Hockey Game Day Planning Guide

Hockey game day planning starts with one fact that separates it from most other community sports: you don't own the pitch. Synthetic turf is expensive. Your club shares it with three or four other clubs, and the association allocates time in fixed blocks. When your slot ends, the next team is already warming up on the sideline. There is no overtime on the schedule.

That constraint shapes everything. Your volunteers need to be in place before the first whistle, your canteen needs to run across multiple grades, and your pack-down has to happen inside the changeover window. A written run sheet isn't a nice-to-have - it's the only thing that stops game day turning into a chain of small crises that compound across the afternoon.

This guide covers the week-before, day-before, and day-of checklists your club needs to run hockey game day properly. If you want the broader picture of what a great hockey game day looks and feels like, we've written a separate experience guide.

One week before

Scheduling and coordination

• Confirm your pitch allocation with the association. Check for any schedule changes, ground closures, or washed-out reschedules that affect your block.
• Confirm which grades are playing and in what order. A typical Saturday might run: juniors at 12pm, women's at 2pm, men's at 4pm. Lock the run sheet and circulate it to coaches and team managers.
• Contact the opposition clubs for each fixture. Confirm start times, team colours (to avoid clashes), and any special requirements.
• Confirm umpire appointments through your association's umpiring panel. Hockey umpires are appointed centrally in most states - check the allocation and know who's coming.

Volunteer roster

• Confirm your game day coordinator. This person owns the day from arrival to lock-up.
• Roster your canteen crew. For a three-grade day, you need a minimum of two people on shift at any given time and a changeover plan if shifts run long.
• Roster a first aid officer. They must hold a current first aid certificate and not be double-rostered on canteen or scoring duties.
• Assign a scorer per game if your association requires it.
• Roster pack-down crew - a minimum of two people who stay until the pitch changeover is complete.
• Send reminders by Wednesday. A text or email with the person's name, role, start time, and finish time. Not a vague "can anyone help Saturday?"

Equipment check

• Check match balls - hockey balls deteriorate quickly on synthetic turf. You need at least four match-quality balls per game.
• Confirm goalkeeping equipment is complete. Pads, kickers, gloves, chest guard, helmet. If any piece is damaged, replace it before Saturday.
• Check first aid kit: ice packs (or access to ice from the canteen), strapping tape, antiseptic, wound dressings, mouthguard cases. Hockey produces more dental and hand injuries than most people expect.
• Confirm the defibrillator is charged, accessible, and that at least two people on site know where it is and how to use it.
• Check the PA or scoring system if your venue has one.

Day before

• Check the weather forecast. Synthetic turf handles rain well, but extreme heat (over 36 degrees) may trigger your association's heat policy. Know the thresholds and the decision timeline - most associations require a call by 8am on game day.
• Confirm with the venue that the pitch will be watered before your allocation. Water-based turfs need a pre-game soak, and if the cannon doesn't run, the surface is dangerously fast.
• Pre-pack your canteen supplies. Pies, sausage rolls, drinks, coffee supplies, float for the till. Don't leave this to Saturday morning.
• Charge any electronic scoreboards, tablets for scoring apps, or the PA system.
• Print team sheets if your association requires hardcopy.
• Send a final reminder to all rostered volunteers with arrival times.

Game day - two hours before first whistle

Venue setup

• Arrive at least two hours before the first game. If your block starts at noon, you're there at 10am.
• Unlock the clubhouse, change rooms, and storage areas. Turn on lights, check toilets are stocked and clean.
• Set up team benches and interchange areas on the correct sides. Hockey has specific rules about bench placement - check your association's ground regulations.
• Place watering equipment (if your club is responsible for mid-game watering) in position.
• Set up the scoring table with team sheets, scorecards, and a clock.
• Put out any sponsor signage along the pitch perimeter.

Canteen and bar

• Open the canteen at least 30 minutes before the first game. Parents arrive early for juniors - if there's no coffee available, you've lost them before the first whistle.
• Set up the BBQ if you're running one. Sausages and onions are a hockey staple, especially when you're running three games across an afternoon.
• Check the bar stock and float if your club runs a licensed bar. Confirm the RSA-certified person is on site.
• Display prices clearly. Nothing erodes goodwill faster than uncertainty about what things cost.

Safety

• Walk the pitch perimeter. Check for hazards - loose turf edges, damaged boards, broken goal frames. Report anything to the venue and document it.
• Set up the first aid station in a visible, accessible location. Mark it with signage.
• Confirm the defibrillator location is signed and accessible.
• Know the address of the nearest hospital and have it written down at the scoring table. Visiting teams will ask.
• If it's a high-heat day, set up a water station on each side of the pitch and confirm your club's heat policy is active (drink breaks, extended half-time, or cancellation thresholds).

Game day - between games

This is the critical window that hockey clubs get wrong most often. You have 15 to 20 minutes between grades. In that window:

• The water cannon runs (if water-based turf). Allow 5 to 8 minutes.
• Outgoing teams clear the bench area. Incoming teams set up.
• Umpires for the next game arrive and check in at the scoring table.
• The scorer resets and gets new team sheets.
• Canteen handles the rush. The gap between games is your biggest sales window - have the pies ready and the coffee machine running.

If any of those steps runs late, the next game starts late, and every game after it cascades. The game day coordinator's primary job during changeovers is keeping the schedule on track.

Post-match

Social time

• Keep the canteen and bar open for at least 45 minutes after the final game. This is where hockey's social culture lives - players from different grades mixing, parents catching up, the firsts having a beer with the opposition.
• Run any presentations - player of the day, milestone caps, sponsor mentions - in the bar or social area, not on the pitch. People are already moving inside.
• If you run a post-match meal (some clubs do a communal dinner on home game days), have it timed for 30 minutes after the last game.

Pack-down

• Clear team benches, scoring equipment, and any signage.
• Return goalie gear to storage. Inspect it as you pack - report any damage immediately so it's repaired before next week.
• Clean the canteen and bar. Wipe down, empty bins, secure cash.
• Lock change rooms after confirming all players and officials have left. Check for left-behind gear.
• Lock the storage area and clubhouse. Run through a printed lock-up checklist - lights off, taps off, ovens off, alarm set.
• Report any venue issues to the association or council.

Weather contingencies

Hockey is more playable in poor weather than most sports thanks to synthetic turf, but there are limits.

• Rain: Synthetic turf plays well in light to moderate rain. Heavy downpours can affect visibility and ball speed. Your association will have a rain policy - know the decision-maker and the communication channel.
• Extreme heat: Most state bodies follow the Australian Sports Commission's heat guidelines. Above 36 degrees, mandatory drink breaks. Above 38 to 40 degrees (varies by state), cancellation. Monitor the forecast from Thursday and have a communication plan for parents and opposition if games are cancelled.
• Lightning: If lightning is observed, clear the pitch immediately. Most associations mandate a 30-minute wait after the last observed strike before play resumes. The game day coordinator makes the call - don't wait for the umpire.
• Smoke haze: Bushfire smoke is increasingly a factor in Australian summers. Check the air quality index on game morning. If the AQI exceeds your association's threshold (usually 150 to 200), postpone.

How TidyHQ helps with hockey game day

Hockey's multi-grade, time-pressured game day is exactly the kind of weekly operation that breaks down when it depends on one person's memory. TidyHQ's event management tools let you set up recurring game days with volunteer roles attached to each fixture. Your canteen crew, scorers, and first aid officer confirm their shifts through the platform - so by Thursday you know who's in and where the gaps are.

The contact database means you're not scrolling through a phone to find the umpire coordinator's number at 11am on Saturday. Every role, every contact, every piece of the game day puzzle is in one place.

Frequently asked questions

How many volunteers does a hockey club need for a full game day?

For a standard three-grade home fixture (juniors, women's, men's), plan for 8 to 10 volunteers across the day: game day coordinator, two canteen staff per shift, first aid officer, scorer per game (can be rotated), and two pack-down volunteers. Some roles overlap - a parent who scores the juniors game can move to canteen for the women's. The key is having named people for each slot, confirmed by Wednesday.

What's the biggest planning mistake hockey clubs make on game day?

Not managing the changeover between grades. The 15-minute gap between games is the pressure point. If the water cannon runs late, or the outgoing team doesn't clear the bench, or the umpires for the next game haven't checked in, the whole afternoon slides. Assign the changeover specifically to your game day coordinator and treat it as the most important job of the day.

How early should volunteers arrive?

The game day coordinator and canteen crew should arrive two hours before the first game. The first aid officer and scorer should be on site 30 minutes before the first whistle. Pack-down crew need to be available from the start of the final game - they can watch while they wait, but they need to be there.

References

• Hockey Australia - The national governing body for hockey in Australia, including community club resources and competition regulations
• Hockey Game Day Experience Guide - Our companion guide to the full hockey game day experience at Australian clubs
• Australian Sports Commission - Heat Guidelines - National guidance on extreme heat policies for community sport
• Play by the Rules - Safe, fair, and inclusive sport resources including sideline behaviour and safety policies
• TidyHQ Event Management - Recurring event setup and volunteer rostering for community clubs