Hockey One League 2023 schedule promises thrilling season with 100 days to go

The schedule for this year’s Hockey One League has been announced today 100 days out from the opening round of the 2023 season from Friday 6^th – Sunday 8^th October. Click here to see the full schedule.  

This year’s fixtures feature a line-up of tantalising matches between the seven Hockey One League franchises, promising another fast and entertaining showcase of Australia’s best men’s and women’s hockey stars in locations across the country.

The Hockey One League is the only sports league in the country where women’s and men’s games are played as double headers at the same fixture, meaning fans can buy one ticket and see both. Tickets for all games will go on sale nationally in early August.

The third instalment of the Hockey One League hits off with the opening double header between the Tassie Tigers and Hockey Club Melbourne at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre on Friday 6 October. Saturday of the opening weekend sees the Perth Thundersticks at home to the Canberra Chill, followed by Adelaide Fire hosting the Brisbane Blaze on Sunday 8 October.

Last year’s women’s and men’s defending Champions, NSW Pride have the bye in Round 1. The women’s NSW Pride team will start their campaign in Round 2 with a grand final rematch against last year’s women’s runners up, Brisbane Blaze at the Queensland State Hockey Centre on Saturday 14 October.

The men’s 2022 grand final re-match between NSW Pride and the Perth Thundersticks will take place in Round 6 on 12 November in Perth. This year’s season will culminate with the finals main event taking place on the weekend of 25-26 November, where the 2023 men’s and women’s teams will be crowned champions.

After new attendance and broadcast figure records were set in Season 2, this year’s Hockey One League is set to be the most highly anticipated yet. Leading into an Olympic year, fans may even witness tomorrow’s Olympic hockey stars on their local pitches representing their Hockey One League team.

Hockey One League Executive Manager Sash Herceg says hockey fans have a lot to look forward to with the announcement of this year’s schedule.

“With just 100 days to go until the opening round, the countdown is now well and truly on to what will be a highly anticipated season,” Herceg said.

“The Hockey One League was created to provide a stepping stone for Australia’s hockey talent. It is a crucial part of the national hockey pathway, with a huge opportunity for the sport’s rising stars to gain competitive experience among Australian hockey’s best.

“This season the league will act as a major selection tool for the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras squads. Heading into an Olympic year, players will be looking to stake their claims for selection and put themselves in contention for the Paris Olympics. With so much to play for, this year promises to deliver world class hockey for the Australian sporting public across the country.”

As per the previous two seasons, this year’s edition of the Hockey One League will comprise seven rounds (a total of 42 matches) with every franchise playing each other once. The top four teams after seven rounds will progress to the finals main event.

Each round includes fixtures on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons with broadcast details to be announced soon.

The League features the same rules and regulations as standard field hockey with some slight changes, as sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), to make the games faster and more entertaining:

• Teams are restricted to 15 players in total including goalkeepers.
• When a field goal or penalty stroke awarded during field play is scored, the same athlete will have an automatic one-on-one shootout with the goalkeeper for the chance of an extra goal.
• Every match that is tied at the end of full time will again be decided by a penalty shootout to ensure a result.

Click here to see the full 2023 Hockey One schedule

Hockey One League Franchises
Adelaide Fire #ADL
Facebook: Adelaide Fire | Twitter: @AdelaideFireH1 | Instagram: @AdelaideFireH1

Brisbane Blaze #BBZ
Facebook: Brisbane Blaze | Twitter: @BrisbaneBlazeH1 | Instagram: @BrisbaneBlazeH1

Canberra Chill #CCH
Facebook: Canberra Chill | Twitter: @CanberraChillH1 | Instagram: @CanberraChillH1

HC Melbourne #HCM
Facebook: Hockey Club Melbourne | Twitter: @HCMelbourneH1 | Instagram: @HCMelbourneH1

NSW Pride #NSW
Facebook: NSW Pride | Twitter: @NSWPrideH1 | Instagram: @NSWPrideH1

Perth Thundersticks #PTX
Facebook: Perth Thundersticks | Twitter: @ThundersticksH1 | Instagram: @ThundersticksH1

Tassie Tigers #TIG
Facebook: Tassie Tigers | Twitter: @TassieTigersH1 | Instagram: @TassieTigersH1

Hockey One League
Website: www.hockeyone.com.au
Twitter: @H1League
Facebook: H1League
Instagram: @h1league