Come 2018, Parkes will be the only regional town in NSW to host two state field hockey championship tournaments next May and June.
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The town will welcome some of the state's best junior and senior hockey players in 2018, with Hockey NSW announcing that two of the 2018 Field Hockey State Championship tournaments will be hosted at McGlynn Sporting Complex.
Parkes will host the Over 50s Men’s Masters and the Under 15s Boy’s championships in May and June respectively.
“We are delighted to have secured two hockey tournaments for 2018, having recently made a significant investment in upgrading the hockey complex to enable Parkes to accommodate larger sporting events,” Chair of the Sporting Facilities Development Committee, Cr Louise O'Leary said.
“Hosting these major sporting tournaments has huge economic benefits for the region, with the players, coaching staff and spectators injecting millions into the local economy.”
In 2016, Parkes Shire Council, the NSW Government and Parkes Hockey Inc partnered to fund the construction of a second hockey turf, with the overall cost of the project totalling over $1.5 million.
Cr O’Leary said the second turf has already delivered many positive benefits to the region, and is attributable for attracting these major hockey tournaments and events to Parkes.
Over 1000 visitors converged on Parkes over three days for the Over 35s Women's Masters at the end of July this year, contributing approximately $1.2 million into the regional economy.
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Parkes Hockey's second synthetic turf was officially opened on Saturday, August 26 and named in honour of local hockey celebrity and Olympian Mariah Williams.
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“Hockey NSW identified a number of opportunities associated with conducting our state championships, particularly after promoting the profile of these events to various local government authorities, in regional NSW,” Hockey NSW's Competitions & Officiating Manager, Nathan Walker said.
“It is well-known that regions receive tremendous economic benefits from hosting large team events, particularly regarding the provision of accommodation, catering and dining, as well as other essential services.”
Parkes will host the Over 50s Men's on May 25-27 and the Under 15 Boys Championship on June 22-24.
