Welcome
Welcome to Port Pirie and Districts Hockey Association
President's Message 2018
It’s that time of year again to brush away the dust from the hockey bags and launch into the 2018 Port Pirie & District Hockey Season. The 2018 board of management (Leith Gulin – President, Alan Zubrinich – Executive Director, Lee Kirchner – Secretary, Roger Kirchner - Treasurer, John Northcott - Umpiring Director, Kathryn Johnson – Competition Director, Darren Coe – Junior Director, Tiahn Wendes - Publicity & Promotions Director, David Tilbury – Maintenance Director.) welcome you all and are very excited about the coming season.
I would like to thank all clubs and volunteers in advance for their continued help and support throughout the season. Your input is vital to our continued success and survival as an Association.
The Board has been working tirelessly over the off season to prepare for this upcoming season. The senior season will commence on Friday April 6, the Juniors will then commence on Friday May 4 which is after the kids go back to school. We will be continuing our ‘Come & Try Hockey’ sessions over a four-week period starting Friday May 11 at 4:30pm This will be free to children 4 years and up and all equipment will be provided, it is a great way for children to try the game and see if they are interested in playing full time afterwards. The season will conclude with the Presentation Night (date to be announced) and the Grand Final Weekend on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 September.
There have been some changes to the grading of the junior teams we, will now have Under 10 Mixed, Under 14 Boys & Girls and Under 18 Boys & Girls. These changes were needed to keep in touch with the number of players in our sport as unfortunately the have decreased slightly from previous years. This will be a challenge for all cubs and the Board to try and encourage new players to the game, we will need to work collectively to achieve an increase in the future. One exciting initiative for the younger people in our association will be the development of a junior umpire panel to give our budding young umpires a chance to learn their craft under the guidance of John Northcott.
The Friday Night Div 1 clashes will continue, where both Mid-North Cruisers and Yorke Peninsula will go head-to-head with our local sides. Friday night clashes will not only provide an exciting game to watch but also offers Friday night meals and drinks to all in a warm atmosphere.
We have undertaken repairs to the turf and the grass fields are looking pretty good to start the year off. The Board are investigating funding opportunities (via grants) to upgrade the change house facilities and the undercover grandstand. Following the success of the Umpire Communication Devices that were trialled in 2017, we have purchased enough sets so they can be used for all competitive games on the all fields.
Outside of our own competition, we will be sending teams to the senior state championship in Adelaide on May 19 and 20, Under 13 state championships combined with the Under 15 and U18 Zones held at various locations around Adelaide on the June long weekend. Hopefully we can build on the success of the Mid North Zone Under 18 Boys who won the championship last year and see a few more teams win.
Finally, PP&DHA will be hosting the Regionals Championships, which will commence Saturday 29 September and conclude Monday 1 October. There is a Regionals Committee, they have already begun planning for what will be a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our facilities and our region to people from all over SA.
The Board and I hope you all enjoy the coming season and we wish all clubs, coaches, playing members and supporters, a successful season. Let the games begin!
Leith Gulin, President