Tamworth Hockey Association is set to host two of the biggest events on the Hockey NSW calendar in 2023.
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In what is shaping to be a blockbuster couple of weeks, Tamworth will hold its own York Cup and Kim Small Shield, and turn around and do it all again two weeks later for the state under-13s boys championships.
The latter is expected to bring around 500 players to town, plus parents and siblings, and were on the THA's championships 'wish list'.
"We wanted to, especially with the York Cup, be set up and then just leave all the gear set up for the following week, and that way there's less disturbance for our competitions as well," president Ross Briggs said.
The York Cup is scheduled for July 1-3 with the under-13s following from July 14-16.
Tamworth has also been allocated the state over 45s and 65s men's masters (June 2-4), while Armidale will host the over 50s and 70s, which will be the first championships for the year and be played from March 31 to April 2.
Following a successful trial, as they did this year Tamworth has also been slated to again host the State PSSA Championships, both boys and girls. The basketball carnival will also be held in Tamworth at the same time.
"They were very happy this year with us and basketball. It was the first year that they've done the combined so they've asked to come back again," Briggs said.
He noted there is a slight clash with the masters, with the primary carnival due to finish on the day they are due to start.
"We're just trying to see if there's any flexibility there," he said.
The association is also in discussions with Hockey NSW about bringing one of the NSW Pride's Hockey One League games to town. This year saw them venture out to the bush for the first time with Parkes hosting their final round games.
"We'd really like the opportunity to host one of these games," Briggs said.
"It'd be fantastic to get that level of hockey up into into our area. I think we'd be able to manage it, no worries at all."
The feedback he has had from the state body has been promising.
"They're certainly happy with with what we've been able to do from an event basis. And the last event that they were here, the women's masters, we had some good discussions about what would be needed and what they would expect," he said.
"So we'll start getting into them again in the new year to make sure that we can get it happening."
Hosting major events is a lot of hard work but they are a big boon for the association, especially financially.
"The four carnivals we ran this year, I think we made somewhere between $60 to $80,000," Briggs said.
That money has been earmarked for renovations to the kitchen/canteen facilities in the existing clubhouse.
"We've worked with what we've had there for some years now," he said.
"We're looking to extend that and make it a bit more practical and try to, I suppose, reduce the need for having outdoor barbecues, that sort of thing, when we run events; just make it a bit more user friendly and practical."
