2021 National Under 21 Championships cancelled

Hockey Australia, in collaboration with the state and territory member associations, has announced the cancellation of the 2021 Australian Under 21 Hockey Championships.

Initially scheduled for July 2021, the event featuring the best Under 21 male and female hockey talent around Australia was postponed to 2-9 February 2022.

However, plans to hold the championships at this time have been abandoned due to all participating states and territories unable to attend because of the ongoing COVID situation.

Hockey Australia GM - Commercial, Communications and Events, Tim Cherry said it was yet another unfortunate but necessary decision to make.

“Putting a line through another of our national championships for 2021 is really disappointing but it would have been unviable under the circumstances,” said Cherry.

“The process of holding selection trials, gathering teams together to train and have adequate preparation time is not possible.”

“We empathise with the players, coaches and support staff of these Under 21 representative teams who have now missed out on competing on the national stage for the past two years because of COVID.”

“To hold a national event where not all states or territories have the opportunity to participate is not the right thing to do.”

“We will continue to work with the Member Associations in supporting any smaller series or tournaments between states so athletes can have the opportunity to compete at this level and continue to develop.”

“We thank our stakeholders and everyone involved for their understanding, patience and support throughout this process, and look forward to when we can hold truly national events again.”

The 2022 Australian Under 21 Championships are scheduled to go ahead in July 2022.