Gympie Hockey (GDHA)

A huge congratulations to all of the girls selected to represent Gympie Hockey at the Southern Cross Cup on Sunday 9 August.

Being selected to represent your club is a fantastic achievement and a reward for your hard work, commitment and enthusiasm throughout the trials. We can't wait to see you all pull on the Gympie colours and enjoy this exciting day of hockey!

Team Managers will be in contact as soon as possible with team information, communication channels and everything you need to know leading up to the carnival.

Training Schedule for both teams:
📅 Thursdays (starting Thursday 16th July)
🕓 4:15pm – 5:30pm

Please note your coaches may request more training sessions.

We can't wait to watch you represent Gympie Hockey at Southern Cross Cup.

URGENT DRAW UPDATE – TONIGHT'S GAMES 🚨

Due to a high number of player unavailabilities, tonight's draw has been updated.

🏑 Women's: One full game only.

🏑 Men's:

7:00pm
8:00pm

Please help us spread the word by sharing this update with your teammates and anyone who may not see this post.

Thank you for your understanding, and we'll see you at the fields!

Huge Announcement 📣
Congratulations to Stella Dunn on being awarded Player of the Final at the U14 State Championships.

Selected by the Queensland selectors, this award recognises the standout player in the championship final and is a testament to Stella's outstanding performance on the biggest stage.

We are so proud of your determination, skill and hard work throughout the tournament. Congratulations on a truly well-deserved honour, Stella!
Your future is bright. ⭐👏

It's another quiet week around the club, with only our Men's and Women's teams taking the field this weekend. Be sure to get down and support them if you can!

Our junior players are enjoying one more week of their school holiday break before returning to competition next weekend.

A huge good luck goes to our U14 Boys representative teams, who are travelling to Ipswich this weekend to compete in the U14 State Championships. We know you'll represent Gympie with pride, play hard, support each other, and most importantly, have fun. We can't wait to follow your results!

Check out this week's draw below and we'll see you at the hockey!

THEY DID IT! Our Gympie U14 Girls are Division 3 Queensland State Champions!

A 3–0 Grand Final victory capped off a tournament that was nothing short of extraordinary.

✨ Undefeated across 7 games
✨ 22 goals scored
✨ 79 attacking corners earned
✨ Just ONE goal conceded all tournament
✨ Division 3 State Champions!

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the age of this team. We had just one 14-year-old, three 13-year-olds, and the rest of the squad were 12 years old and under.

This group isn't just celebrating an incredible result today, they're building a legacy for the future of Gympie Hockey.

The transformation from last year is simply unbelievable. Twelve months ago, many of these girls were only 10 and 11 years old. They lost every game, didn't score a goal, but they never gave up.

One year later, with almost the very same team, they have climbed to the very top.

This is what happens when hard work meets belief. When teammates become lifelong friends. When coaches, managers and families invest countless hours into helping young athletes grow - not just as hockey players, but as confident, resilient and humble young women.

To our amazing coaching staff, team manager, supportive families, sponsors, and every person who cheered these girls on from home... thank you. This victory belongs to all of you too.

Girls, you have made Gympie incredibly proud. Enjoy every moment of this achievement... you've earned it.

Medal and trophy photo to come!

As our Gympie U14 Girls prepare to play for Gold tomorrow at 10:10am in Hervey Bay, we'd like to take a moment to recognise the incredible people and businesses who helped make this journey possible.

👏 Easton Plant Hire
👏 Pavitt Earthmoving

Thank you for sponsoring our team and investing in the future of junior hockey.

We would also like to extend a very special thank you to the Goodhew family, one of our own Gympie Hockey families, who generously purchased the girls' representative uniforms. Your support has meant so much to the team and is another wonderful example of our hockey community getting behind its young athletes.

What makes this story even more special is just how far these girls have come. Last year, this team didn't score a goal for the entire tournament.

This year, they have gone undefeated, winning every game to earn their place in tomorrow's Gold Medal match. 🥇

What an unbelievable achievement!

No matter what happens tomorrow, they have already made Gympie Hockey incredibly proud.

Important Rule Update – Jewellery & Watches

Hockey Australia has adopted a new position in line with the FIH (International Hockey Federation) regarding jewellery and watches during matches.

This applies across all levels of hockey, from juniors through to seniors.

What does this mean?
✅ Players must not wear jewellery or watches during matches.
✅ If a piece of jewellery cannot be removed for any reason (for example, newly pierced earrings or permanent jewellery), it must be appropriately covered.

Why the change?

This update has been introduced to:
• Improve player safety.
• Reduce the risk of injury to yourself and others.
• Ensure consistency with international hockey rules.
• Create the same expectations across clubs, associations, state championships and national competitions.

Parents: Please help your child prepare before arriving at the field by removing jewellery and watches at home where possible.

Coaches & Managers: Please remind your teams before each game to check for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, fitness trackers and watches.

Players: Making this part of your pre-game routine will help avoid delays and ensure you're ready to take the field.

As Hockey Australia aligns with the FIH rules, we encourage all players to start following this practice now. Building these habits early means there are no surprises when attending representative carnivals, state championships or national events.

Thank you for helping us keep our players safe and our competitions consistent.

**2026 U12 BOYS REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS ANNOUNCED**

Congratulations to all of the boys selected to represent Gympie Hockey at the U12 Coulter Shield in Ipswich on Sunday 26 July!

📱 Team Managers - will be creating group chats shortly, so please keep an eye on your messages for further information.

Training for both teams:
📅 Thursday 16 July
📅 Thursday 23 July
🕓 4:15pm – 5:30pm

A huge congratulations again to our U12 Boys, we're excited to see what you can achieve in Ipswich!

🛡️ Penalty Corner Masks - What Every Player Should Know

We'd like to remind all players, coaches and parents of the current expectations under the FIH Rules for removing your face mask.

Remove your mask as soon as it is safe - Once the penalty corner phase has finished, defenders should remove their mask at the earliest safe opportunity.

⚠️ Remove it safely

When removing your mask:

Slide or gently roll it along the turf towards the backline whenever possible.
Never throw it through the air or flick it away.
Make sure it doesn't create a hazard for other players or officials.

If a mask is removed in a dangerous or reckless manner, for example, it strikes another player or an umpire, or is thrown carelessly, the umpire may award a personal penalty, which is commonly a green card but may be more severe depending on the incident.

Practise it at training - Removing your mask safely is a skill, just like trapping or passing. Players should practise:

Removing the mask while staying aware of play.
Sliding or rolling it safely towards the backline.
Continuing to defend or transition without creating a hazard.

This is especially important for players attending representative carnivals and championships. Incorrect removal of a mask can result in a personal penalty, meaning a player could spend time off the field and leave their team short.

Parents, coaches and managers: Please help reinforce these habits at training and on game day. A few minutes of practice now can prevent unnecessary cards and keep our players safe while playing within the rules.

Let's build good habits now so our players are confident, safe and ready for representative hockey.

TRAINING IS ON TODAY!

We're back to our normal teams this week for training.

We hope all of our junior players enjoyed the last two weeks of mixed-up teams, new teammates and a few different challenges along the way. It was great to see so many players having fun, building confidence and developing their hockey.

📋 This week's draw is attached.

A reminder that there are no Junior or Youth games for the next two weeks, so enjoy the break!

For some of our players, though, the excitement is only just beginning as they prepare for the U14 State Championships. We wish all of our Gympie representatives the very best and can't wait to follow their journey.

⭐ Representative Team Update
We are nearly finished finalising our U12 representative teams.

🏑 U12 Boys teams will be announced later this week.
🏑 U12 Girls teams will be announced next week.

Thank you to all players who nominated and participated in the process.

See you all at training!