Hockey clubs in Canberra?

if you want to play at a high level don’t play for UC, there is no first grade side (men’s at least).

ANU is the largest club in terms of members and has a big social scene including the infamous russian night…

Thanks so much for your comments. I am hoping to play at a serious level – I am competitive and I want a good workout. I used to play at a good senior level and I represented the state as a junior. But I haven’t played in a few years and the new rules may be confusing!

1 vote for UC (Uni of Canberra). My time playing for UC was alot more enjoyable then my time playing for central! My mum plays for vikings (Tuggeranong) and they seem to be a lot more competitive/serious. UC is really good if you want to have fun while playing, meet people and enjoy the social events. You don’t need to be a student to play for them, and it’s not all youngens, there’s quite a variety of people who play for UC of all different ages. Enjoy!

Play for anyone but Central

Sticks, not clubs, sticks…

Have a look at the Hockey ACT website for starters, there they have a list of all the clubs and contacts: http://www.hockeyact.org.au/

My kids have played for 3 clubs now, currently we’re with Old Canberrans (known locally as ‘Checks’, black and yellow). My girls picked Checks when we moved to the southside because they were always the nicest opponents; St Pats (green and white) and Central (dark blue and white) are also really nice ‘personality’ clubs.

It really depends on what grade you play and how social you want the game to be; some clubs are more competitive in the sense that they will grade and place you according to ability, rather than let you stay in a team for the fun of it; I’d say Divisions 1-3 (the higher level grades) are far more competitive, with Divisions 4-6 (7 on grass) are more social.

For more social clubs, I’d say Daramalan (‘Darra’, in red and black), Vikings (Maroon and white).

Training happens at the hockey centre in Lyneham, clubs book a field for training. Games start on the Friday night (some juniors), Mens play on Saturday, Womens’ games are on Sunday.

There’s only two weeks left in the season, come along this or next Sunday for a fun day out! Make sure you get a hot choccy from the cafe.

Indoor hockey is also really popular during the summer months, make sure you find out about that too.

Honestly, I think they’re all pretty good – what’s good for one person may not be another’s cup of tea. I wouldn’t say that there are any clubs to stay away from. Checks has been brilliant for my girls, my 12 yo helps with minkey, my 15yo plays juniors and seniors (div 2-4).

I think UC’s fees are cheaper, but not sure if they have restrictions on needing to be a student. Fees this year (for seniors) ranged from $400-$500 odd depending on the grade played.

Whichever club you pick, good luck and have fun!

What level do you play at? Ie top, middle or lower? The reason I ask is it makes all the world of difference.

United Hockey Club (www.unitedhockey.com.au) is a good one, but depends on where abouts your planning to live/work. Most hockey is played at Lyneham, but there are fields (and teams) down in Tuggeranong as well.

Old Canberrans are pretty big, so is Central. There is also Wests, St Pats, ANU and the list goes on.

The Uni of Canberra Hockey Club is great (I play for it, so it must be awesome). Women’s first grade to sixth grade and men’s second to fifth, plus a midweek team. Heaps of club functions, too. Check out http://www.uchockey.com.au (not the best site, granted, but it’ll do!)

Hi,
It isn’t traditional hockey but if you feel like giving something different a try then come and give Floorball a go. It’s a variant of hockey that’s pretty big in Europe and growing here. It uses lightweight sticks & balls. Its really fast & gives you a good run.
It’s played at mpowerdome in Fadden on Monday/Tuesday/Thursday nights.