Tasmania inks major $1m hockey deal which will see state host seven major tournaments

Tasmania will host seven major hockey tournaments between 2022 and 2027 thanks to a $1m deal between the state government and Hockey Australia. DETAILS + TOURNAMENTS >>

TASMANIA has scored a million-dollar deal to host seven major hockey tournaments over five years.

Between 2022 and 2027, Tasmania will host one International Pro League match and six national championships – which are expected to attract 12,000 hockey fans to the state – with clinics and training camps held on the North-West Coast.

The announcement was made on Monday to the delight of Tasmanian hockey legend Eddie Ockenden, who said the home games would inspire the next generation of hockey hot shots.

“The kids in Tassie will be able to experience top-level hockey, and elite-level hockey – to be able to watch that and aspire to go to the Olympics, maybe in the future with hockey, is going to be awesome to see,” Ockenden said.

“It’s giving access to kids and the hockey community to keep participation numbers up and show them there’s a pathway to elite-level hockey.

“When I was a kid I spent all weekend out here at the hockey centre with my mates playing hockey.

“I love playing hockey and I love mucking around with my mates, so that’s been the real driver for me and my career.”

Eddie Ockenden at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Ockenden said he had been nagging his fellow hockey players and rivals to visit Tasmania and was looking forward to finally playing with them on home turf.

Hockey Tasmania chairman Ken Read said the deal would bring more “tremendous hockey” into the state for years to come.

Mr Read said Tasmania’s hockey scene was looking bright, proving wrong all the naysayers who once doubted whether the state could sustain a competitive hockey environment.

“In the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics, now 21 years ago, Tasmania was listed to have the Australian men’s championship here as the major selection trial,” Mr Read said.

“It was thought that Hobart was not the right place for those trails – climate was cited. They were wrong. We are now a major player on the national stage of hockey thanks to the government.”

Vice President Hockey Australia Pat Hall, Eddie Ockenden, Sarah Courtney MP and Hockey Tasmania Chair Ken Read at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

The million-dollar deal was clinched between Hockey Australian and the state government.

Tourism Minister Sarah Courtney said the tournaments would inject tourism dollars into the state economy during the hockey season.

“We know that having events like hockey championships bring people to Tasmania,” she said.

“Importantly, they also drive visitation often during our cooler and shoulder seasons, so that means that we’re getting more people visiting our hotels and restaurants during those times where it’s a bit more quiet.”

She said the effect of increased spending would deliver about $17.5m in direct spending into our tourism, hospitality and retail businesses over the six-year funding period.

“This clearly demonstrates how focused we are on making sure that we’re supporting not just hockey and sports in our community, but our visitor economy during those quieter seasons, particularly during winter,” she said.

“This will be a great opportunity for Tasmanians also to come and see world-class sport and be able to show their young people the exciting opportunities there are from participation in sport across Tasmania.”

The International Pro League match will feature the Australian men’s and women’s teams playing either Argentina, Belgium, Great Britain or New Zealand.

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