Throwing the spotlight on hockey’s volunteers

As National Volunteer Week is acknowledged around the country from 17-23 May 2021, Hockey Australia (HA) recognises, celebrates and thanks all of the volunteers for the vital role they play in facilitating the lifelong sport of hockey.

Simply, hockey in Australia would not operate without volunteers, such as those in the photo above from the recent Australian Under 15 Championships. They are the lifeblood of sports in enabling participants to play and hockey is no different.

The theme for NVW 2021 is Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine. Find out more about National Volunteer Week.

After a year where Australia has dealt with drought, bushfires, floods and a global pandemic, volunteers have been even more central to hockey returning to the field over the past 12 months.

Amidst the pandemic, volunteers took on new roles such as COVID-19 Coordinators, Safety Officers and Marshals to allow the safe return of community hockey.

“Volunteers make our communities, both in a sport and a broader sense stronger and this has been even more evident with the challenges sport has had to deal with,” said Hockey Australia Matt Favier.

“National Volunteer Week provides an opportunity to fittingly put the spotlight onto the integral contribution volunteers make to our sport and the dedication, time and commitment they invest to allow hockey to be the fantastic sport that it is.”

The role of volunteers in hockey is not limited to the grassroots. At a national team level their involvement and passion are just as essential.

The Australian Indoor Hockey Teams are one example. This engaging and successful format of hockey is coordinated, coached and supported by volunteers.

The Hockey Australia Indoor Advisory Group (IAG) is made up of volunteers from each State/Territory.

The purpose and role of the Hockey Australia IAG is to:

• advise HA on the administration and promotion of indoor hockey throughout Australia; and
• select and support the senior Australian National Indoor teams and the required underage Australian national teams and squads in conjunction with HA.

Australia’s Men’s and Women’s head coaches, Steve Willer and Mark Sandhu, volunteer their time, which includes taking national teams on training camps and overseas tours.

They are assisted by a completely volunteer support team of assistant coaches, team managers and physiotherapists.

These individuals donate a lot of their time, most of which will be outside normal working hours.

These dedicated volunteers enable athletes, coaches and officials who are passionate about the indoor format of the game to extend and test themselves to the highest level.

Hockey Australia have other similar advisory groups and support personnel that assist the organisation to meet the needs of the community.

HA is always looking at ways to acknowledge their efforts and successes, and this week is an ideal opportunity to, at the very least, recognise them to the broader hockey family.