After a four-year hiatus the Australian Country Championships are set to descend on the Goulburn Valley later this year following a surprise announcement on Monday.
Hockey Australia and Greater Shepparton City Council announced Shepparton would host the 2023 edition of the national event from August 5-12.
The event was scheduled to be held at the Goulburn Regional Hockey Centre in NSW, however, challenges related to the centre’s redevelopment has opened the door for Shepparton to be handed the hosting duties.
Shepparton, which last hosted the event in 2019, will welcome Australia’s most skilful regional hockey talents to McEwen Reserve’s hockey precinct in what is a major win for the region.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said Shepparton would relish the opportunity to host the major sporting event once again.
“Our sports city precinct has enabled us to host some amazing events such as this one to bring people from around Australia to play hockey in Greater Shepparton,” Sali said.
“These events strengthen our reputation as the leading sporting and events capital of regional Australia and keep our local economy strong and businesses thriving. This event is expected to generate $1.5 million dollars towards our local economy.
“We look forward to partnering with Hockey Australia and the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association to deliver a first-class event for all of our residents and visitors.”
Goulburn Valley Hockey Association president Cameron Druitt said the return of the Australian Country Championships added to the region’s long list of hosting major hockey events.
“We look forward to continuing our strong track record of hosting events over recent years, from the Australian Country Championships and Victorian Premier League in 2019, Junior State Championships in 2021 and Victorian Premier League again in 2022,” he said.
“Since the success of hosting the Country Championships in 2019, Goulburn Valley communities have experienced significant challenges; from Shepparton being the most locked down regional city through COVID-19 and more recently the devastating October 2022 floods ... we thank Greater Shepparton City Council and Hockey Australia for the opportunity to once again host the championships and warmly welcome players, staff and supporters from all over the country.”
Hockey Australia senior event manager Simon Butterly thanked council for putting its hand up to host the event.
“We are grateful for the support and willingness of the Greater Shepparton City Council to take on the hosting of this event,” he said.
“Shepparton has a strong sporting and hockey community and there is no doubt they will put on a fantastic Country Championships for participants, officials and everyone who attends.”