ONE HECK OF A CHANGE FOR HOCKEY
QUEENSLAND’S premier men’s and women’s hockey teams will be united under one banner as part of a revamped national league.
Hockey Australia will today announce Hockey One, the newly named national club competition replacing the Australian Hockey League.
Tweed and Gold Coast talents including Rosie Malone, Corey Weyer and Dylan Wotherspoon have emerged from the AHL.
Queensland’s men’s and women’s teams, previously known as the Blades and the Scorchers respectively, will be called Brisbane Blaze.
The Blaze are one of seven Hockey One clubs, with the other teams hailing from NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Canberra.
The Hockey One season will be played under some “new rules” and run from mid-September to late November,
Each club will play three home games – as part of a six-week regular season that includes men’s and women’s double-headers.
The finals will be contested by the top four teams, with the winners of the 1 v 4 clash and 2 v 3 matches contesting the grand final.
“This is a significant and exciting announcement for hockey in Australia as we strive to put fans first and showcase everything that is great about our game with this ambitious new league, Hockey One,” Hockey Australia CEO Matt Favier said.
“The feedback ... has shown there is an appetite for a new approach to our domestic hockey league.”
All matches will be streamed on Kayo, with the men’s and women’s grand finals to also be shown on Fox Sports.