Hockey WA emailed clubs on 29th January to advise some changes to playing conditions regarding wearing face masks when defending penalty corners. This notice is to let you know about some minor revisions to that advice.

Hockey Australia recently asked us to share with clubs that “To align with the FIH standard, Hockey Australia will be adopting the same regulations change for all of its National Championships (U14, U16, U18, U21, Men’s & Women’s Masters, Country Championships, and Indoor Championships) and for all Hockey One League events. Additionally, Hockey Australia strongly recommends all States and Territories consider adopting this regulation for all hockey activities to enhance player safety.”

Hockey WA will implement the following changes to playing conditions to protect athletes and maintain safe hockey; these include some revisions:

Senior Turf competitions (Premier Leagues 1-3, Div 4 and lower, Midweek Masters)

O/40 Div 1 and O/50 Div 1 Men’s Masters (all games played on turf or grass)

ALL Junior J9/10 and J11/12 competitions (following advice from the Junior Competition Advisory Group (JCAG))

•   ·    All players defending a penalty corner must wear a face mask.
• Players not wearing a face mask must stand beyond the half-line.
• Drag flicks of any height are permitted.

Senior Grass competitions (O/40 Div 2 and lower, O/50 Div 2 and lower, all O/60 Masters Men and all Metro competitions)

Junior 5/6 and 7/8 Competitions

• All players defending a penalty corner are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask.
• The first shot at goal (except for a deflection) must be at backboard height or below when crossing the line.
• Deflections of any height from a legal first hit are permitted.

For Premier Divisions, where time is stopped for penalty corners, umpires will be instructed to allow players reasonable time to wear protective equipment. As stated in the “Countdown Clock” regulations:

In the event that a team is not ready, the engaged Umpire is to determine whether the delay is intentional or, in the case of the defending team, if the delay is due to players finding and putting on their full protective equipment. The priority for the umpires is athlete safety and welfare, and therefore if a little more time is required for all defenders to be ready and fully protected, this should be given, without penalty. If, however, the Umpire is of the view that there is an intentional delay resulting in a team not being ready within the aforesaid 40 seconds, the Umpire is to identify and issue a personal penalty (i.e. a green card) to the player who is responsible for the delay, with an increased personal penalty (i.e. a yellow card) for repeated offences.

Hockey WA strongly recommends that all players wear protective face masks when defending penalty corners, but we acknowledge the difficulties and costs involved for some Junior and Senior Grass competitions.  For this reason, we are not mandating wearing face masks in these competitions, but raised shots of any type will not be permitted as a safety measure.