertainty and risk for some time to come.

However, we have shown that we can still get competitions played safely, even welcoming in travellers and competitors from other states without incident. The Under 18 National Championships held in Launceston was a huge success, and our Under 15s teams that got to travel and compete in NSW had outstanding trips. We also returned to full local competitions and saw our participation numbers return to pre-2020 levels.

My team and I have worked incredibly hard throughout the year to ensure that we had good results for hockey both on and off the pitch, but once again it's the work of our volunteers, at competition and at club level, that make our sport happen. I extend a hearty thank you and congratulations to all the committee and sub-committee members, the convenors, umpires, officials, coaches, managers, presidents, club administrators, and the Hockey Tasmania Board for their extraordinary efforts in delivering our sport in 2021.

We enter into 2022 in an excellent position. I am happy to report that we've had another strong financial result with now 70% of revenue coming from sources other than our members or playing fees. We have made a concerted effort over the last few years to have as minimal impact as possible on our members, with a fee freeze in 2021, and the Board has approved only a minor 3% increase to registration, training, and match fees for 2022. We are continuing to build a strong base for the sport that allows for programs and initiatives in the near future to happen without negatively affecting our budget bottom line or imposing on our members. Investments from sponsors, partners, and Government are bringing crucial redevelopments in Launceston and Hobart closer to reality.

I have every reason to be optimistic that together we will again meet the challenges of 2022.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year,

Damian Smith
CEO Hockey Tasmania