The fixture for Australia’s new national hockey competition, Hockey One League, has been released, revealing a 49-day season with 21 double header home and away event days plus finals. The league will feature Australia’s best hockey players competing in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Brisbane, and Sydney.
The cream of Australian hockey will be fighting for a place on the podium in the inaugural Hockey One League from Sunday September 29, according to Hockey One League Interim General Manager, Tony Dodemaide.
“Hockey One League has been created to give fans more chances to see world class hockey, and the fixture reflects this. We will be playing at least three games in each capital city aside from Darwin over a period from September 29 to November 16,” said Dodemaide, adding that the league hoped to welcome a team from Darwin in the future.
“In its first year, Hockey One League will see seven men’s teams and seven women’s teams compete for national honours and bragging rights.
“Uniquely, the fixture features 21 double header days in the home and away phase, so that fans can watch both men and women play on the same day. The format is family friendly and most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays. We can’t wait to welcome fans of all ages to our games,” Dodemaide said.
The seven rounds will give each team a bye. Following the home and away phase, the top two men’s and women’s teams will host semi-finals against the 3rd and 4th ranked teams over the weekend of November 9-10.
The winners of the semi-finals will progress to the Grand Final in a double header on November 16. The hosting venue of the grand finals is planned to be the home of the highest-ranking women’s team in 2019, followed by the highest-ranking men’s team in 2020, and alternating thereafter.
The teams, each with a men’s and a women’s playing squad under the same name, and home venues are:
– Adelaide Fire (State Hockey Centre, Gepps Cross)
– Brisbane Blaze (Queensland State Hockey Centre, Morningside)
– Canberra Chill (National Hockey Centre, Lyneham)
– Hockey Club Melbourne (State Netball & Hockey Centre, Parkville)
– New South Wales Pride (Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre)
– Perth Thundersticks (Perth Hockey Stadium, Curtin University Campus, Bentley)
– Tassie Tigers (Tasmanian Hockey Centre, New Town)
While it has been confirmed that the league will feature players from the Kookaburras (Australia’s national men’s team, currently ranked world number one) and the Hockeyroos (Australia’s national women’s team, currently ranked world number two), player lists have not yet been released.
Team membership packages will be available as from this Thursday July 11th. For further details stay tuned to your team’s Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
The fixture details are:
| ROUND | HOST | VISITOR | DAY | TIME | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROUND 1 | NSW CAN PERTH |
ADEL BRIS MELB |
Sunday Sunday Sunday |
1.00-4.00pm 2.00-5.00pm 3.00-6.00pm |
29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep |
| ROUND 2 | CAN TAS MELB |
NSW ADEL BRIS |
Saturday Saturday Night Sunday |
2.00-5.00pm 5.00-8.00pm 1.00-4.00pm |
5 Oct 5 Oct 6 Oct |
| ROUND 3 | NSW PERTH ADEL |
TAS CAN BRIS |
Saturday Saturday Sunday |
1.00-4.00pm 2.00-5.00pm 1.00-4.00pm |
12 Oct 12 Oct 13 Oct |
| ROUND 4 | BRIS ADEL MELB |
TAS PERTH CAN |
Friday Friday Friday |
6.00-9.00pm 7.00-10.00pm 7.00-10.00pm |
18 Oct 18 Oct 18 Oct |
| ROUND 5 | CAN NSW BRIS |
TAS MELB PERTH |
Sunday Sunday Sunday |
2.00-5.00pm 1.00-4.00pm 1.00-4.00pm |
20 Oct 20 Oct 20 Oct |
| ROUND 6 | PERTH ADEL TAS |
NSW CAN MELB |
Saturday Saturday Sunday |
2.00-5.00pm 1.30-4.30pm 2.00-5.00pm |
26 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct |
| ROUND 7 | TAS BRIS MELB |
PERTH NSW ADEL |
Saturday Saturday Night Sunday |
2.00-5.00pm 3.00-6.00pm 1.00-4.00pm |
2 Nov 2 Nov 3 Nov |
| SEMIS | 2v3 | 2nd Ranked Women’s Team | Saturday | TBC | 9 Nov |
| SEMIS | 1v4 | 1st Ranked Women’s Team | Sunday | TBC | 10 Nov |
| SEMIS | 2v3 | 2nd Ranked Men’s Team | Saturday | TBC | 9 Nov |
| SEMIS | 1v4 | 1st Ranked Men’s Team | Sunday | TBC | 10 Nov |
| GRAND FINAL | GF | 1st Ranked Women’s Team | Saturday | TBC | 16 Nov |