The section of the Hockey Victoria Junior State Championships event that was scheduled to be held in Shepparton this year has been pushed back to next year.
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If the JSC event is to go ahead this year it will be held in Melbourne, but the governing body has made the decision to move its latest venture into regional Victoria until next year.
Bendigo will host the girls’ section and Shepparton the boys’ event, as it was planned before COVID-19 intervened.
“HV would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the City of Greater Bendigo and the Greater Shepparton City Council, as well as Hockey Central Vic and Goulburn Valley Hockey Association for their co-operation and understanding in these difficult circumstances,” a Hockey Victoria statement said.
“However, we now look forward to planning an even bigger and better event with them in 2021.”
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Seema Abdullah was pleased HV was planning to honour its commitment to the region despite the interruption.
“Council is excited to be partnering with Hockey Victoria to deliver this event next year, giving Greater Shepparton the opportunity to allow our home-grown players to compete at a state level on their own patch,” Abdullah said.
“It is a great accomplishment that the $21 million redevelopment of the Shepparton Sports City precinct has enabled us to host amazing events such as this that attract so many people from around Victoria and the nation to play hockey in Greater Shepparton.
“We’re looking forward to working with Hockey Victoria and the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association to deliver a first-class event in 2021 and continue to enhance our reputation as the sporting and event capital of regional Australia.
“We thank Hockey Victoria for honouring their commitment to bring this event to Shepparton and regional Victoria. Significant events such as this will bring a much-needed boost to our community and local businesses.”
● Locally, GVHA outfit Mooroopna was the first team back on the pitch as it resumed training this week.
The vast majority of club members were in favour of returning to training as soon as they could.
“With this in mind, we are excited to get back to training, however, our members’ safety is our number one priority and we are taking all necessary precautions,” Cats president Lindi Cardamone said.
“We are hoping that this is an opportunity to grow our member base,” Cardamone said.
“From someone who has involved in Mooroopna Hockey Club as a junior, and is now playing with my own daughters, I can’t speak highly enough of the welcoming family environment that our club is renowned for.”
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