Life Member - Bob Claxton

Across Bob Claxton’s lifespan in hockey, everyone he comes across would testify of his true passion for the sport.

In any role or position Bob has undertaken and provided his services and talents to, the question that has always underpinned it is has been, “how can I make hockey better?” And so formed Bob’s motto of, “is this good for hockey?”

Throughout Bob’s involvement with hockey, which spans over some 63 years and continues to this day, he strives to bring people from all backgrounds and walks of life to the sport. This is currently highlighted through his position as Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation.

From first taking to the field as a 12 year old for Bandiana in the Albury/Wodonga Association, hockey has been in Bob’s blood whether it be as a player, coach, administrator or official.

His respect and standing in the Australian hockey community saw him serve for two years on the Hockey Australia Board.

These days he focuses a lot of his time and energy into growing and supporting hockey in the Oceania region. Bob’s efforts in the Pacific Island region is testament to how far and wide he is willing to go to spread the sport of hockey.

Some of Bob’s fantastic initiatives included organizing a Masters tour to Fiji to encourage the country’s older players to come back to the game, and setting up player trading in the upper age groups to get more teams in the Masters competition (12 Australians played in the New Zealand Masters this year which meant the competition went from three teams to five as more New Zealand players competed).

Bob is passionate about getting people into the game or getting them to return to the game in any capacity.

What he said…

“I think it’s a very nice and humbling thing to be recognized by your peers for your involvement in the sport that you love. The nature of hockey is a challenging game and I always look at it a bit like playing chess. The other thing about hockey is the people. They are very engaging people and very welcoming to anyone who is involved. For me, I really love the aspect of seeing people grow into better people, not just better hockey players, and being able to have a positive impact on their life. I think that is one of the essences of being involved.” Bob Claxton

From those in the know…

“We’re so proud of him. He is an unknown legend in Australian hockey. Whilst I get a lot of accolades playing for my country, he’s the person behind the scenes organising events, setting up, umpiring, coaching, promoting hockey not just in Australia but the Pacific Islands, so it’s really amazing to see a lifetime’s worth of work be recognized by Hockey Australia.” Jane Claxton (Daughter and current Hockeyroo)

Hockey Timeline

Player
Started playing at 12 years of age in the Albury/Wodonga Association for Bandiana.

South Australia
1958-1962 Brighton High School
1962-1971 Brighton Hockey Club (District Team, A Reserves & Division 3)
1969 South Australian Summer State Team

Northern Territory
1975-1983 Gove Hockey NT (Charlie Brown’s All Stars)
1976-1983 Gove Association Representative Team
1976-1978 NT State Team
1983-1986 Darwin A grade Nightcliff
1988-1989 NT State Veterans

South Australia
1990-2005 Grange Veterans
1991-2008 SA State Veterans (give or take the odd year)
2015-Present SA State Veterans (Playing & Coaching)

Queensland
2010-2014 Over 65s Masters Team

Australia
2006 Australian Over 60s World Cup Team Vice Captain
2009 Australian Over 60s Team New Zealand tour
2011 Australian Over 65s Team Japan tour
2012 Australian Over 65s Team Oxford

Coach
1989 Level 3 NCAS Coach
1989 FIH Graded Coach

South Australia
1960-1962 Brighton High School team
1964-1969 Brighton Women’s Hockey Club (one of the first male coaches)
1970-1971 Brighton Hockey Club U16 Boys

Northern Territory
1975-1983 C.B.A.S Club Gove
1976-1983 Gove Representative Team
1980-1982 NT State U21
1983-1989 NT State Senior Men

South Australia
1990-1996 Grange Premier League (Premiership 1996)
1997-2009 SA Veterans various age teams
2002-2005 Marryatville Primary School Minkey, Half Field & SAPSASA
2004-2010 Prince Alfred College First XI (4 Intercol wins straight)
2004-2005 SA Hotshots Assistant Coach
2008-2009 SA Hotshots Performance Analysis and Video
2010 SA Hotshots Assistant Coach
2003-2007 Burnside Premier League Men (Premiership 2007 & 2010)
2006 Burnside U15 Girls
2007-2012 Burnside Premier League Women (Runners up 2011)
2012 State U21 Women Asst Coach & Video Analysis

Australia
2009 Australian O60 Team New Zealand Tour
2011 Australian O65 Team Japan (tour cancelled)
2012 Australian O65 Team Oxford World Cup
2014 Australian O65 Team The Hague World Cup (Silver)
2016 Australian O65 Team Newcastle World Cup (Gold)
2018 Australian O70 Team Barcelona World Cup (Silver)
2019 Australian O70 Team Fiji / New Zealand Tour
2020 Australian O70 Team Tokyo World Cup

Administrator and Official
South Australia
1971 SA State U13 selector
1990-1994 SA Hotshots selector
2004-2005 SA Hotshots Manager
2007 Hockey SA Men’s Coach of Year
1999-2003 Hockey SA Board
2003-2006 Hockey SA President

Northern Territory
1975 Foundation member of Gove Hockey Association
1981-1989 NT State selector (8 years)
1984-1988 NT Executive Board (4 years)

Australia
1989 Level 3 Coaching Accreditation
1989 Level 2 Accreditation Course Assessor
1982 FIH Coaching Seminar
1983 Olympic Solidarity Coach Course
2006-2008 Hockey Australia Board

International
2007-Present Secretary General and Treasurer Oceania Hockey Federation