This is my first submission to the college hockey mailing list so if it is not
in an appropriate format, I apologise in advance. I intend to give a brief
summary of Australian Ice Hockey from the perspective of a participant in the
New South Wales  (my home state) Association. Further to this I would like to
see if there is any interest generated by my enquiries in this letter relating
to player/coaches interested in coming to Australia for a season and engaging
in a coaching/playing capacity.
          Firstly, as many people would realise, hockey is a relatively minor
sport in Australia. This is largely due to our climate and the dominance of
other sports such as Rugby League , Cricket and Australian Rules Football.
 This is not to say that the following of hockey is not enthusiastic but is
concentrated in a more select community.
          Our sport is administrated nationally through the Australian Ice
Hockey Federation (AIHF), a body who attempt to coordinate the activities of
the individual states. Next in the heirachy lies the state associations who
 are responsible for the development of all teams in their particular state.
 There are 6 of these associations. Within each of these associations are the
 member clubs, the numbers of which vary from state to state. In New South
 Wales, we have 6 clubs, most of which reside in the state capital, Sydney.
 Throughout the year, a series of interstate tournaments are held in
 addition to the regular association competition.
          This provides an indication of the competition size in Australia.
This is not to say that there is a lack of rivalry between teams and states
as one can see in watching weekly competition matches.
          Development of players is achieved through using the talents of a
few excellent home grown coaches, togeather with imported player coaches from
Canada, the USA and Europe. We have produced a number of exceptional players
many of whom have played overseas successfully.
          I hope that little description was not too drawn out but I thought a
bit of background may be of interest to some. Now down to business!!
          I have recently been elected to a presidential position at one of
the clubs in the N.S.W. Association, Namely The Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey
Club Inc. One of the initial jobs passed on to me was the determination of a
successfull club structure for the coming 1991 season. This not only involved
determining the teams which our club would put in the league for 1991 but also
achieving a high standard of coaching for these teams. This is where the big
problem lies. The coaching resources in Australia are, as previously mentioned
quite limited. In the past this has led to bringing player/coaches to
Australia to design and implement effective coaching programmes. We are at
present looking at this option. Unlike other countries where hockey is heavily
financed, our finances are quite limited. This restricts the assistance which
we can offer to support in achievement of temporary residence visas. This would
allows persons who would not normally qualify for a working permit to get one
in return for services as an accredited coach and"imported player" to the
"sponsoring club". This is an effective way to visit Australia and is of
benefit to both the club and the person.
          We are restricted in sponsorship to persons with at least a level 2
 coaching accreditation. This is the minimum required to get support from both
our national federation and our government. This Is not our choice however
it ensures a high standard of coaching ability.
          Player/coaches are sponsored under contract, which relates to their
required coaching/playing duties and is formulated and agreed to by both the
 person and the sponsoring club.
          If this letter goes on much longer, I will lose too many readers so
I will briefly conclude.
          If any of the readers know of people who may be interested in such
a scheme, I would be only to pleased to correspond with them through internet
or conventional mail providing any additional information required. Any
enquires, letters, resume's or other correspondence can be sent via email to:
 
                    [log in to unmask]
 
    or by mail to:     Stewart Hicks
                       23 Bruce Avenue
                       Mt Warrigal
                       N.S.W.  2528
                       Australia.
 
I look forward to any correspondence. Thanks for your time and have a great
season.
 
 
 
                                           Stewart Hicks
                            President - Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey Club Inc.