--- title: "Hockey Game Day Planning Guide for Community Clubs" url: https://tidyhq.com/blog/hockey-game-day-planning-guide-nz date: 2025-02-12 updated: 2026-04-20 author: "Isaak Dury" categories: ["Sport-Specific", "AI"] excerpt: "A complete operational guide to planning hockey game days at your community club - turf bookings, volunteer coordination, umpire management, and the midweek work that keeps Saturday running smoothly across multiple grades." --- # Hockey Game Day Planning Guide for Community Clubs > A complete operational guide to planning hockey game days at your community club - turf bookings, volunteer coordination, umpire management, and the midweek work that keeps Saturday running smoothly across multiple grades. ![Community sports - Hockey Game Day Planning Guide for Community Clubs](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/bp0k7h82/production/b4265ece321954720f5c19fb5d808c0e9d9d8cc6-2400x1260.jpg?w=1200&fm=webp) ## Key takeaways - Turf bookings are the primary constraint - artificial turfs are shared and time slots are fixed - Multiple grades across a Saturday need a clear schedule communicated to all teams by Wednesday - Umpire provision is shared between the association and your club - confirm appointments early - The clubroom or gathering area between games is where club identity is built - Junior hockey is the growth area - Saturday morning game days need to be family-friendly and well-organised It's 7:30 on a Saturday morning\. Your junior teams play at 8:00 on the artificial turf at the local hockey facility\. The draw was published on Wednesday but two parents haven't seen it and are texting to ask what time their kids play\. The umpire for the Under\-13s game hasn't confirmed\. The team manager for the Under\-11s is away and nobody's taken over the duty roster\. And someone needs to open the clubroom and turn the urn on\. Hockey in New Zealand runs on a Saturday schedule that can span from 8am junior games through to 3pm senior fixtures\. Multiple grades, multiple turfs, multiple teams \- all needing coordination\. The clubs that run this smoothly aren't working harder\. They're planning from Monday and confirming by Wednesday\. This is the operational guide\. Turf bookings, volunteer scheduling, umpire coordination, and the midweek checklist that makes Saturday functional\. ## The midweek timeline ### Monday \- draw and scheduling **Association draw:** Check the weekly draw published by your hockey association\. Note game times, turfs, and umpire assignments for every team\. Communicate immediately to team managers\. **Clubroom booking:** If your club has a clubroom at the hockey facility, confirm it's available for Saturday\. If you share the space, coordinate with other clubs\. ### Wednesday \- confirm and communicate **Volunteer roster:** Confirm named roles: team managers for each grade, duty umpires \(if your club is required to provide\), canteen or clubroom volunteer, and any other match\-day duties\. **Player communication:** Team managers send game day details to their teams \- time, turf, arrival expectations, and any changes from the standard schedule\. **Umpire confirmation:** Check that association\-appointed umpires are confirmed\. If your club provides umpires for junior games, confirm those individually\. ### Friday \- final preparation **Equipment:** Team first aid kits stocked\. Water bottles\. Score sheets or result cards\. Club flag or banner for the clubroom\. **Communication reminder:** A final message to all teams with Saturday's full schedule\. ## Game day timeline ### 60 minutes before first game \- setup - Clubroom opened\. Urn on\. Signage up - Team managers arrive and set up team areas on the sideline - Umpires greeted and briefed - Score sheets distributed ### Games run according to the draw - Teams transition between games with 5\-10 minute gaps - Clubroom provides a gathering point between games - Results recorded after each game - Photos taken for social media ### After final game - Results submitted to the association - Clubroom cleared and locked - Equipment collected - Any incidents documented ## Equipment checklist - \] First aid kits \(one per team, minimum\) - \] Water bottles - \] Score sheets or result cards - \] Mouthguards \(mandatory in NZ hockey \- have spares\) - \] Shin pads \(check juniors have them\) - \] Club banner or flag - \] Canteen supplies \(if running refreshments\) ## Volunteer roles - **Club duty manager:** Oversees the Saturday programme\. Opens the clubroom\. Coordinates between teams\. - **Team managers:** One per team\. Manages the score sheet, substitutions, and parent communication\. - **Umpires:** Association\-appointed for senior grades\. Club\-provided for junior grades \- invest in umpire development\. - **Canteen volunteer:** Opens and runs the refreshment area\. - **Results coordinator:** Compiles and submits all results to the association\. ## How TidyHQ helps Hockey clubs with teams across five or six grades generate significant weekly administration\. Our [event management tools](/products/events) set up recurring game days with volunteer roles built in\. The [membership database](/products/memberships) tracks player registrations, umpire qualifications, and team eligibility in one place\. ## Frequently asked questions **How do we develop more umpires within the club?** Hockey NZ runs umpire development courses\. Encourage senior players and parents to qualify\. Start them on junior games where the pace is manageable\. Pair new umpires with experienced ones\. Recognise and thank your umpires \- they're as essential as your coaches\. **How do we manage a Saturday with five grades playing?** A master schedule published by Wednesday, team managers for each grade, and a duty manager who floats between games coordinating logistics\. Keep a printed schedule at the clubroom so anyone can check what's happening when\. **What's the best way to handle wet weather?** Artificial turfs play in most weather conditions\. The association manages turf closures for extreme weather\. Your decision is about player welfare \- communicate early if conditions are marginal, and ensure players have appropriate warm and waterproof clothing\. Hockey game days are a Saturday\-long operation when you're running multiple grades\. The clubs that make it look easy have a Monday\-to\-Friday planning routine, confirmed volunteers by Wednesday, and a duty manager who holds the day together\. ## References - [Hockey NZ](https://www.hockeynz.co.nz/) \- The national governing body for hockey in New Zealand - [Hockey NZ Community Hockey](https://www.hockeynz.co.nz/community/) \- Resources for community hockey clubs - [Sport NZ](https://sportnz.org.nz/) \- The government agency supporting sport and recreation in New Zealand - [ACC SportSmart](https://www.acc.co.nz/newsroom/stories/sport-smart/) \- ACC's injury prevention programme for community sport --- Header image: by Lynda Sanchez, via [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/hockey-players-playing-inside-a-rink-1770650/) --- Canonical: https://tidyhq.com/blog/hockey-game-day-planning-guide-nz | Retrieved from: https://tidyhq.com/blog/hockey-game-day-planning-guide-nz.md | Published by TidyHQ (https://tidyhq.com)