SHA is looking for an Executive Officer. Information from SHA is below.

SWHL is also looking for a Secretary. Contact Andy Elton or Lou Matthews for more info

SHA note from 23 January 2012

In accordance with the new SHA Constitution 2011 approved by the members at the AGM in November 2011, the SHA Board of Management has approved the engagement of an Executive Officer (part time / honorarium basis) to directly act as the central co-ordinator for the Board and to assist manage, co-ordinate and communicate with Clubs all the required administrative requirements for the efficient and effective operations of Sydney Hockey.

The Executive Officer will not be an employee, but will receive an honorarium and reimbursement of expenses (where necessary).

The attached Position Description from SHA generally outlines the role the Executive Officer will play, together with an indication of the relationship he / she will have with the SHA Board of Management, the members Clubs and all other key stakeholders together with broad / brief details of the remuneration (to be finalised with successful candidate)

It is important that the SHA Executive Officer has good background and understanding of hockey (and the way it operates etc) as this is essential given the successful candidate will need to hit the ground running in February 2012 (at the latest)

A formal Expression of Interest from any person interested in undertaking this role MUST be lodged with the President of Sydney Hockey (see full details below), before 5:00pm on Friday 3 February 2012 and this must also include a brief 1 page Covering letter (which must specifically address the Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities listed in the Position Description) together with a CV / Resume (not more than 5 pages)

If you wish to discuss or clarify any aspects of the position please contact Greg Kay - President of Sydney Hockey Association  on 0412 751 957 or by email

Aaron Oman is stepping down as SUHC's Director of Coaching. Aaron filled the role superbly in 2010 and 2011, and the club will be very sorry that he is not with us in 2012.

Aaron leaves us to be the 2012 coach of the HNSW Waratahs. We congratulate him on this achievement. He is also the 2012 coach of the SJHA Boys Under 17/1s, which a great reminder of his commitment to giving something back to hockey at all levels.

Our Director of Coaching role is unique in hockey in NSW, and perhaps Australia. SUHC created the role of Director of Coaching on a trial basis in 2009 to enable the hockey club to benefit from SU's enormous pool of sports coaching skills and experience.

Sydney University has a proud history of local and even national success across a range of sports. Its cricket, rugby, water-polo and women's basketball teams, for example, are currently some of the best club teams in Australia, and its coaches include some of Australia's best in a range of sports. Its network of past players and supporters also provides a unique means to facilitate further development opportunities for players and coaches.

SU has seen the potential from having these skilled coaches come together to share their experiences in applying new and old coaching methods to enable athletes and teams to maximise their potential. SUHC created the Director of Coaching role so a proven hockey coach could participate in this process. The Director then works with SUHC's own coaches to pass on these broader skills, as well as his hockey-specific insights. It is a major benefit for hockey as a whole and for SUHC.

Aaron has been a great asset to the club in his two years as Director of Coaching. We will miss his proven coaching ability and technical skills, but even more so his warm personality and quiet and friendly manner. We will also miss his dedication, although his family will be happy to see more of him on weekends. Aaron rightly retained his loyalty to his life-time club just down the road at Glebe, but showed his professionalism by avoiding the awful tribalism that mars Sydney hockey so badly off the field. Glebe can be proud of him.

SUHC wishes Aaron all the best in his role as the HNSW Waratahs coach in 2012. We will follow his coaching career with interest

The 2012 Director of Coaching will be Scott Barker, who is the current HNSW U21 Men's coach. Scott is following a class act, but has already shown his own professionalism and skills through his careful preparation for the role. Welcome to SUHC, Scott. We hope you, the club and the hockey community as a whole will continue to benefit from the opportunities afforded by the Director of Coaching role.

Long-serving Vets VP Malcolm (Camel) Newman is stepping down in 2012 after being the unsung hero of the SU Vets for many years.

Camel has quietly been organising teams, schedules, fees and drinks for our growing band of players, but the demands of his young family mean it it time for someone else to fill this role. One of Camel's great achievements as the leader of the Vets has been the full integration of player registration with the rest of the Club, and his leadership in ensuring the Vets VP is an active member of the Club's own management team. Thanks to his efforts his successor will have significantly less to do to get the players on the field, and we will all benefit from the Executive-level input of an older and wiser player.

Great clubs like SUHC are built on the long-term efforts of selfless people like Camel. We thank him for all his work. Please take the time to thank him yourself when you next see him.

Just as Camel takes a break, the Vets are changing their name. In line with the State-wide renaming, the Sydney Vets competition will now be called the "Masters" competition. The name is a much fairer description of the comp as some players are as young as 35, and the skill levels are often better portrayed with "Masters" rather than "Vets". True, its going to be harder to make puns about Cam Whittaker, but we will live with that. There's always Rob Masters-on...

Stepping up as the 2012 Masters VP is Crichton Smith. Crichton is another selfless Masters player who also performs weekly heroics as a goalie in Div 4 in the Men's comp. He has already notched up over 400 games for the club, which is itself an amazing feat. Many thanks to Crichton for volounteering to help the club this way.