Extracts from the booklet "Nuriootpa Hockey Club - The First 20 Years"
The booklet was compiled in 1997 to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the formation of the Nuriootpa Hockey Club, and covers the years 1978 to 1997. Facts and anecdotes came from various sources - BVHA Registration Records, NHC Team Lists, BVHA and NHC Committee Meeting Minutes, newspaper articles and photographs, BVHA and NHC newsletters, past and present players etc.
1978 - 1979: In the beginning .......
Prior to 1978 a thriving women's hockey competition had existed in the Barossa for many years, but during 1977 some interest was shown in forming a competition for men. Enough men were found to form a general Association men's team in that year and they played social matches whenever there was a bye in the official program. The following season four men's teams were nominated and formed their own competition, to run alongside the women's competition.
The Nuriootpa Hockey Club was formed in March 1978 when members of the existing Nuriootpa and Dorrien Women's teams and the newly formed Nuriootpa Men's team united to form one club. The Dorrien team continued to play in their blue and red colours under their new name of Nuriootpa Blue and the Nuriootpa team became known as Nuriootpa Gold and played in their black and gold colours. Registration receipts show a total membership in that first season of 15 men and 25 women.
The Club expanded in 1979 to include an additional men's team and a third women's team; and from 1979 to 1981 the Nuriootpa Hockey Club consisted of these five teams; Nuriootpa Red and Orange in the men's competition and Nuriootpa Blue, Orange and Brown in the women's.
1980 - 1984: The early premiership years .....
"Over the past two years the Club has expanded and become well established. We have developed an identity and club spirit. I hope that this year you will all, by personal involvement, continue to help strengthen and further develop our Club. We haven't won any Premierships yet however, this could be the year; things look very good indeed." Bill Zidov, Club President, newsletter 1980.
How prophetic that was. 1980 saw the first of what was to be many premiership successes for the Club. In an all Nuriootpa grand final the Nuriootpa Brown Women's team were victors over Nuriootpa Blue.
Success also in 1981 with Nuri Orange defeating Roseworthy. Nuri Orange Men and Nuri Blue Women had respectable results also, but problems for Nuri Brown and Red meant that they did not have such a joyous season. The Club, in conjunction with the Youth Sports Association, conducted hockey coaching and competitions on Saturday mornings to promote the sport amongst younger players.
1982 saw the Nuriootpa Hockey Club rise to the fore as the top club in the Barossa Valley Hockey Association. Of the six teams entered (three women's, one A men and two in the newly formed B men's competition), five finished in first or second place at the end of the minor round.
Much of the Club's success was attributed to the positive and constructive approach which team coaches adopted and passed onto their players. In particular, A Grade Men's coach, Brian Ivkovic, was reported in "The Leader" of September 8, 1982 as being a major force behind his team's success through his dedication and perseverance. It was also reported in the same article that the Nuriootpa B Grade Red team's display of sportsmanship and attitude to other players and umpires is something of which they can be very proud!
1982 was to become the year of the Orange. Nuriootpa Orange was inscribed on the A Grade Men's, B Grade Men's and Senior Women's premiership trophies. "The Leader" of September 29, 1982 reported the celebrations as follows:
Nuriootpa Hockey Club Creates Record By Winning All Three Division Grand Finals
The Grand Finals' Night Cabaret at the Vine Inn was the culmination of the Nuriootpa Hockey Club's most outstanding season ever. Club teams created an Association record by winning each of the division finals and also coming runners-up in the women's and men's B Grade as well.
To raucous shouts of "Which is the best club in the Association - NURI!" a packed house of players and supporters revelled the night away. A night of many speeches, presentations and exuberant celebration.
The Club became an Incorporated body on July 27, 1982.
In 1983 the men's competition reverted back to one division but the women's expanded into two. It was also the year a Junior competition was introduced into the BVHA. New team names and colours were adopted. The All Stars and Demons (A Men), Warriors (B Men), Jets (A Women), Comets (B Women), Dodgers and Flyers (Juniors) were to become the teams to barrack for. The Dodgers were to become the first Nuriootpa team to play in our present colours of greed and gold.
The Jets (Nuriootpa Orange Women) again won the Premiership (a hat-trick) and were presented with the Kaiser Stuhl Cup permanently. The All Stars (Nuriootpa Orange A Men) made it a double for the Club.
The B Men's competition was reintroduced in 1984 but Nuriootpa entered its three men's teams in the A Grade. The string of premierships continued; this time it was the year of the Warriors (A Men), the Comets (B Women) and our first Junior Premiers - the Dodgers.
1985 - 1987: A small decline .....
In 1984 Nuriootpa had three teams out of the total of six entered in the senior men's competition. However, it was felt by some that one of the teams was `stacked' which gave the Club a sure premiership but at what cost? The team in question romped through the season undefeated and took out the flag but most of their biggest defeats were over teams from their own club. This became the catalyst for the formation of the Tanunda Hockey Club in 1985.
Also in 1985 a group of players formed a Barossa based team to compete in the Adelaide competition. A number of senior men from the Nuriootpa Club, seeking a challenge, joined this new team. This had implications for the whole Association as well as the Nuriootpa Hockey Club. With the top male players from the Valley now playing elsewhere the local men's competition was again reduced to only one division. It was to be another ten years before the Association grew to again be able to offer a B Men's competition. The B Women's competition also disappeared in 1985 and was not to be seen again until 1996.
The Club itself was reduced to only one men's team; the highlight of their year being the defeat of new rivals, Tanunda 2-0. The club continued with two women's teams and two junior teams. Nuriootpa Orange won the women's premiership.
Season 1986 saw even leaner times for the Club as far as player numbers went. Only three teams played under the Nuriootpa Hockey Club banner - Men, Women and Under 15.
The Under 15 team, coached by Bill Zidov, went through the season undefeated and took out the premiership. The women struggled for most of the season and failed to reach the finals. The senior men's team just failed to make the grand final, losing to Tanunda (eventual premiers) in the preliminary-final.
Although the Association as a whole was growing in strength - with the new Tanunda men's team, a Minkey competition and the introduction in 1987 of junior teams from the Angaston area - Nuriootpa continued to struggle for numbers. The situation was at its most desperate in 1987 when the Club was unable to field a men's side and did not play in a grand final; the first time since that first premiership in 1980.
1988 - 1991: The rebuild ......
At a meeting in early 1988 the Club was urged to take more interest in juniors and the Club's resurgence was led from the ground up by focussing efforts in this area. The Association lifted the age of the junior competitions to under 16 and under 14 and added a non-competitive under 11 Minkey competition. Nuriootpa Hockey Club fielded teams in all these grades, as well as a senior women's team and a re-formed men's team. Three premierships were won - Women, Under 16 and Under 14.
Growth again in junior numbers in 1989 resulted in the addition of two extra Minkey teams - a second under 11 team and an under 9 team. The junior grades reverted to under 15 and under 13, and the Club continued its Premiership success winning the Women's and Under 15 trophies.
Seasons 1990 and 1991 were years of consolidation for Nuriootpa Hockey Club. Team numbers remained constant, with many juniors in particular called upon to play in two teams in order to "make up the numbers". The leadership and high standard of training through the coaches and captains showed; all players giving their utmost each week.
1992 - 1993: Moving forward .....
After a seven year drought Nuriootpa Hockey Club was at last inscribed again on the men's premiership shield in 1992. They decided to do it the hard way though, drawing the semi-final in extra time, winning the preliminary final in extra time and taking the grand final into extra time and then into a penalty stroke shoot out!
Minkey continued to grow in popularity and the first crop of youngsters to be introduced to hockey via this game `graduated' in 1992 to full time full field hockey (although many of them had already been filling up in higher grades for a couple of years).
Nuriootpa Hockey Club became a registered Aussie Sport Club promoting skill, equity, achievement, variety, fair play, fun and quality of instruction; making sport fun for everyone and encouraging fair play attitudes. The use of the Aussie Sport logo on pamphlets, notes and newsletters gave instant assurance to new players and their parents that the Nuriootpa Hockey Club was serious in its concern for the welfare of its players.
The growth of the Club via the Minkey program began to take effect in 1993 with the addition of a second under 13 team. Nuriootpa Gold finished the season as premiers with Nuriootpa Green in third position.
Moculta Club was unable to field an under 15 team in 1993 and players from that Club were invited to play for Nuriootpa in that year. Nuriootpa would have been able to field a team in its own right, using players from the lower grade to make up numbers, but it was felt to be in the best interests of all concerned to "borrow' the Moculta juniors for a season. Although the decision caused some disharmony in both camps it was a successful playing union with the team taking out the premiership. Fears that the decision would spell the end of juniors at Moculta were allayed when the very next year Moculta, with its players returned, took out the under 16 title defeating their Nuriootpa team mates of the previous year.
1994 - 1997: Nuri at the forefront of change .....
The Barossa Valley Hockey Association took a major leap forward in 1994. Sue Stephen, our Club's Minkey Coordinator and newly appointed BVHA Junior Coordinator, presented a comprehensive argument to the BVHA for the introduction of a junior competition for girls. The result was the introduction of a girls majority under 14 competition, played alongside the under 14 boys (in reality mixed) competition, and an under 16 competition. Nuriootpa fielded two girls majority teams in the resulting four team competition.
As a reward for her efforts, Sue's Action Plan for Gender Equity in the BVHA was one of nine Sporting Organisations finalists in the Prime Ministerial Women and Sports Awards in 1995 (outstanding initiatives recognised for their support of women and girls in sport).
On field success was achieved by all teams in 1994. None of the Club's six full field teams finished lower than third at the end of the season. Nuriootpa retained the junior boys premiership and the strength of the two new girls teams was proven when they met each other in the grand final.
The Club continued to field one men's and one women's team from 1988 to 1994. In 1995 the Nuriootpa Hockey Club approached the Association and requested the re-introduction of a second men's division. The idea was first met with resistance, but it was finally agreed that one complete round of men's matches would be played and the grade then divided into two divisions based on teams positions on the premiership table. Nuriootpa nearly ended up with both their teams in the top division!
In another highly successful year six of the Club's seven full field teams made it to grand final day. Unfortunately it was a year of runner-up awards with only the Under 16s and Under 14 Girls getting their hands on the premiership trophies. Once again, however, no team was to finish worse than third. Nuriootpa players topped the Association goal scoring in four of the six grades
In another push for advancement in 1996, and following the successful re-introduction of the B Men's competition, Nuriootpa Hockey Club was successful in convincing the BVHA to again offer a B Women's competition, last offered in 1984. The Nuriootpa Women had the thrill of defending their title after so many years but went down to a very strong Moculta combination.
"Revenge, sweet revenge! Nuriootpa Hockey Club celebrated into the wee small hours as both A Grade sides had revenge on last year's premiers!" The Leader, September 1996.
Victory was sweet in the major divisions with Nuriootpa taking out the A Grade Men's and Women's titles; especially sweet since their opposition, Two Wells, had taken the double the previous year. Premiership success also to the Under 16s and Under 14 Boys.
"Of course, the success of a club is not measured only by its on field success but by factors such as its growth in player numbers and its ability to cater for all those players, its financial success, its ability to adapt to change etc. This still makes Nuriootpa Hockey Club the most successful club in the Barossa Valley Hockey Association!" Newsletter, September 1996.
Four premierships, two runners up and two thirds displayed that our club's development plan was working very well.
BVHA Junior Coordinator, Sue Stephen, was at it again in 1997, finally achieving her aim of an all girls competition at junior level. And in another forward move for the BVHA, and as a result of ever increasing junior numbers, the under 14 boys grade was separated into two divisions.
1997 was arguably the most successful yet for the Nuriootpa Hockey Club, both on and off the field. The Nuriootpa Hockey Club is easily the largest and strongest Club in the BVHA. It was the only club able to field a team in each of the full field grades in 1997 (and two teams in the under 14 girls competition) as well as fielding the most Minkey teams - seven.
The pride in this achievement flowed onto the field with eight of the nine full field teams competing on grand final day resulting in five premierships. It was an exciting day with six of the eight matches being settled by only one goal (three of these in extra time). The other two finals were won convincingly by a margin of seven goals (by Nuriootpa).
The facilities
At the 1980 Annual General Meeting the Nuriootpa Hockey Club Committee was approached by Mr Kelly Mattner from the Stockwell Recreation Park Committee, who outlined details and proposals for two hockey fields to be developed at Stockwell, along with Clubrooms and changing facilities. Up until that time the fields were used expressly for the summer cricket season. After lengthy discussion the Club decided unanimously to give full support to the proposal. By mid-year the two field sites had been excavated and levelled in preparation for seeding. Trees were planted on the field surrounds.
The long awaited clubrooms arrived in 1981.In 1982 the Club donated crockery and cutlery to be used in the clubrooms. The kitchen was well equipped with complete settings for 50 people. Working bees continued to be held in an effort to improve the playing fields.
In 1982 mention was made of plans for lighting to assist training at night. These plans came to fruition on June 29, 1985 when two newly installed light towers were officially switched on at 7 pm by Bill Zidov, who's foresight and hard work made the lights a valuable asset for the club.
The clubrooms were extended and doubled in size in 1991. 1992 saw the purchase of a line marker to assist in lining the fields, and in 1995 another light tower was added to the Stockwell Recreation Park complex.
Major improvements at the Stockwell Recreation Park contributed to by our Club include the multi-million dollar turf hockey pitch, clubrooms, light towers, BBQ's, playground, equipment sheds, landscaping, car parks etc.