Parkes Hockey Incorporated (PHI) is getting ready to showcase Parkes as a premier regional venue when the first ever Hockey One game will be played out of a capital city in Parkes on 12th November. PHI officials are (L-R) executive direc-tor Richard Rice, women’s director Mandy Westcott, treasurer Tracey Chambers and event manager Ian Westcott.
Excitement is building for the biggest hockey day ever to be held in Parkes next Saturday when up to 11 international players will be in action at the McGlynn Park.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch Kookaburras and Hockeyroos in the NSW Pride and Canberra Chill teams on 12th November in the first ever Hockey One match to be played in a regional centre.
Parkes Hockey Incorporated (PHI) organisers are expecting a crowd of around 1,000 people with local hockey star Mariah Williams the biggest draw card on the day. The 27-year-old has been a lock in the national squads for the past decade and has made over 100 appearances across all national levels. Mariah has played a pivotal role in the 2022 instalment of the NSW Pride campaign.
Event Manager Ian Westcott from Parkes Hockey Incorporated said he would love to see local people getting behind the event.
The men’s and women’s matches in Parkes will be the final games for the second season of the Sultana-Bran Hockey One League and will decide the make-up of the final series to be held in Bendigo the following weekend.
The NSW Pride teams will feature a number of Kookaburras and Hockeyroos with some players returning from stints in the powerful European Hockey Leagues. This will also be the first taste of Australia’s Hockey One league for these returning superstars of the game.
In addition to these international superstars there is a mix of great young locally developed talent as well as some up-and-coming stars of the game.
This will be the first time a Hockey One game has been played out of a capital city and is a joint venture between Parkes Shire Council, Hockey NSW, NSW Pride and Parkes Hockey Incorporated.
“Hockey NSW is delighted to be partnering with the Parkes Shire Council and Parkes Hockey Incorporated to bring the only Hockey One game to regional Australia. It’s a wonderful opportunity for hockey enthusiasts and the broader community in and around Parkes to enjoy elite sport and we are expecting a capacity crowd on the day,” said Hockey NSW Chief Executive Officer, Emma Highwood.
Both games will be streamed on Kayo Sports, with the broadcast commencing at 3:30pm.
Parkes Hockey will also be hosting a junior clinic on Saturday morning free of charge run by Glenn Johnstone -Hockey NSW RPC.
A Celebration of Hockey dinner will also be held at the Parkes Golf Club on Saturday evening with Jamie Dwyer as guest speaker. Jamie has won the World Hockey Player award six times was voted 5-time MVP. He will tell his hockey story and guests will be able to mingle with Jamie and a host of other Australian players. Tickets for the Clinics and Dinner can be found at the links below.
• Clinic: https://www.123tix.com.auevents/35611/hockey-coaching-clinic-with-nsw-pride-act-chill-players
• Dinner: https://www.123tix.com.au/events/35542/parkes-hockey-inc-presents-a-night-with-jamie-dwyer
• Tickets for the games are available via Ticketek at https://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=HOCKEYNS21