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Late last year the Hockey Victoria board committed to completing a diligent and thorough competition review.
The review is being overseen by a sub-committee of the board with the assistance of HV staff.
This review seeks to investigate;
How the structure of the competition can be improved to promote growth in participation numbers within the sport, taking into account the increasing difficulty in travelling from one area of Melbourne to another;
How the structure of the competition can be improved to increase the standard of the elite competition and the flow of players from the domestic competitions into state teams and then national teams;
How the competition can be structured to improve the ability to attract and retain umpires; and
How the competition can be structured to make it more accessible to casual participants, taking into account the trend for individuals to have less time for social/sporting activities.
The review will:
Examine competition structures, seeking out proven examples of best practice in;
hockey in other states of Australia;
other sports within Australia;
hockey in other countries;
Consult with members, clubs, state coaches and interested stakeholders.
The review is due to conclude in October 2011 to allow consideration and adoption of any proposed changes by the Hockey Victoria board prior to planning for the 2012 season.
It is important to note that Hockey Victoria has no intention of rushing any proposed changes, and in the case of any significant re-structuring or other significant changes to the competition a program would be established to gradually phase in changes over a period of years.
Focus Groups
Prior to Christmas Hockey Victoria ran a series of four focus groups, with groups split into categories based on their type of involvement in the sport.
The groups were conducted in good spirit and despite differing opinions the end results have provided an excellent starting point for the competition review process.
Some ideas that have come out of the focus groups are;
Equalisation does not work - everyone should play each other twice
SL1 should not have 2 teams relegated - only 1
Play some Metro competitions mid-week
Grade Vets around experience
Ceiling of points or a playoff for promotion and relegation. Once you reach a certain number of points (eg. 18) in SL1 then you are safe
Promote/relegate a club's 2nds in lock step with their 1sts
Specific grades should always play on certain days
Create a mid week ladies competition during the day (similar to tennis) at the SNHC - offer a crθche service where the players can bring their children and then play in a social competition
No games at 6:30pm or later - make a rule that 5:00pm is the latest time slot that can be used
Zones for umpires - reduced travel times may lead to increased participation
Increase the number of teams in SL1 or Premier Division - start with 12 and increase to 16 teams over time
Expand grades into two separate geographic zone competitions of 10 teams with final series played between the top teams in each zone
More sharp short competitions for juniors - do we need 18 rounds in juniors?
Vets men and women should not be on same night (makes it hard when usually one partner is the babysitter)
Please click here to read a summary of suggestions from the focus groups.
Member Submissions
Following on from the pre-Christmas Focus Groups, Hockey Victoria has moved into the second phase of its wide ranging competition review and is seeking ideas and input from across the hockey community.
This process will occur in two parts, initially we are seeking submissions detailing concepts or ideas to be included for consideration.
Following on from the compilation and consideration of these submissions a detailed survey of the membership will be undertaken to gauge community response to a range of proposed initiatives.
So if you have an idea or proposal that you would like to see considered please put it in writing to us by email or post .
Submissions are due by Wednesday 14 of April.
Don't worry - if you don't have time to make a submission you will still have an opportunity to voice your opinion during the member survey.
