Goulburn Valley Hockey Association, which suspended its junior season after round three, formally ended its season on Monday night at an executive meeting, citing the stage three coronavirus restrictions and the lack of certainty as to when community sport will be permitted to return.
Junior president James Sach said he was proud the association had got the season off the ground.
“We are disappointed that we have had to cancel our 2020 winter season, but are also proud of the effort put in by our entire hockey community to be able to get the juniors on the field for three weeks,” Sach said.
“We look forward to a potential summer competition later this year and the 2021 winter season.”
Association president Cameron Druitt said the hard work put in by clubs across the past few months had been a consideration when cancelling the season.
“Unfortunately we’ve had to make this decision, but the safety of all our players, volunteers and their families is paramount. The workload that many have had to bear in recent months was also a consideration,” Druitt said.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our club volunteers, club committees, players, coaches, our valued sponsors and Hockey Victoria for continued support as we have navigated these past few months.”
Druitt said to look out for hockey's return, adding it would be back better than ever.
“When the opportunity allows, we look forward to returning to the pitch, hopefully later this year in some form,” he said.
“And we most definitely look towards next year which should look like what we were expecting this year to be, with the return of the Regional Hockey League, substantial local competitions and the hosting of Junior State Championships and Hockey Victoria Premier League.”