Hundreds of the nation's best hockey players and their families have arrived in Tasmania for the Hockey One League Finals Series.
The Hockey One League is Australia's official senior elite national competition featuring the best male and female players, coaches, and officials in Australia, as well as several international athletes.
Minister for Sports and Events, Nick Duigan, welcomed the teams and their supporters to our great state.
"Major sports events are a huge drawcard for both interstate and intrastate visitors, and are a great way to get the community interested and involved in sport.
"It's fantastic to have sport of this calibre in our state," Minister Duigan said.
"Hockey is, of course, a popular sport in Tasmania, and we have had plenty of home-grown talent over the years."
Minister Duigan also congratulated the Tassie Tigers women on making the finals for the first time in Hockey One.
"This is extra special for our Tassie Tigers team to be playing in finals on home turf and we are all cheering for them."
The Tasmanian Government is supporting the event with $200,000.
"Under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's future, our government is committed to upgrading sporting infrastructure across the State," Minister Duigan said.
"Most recently, $1.3 million was committed to upgrade the playing surface to ensure the Tasmanian Hockey Centre remains up to world-class standards.
"Events like this show that by investing in sports infrastructure we can attract major events like this and make sure our place on the national sporting stage can't be ignored."
Seven teams participate in the League: Tassie Tigers, Perth Thundersticks, Brisbane Blaze, NSW Pride, HC Melbourne, Canberra Chill and Adelaide Fire.
The Finals will take place from Saturday, 30 November to Sunday, 1 December 2024.
