Last Chance!!! Season Launch Harbour Cruise

Come join your fellow Briars at one of the biggest events of the Briars social year. EFT by Wednesday or bring your money to training this Wednesday!!!

If for any reason you cannot pay until Friday night but want to come, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to advise. Final numbers for catering need to be submitted on Wednesday.

When: Friday 12th March – 3 days to go!

Time: 7pm for 7:30pm departure (don't be late!!) until 10:30pm

Where: King Street Wharf 8 & 9

Ticket Price - $55 for hockey players, $65 for non hockey players

INCLUDES: - Unlimited Beer, Wine, Champagne Cocktails, and soft drink

                     - Pizza's and rolls

                     - DJ

                     - 3 Hour cruise of Sydney Harbour

Cruisin' Happy Hour also available - 2 x House Spirits for $5

After Party - There will be an after party we will let you know where on the night!

HOW TO BUY YOUR TICKET:

Pay by EFT: Account Name:J Sikkens (Briars Hockey)
                      BSB: 012 478
                      Account: 5049 41664

Please pay in separate transaction to fee payments. Always enter your name and CRUISE in the reference field so we know who the payment has come from.

OR Pay by cash or credit card at training to Nicola Firth on Wednesdays or Georgie Nicol on Thursdays.

NB: This is an over 18s event only.

Upcoming Trial Matches

Mens

Sunday 14 March vs Glebe @ Cintra

9:00am     6th grade

10:00am   5th grade

11:00am   4th grade

12:00pm   3rd grade

1:00pm     2nd grade

2:30pm     1st grade

Womens

Sunday 14 March

9:00am    ML1 (1st grade) vs Ryde @ Ryde

8:00am    ML2 (2nd grade) vs Glebe @ Olympic Pitch

10:30am  ED2 (3rd grade) vs Ryde @ Ryde

9:30am    ML4 (4th grade) vs Glebe @ Olympic Pitch

Sunday 28 March vs Dolphins @ Kyeemagh

1:00pm   ED2 (3rd grade)

2:00pm   ED3 (both 5th & 6th grade teams)

3:00pm   ED4 (8th grade)

Early Draw Release

Both SHA and SWHL have released information regarding the first round(s) of their respective competitions:

Mens – SHA

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Womens – SWHL

Round 1

Rep Player News

Over Easter, Briars girls Monique Imer and Helen Sahajdak will be heading off to Buenos Aires in Argentina to play with the NSW Under 16s Bushrangers team.

Ebony Barber, Steph Purdy and Tamsin Lee have been selected in the NSW Arrows AHL team for 2010. As the AHL competition will be played throughout the coming months there will be some great opportunities for Briars to get out to the NSW games and support the Briars girls!

Zac McCowage, Helen Sahajdak, Monique Imer and Hayley de la Motte have been selected to represent the Greater Sydney Academy at the annual Academy of Sport Games to be held in Armidale from April 7-9th 2010.

Congratulations and good luck!

All Training Sessions Now Started

Please note, players should be dressed and ready to go at the times below so try to be there 10-15 minutes before your session kicks off.

Womens

1st grade (ML1)            7:30pm to 9:30pm (first hour fitness)

2nd grade (ML2)           7:00pm to 9:30pm (first hour fitness)

3rd grade (ED2)            7:00pm to 8:30pm (first 30 minutes fitness)

4th grade (ML4)            7:00pm to 8:30pm (first 30 minutes fitness)

5th grade (ED3)            6:30pm to 7:30pm

6th grade (ED3)            7:30pm to 8:30pm

7th grade (ML6)            7:30pm to 8:30pm

8th grade (ED4)            6:30pm to 7:30pm

Juniors

Minkeys (Under 9s)    4:30pm to 5:30pm

Under 11s                 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Under 13s                 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Under 15s                 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Mens

1st grade (PL1)            7:30pm to 9:00pm

2nd grade (PL2)           7:30pm to 9:00pm

3rd grade (Div 1.1)        6:30pm to 8:00pm

4th grade (Div 1.2)        6:30pm to 8:00pm

5th grade (Div 3.1)        6:30pm to 7:30pm

6th grade (Div 3.2)        6:30pm to 7:30pm

Mens 7th and 8th grade players are welcome to join the 5th and 6th grade teams from 6:30pm.

Under 17s

Due to a low number of registrations for Under 17s, Briars intend to enter a combined Briars & Glebe Under 17s team in the 2010 competition. This team will be looked after by both Briars and Glebe representatives and the boys held their first training session last night.

For any players who are yet to register but are keen to play Under 17s, training will be held every Tuesday at Cintra between 6:30pm and 7:30pm. All Briars Under 17s players are also welcome to come along to mens training on Wednesday nights between 6:30pm and 7:30pm.

Additional Fitness?

For anyone wishing to do some extra fitness training on a Monday night, players can meet in the car park of the Briars @ Greenlees club (cnr Wellbank St and Ian Pde in Concord ) at 7:00pm for an additional hour of fitness training followed by a social drink in the club afterwards.

Player Registrations

Player registrations can still be made at anytime leading up to the start of the competition. Blank forms can be found near the Canteen counter and completed forms can be given to your coach or left in the tray marked “Rego Forms” in the back corner of the clubhouse, near the door to the storeroom behind the canteen.

It is imperative all players complete a registration form before they begin training.

Rep Player Trial Dates

Eastern Districts Womens State League & Opens Trials                          7 March @ Kyeemagh, 9:00am to 11:00am

(Nomination forms are required for Eastern Districts, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for a copy)

Top Mens AHL Action Coming to Sydney in June

Australia’s best male hockey stars will be on display when Hockey NSW hosts a round of the mens Australian Hockey League (AHL) on the weekend of June 18-20. Come along to the Olympic Pitch to support the NSW Waratahs take on Canberra , Victoria and Tasmania with 2 games on each day.

Hockey NSW are also looking for ballpersons for this 3 day event. For more information on this exciting event or to apply to be a ballperson, click here: http://www.hockeynsw.com.au/page.asp?PID=56&MID=56&MediaID=975

2010 FEES

Due to the ever rising costs of playing hockey, Briars has set our 2010 fees as below.  Our budget and playing fees were discussed at length at the AGM held in November and agreed to by all in attendance.

FREQUENT BRIARS PROGRAM

The Frequent Briars points system will continue to run through 2010 giving you the chance to earn credit or discounts off your fees by supporting the club in fundraisng and social activities.  Below are just a few ways of reducing your fees in 2010, including increased incentives.

The frequent briars program rewards those players who contribute back into the club.

SPECIAL OFFER ON PROFESSIONAL MOUTHGUARDS

15% DISCOUNT on custom made sports mouthguards

Leichhardt Dental Prosthetist, Michael Ianniello, is offering all Briars Hockey players a discount on custom made sports mouthguards.  Professional mouthguards use the latest mouthguard techcnology to ensure the highest safety and most comfortable fitting mouthguard, personally designed for each player.

Click here for discount Flyer & Contact details

By supporting our sponsors, you are supporting Briars!

FITNESS & SKILLS TRAINING

Fitness Training for senior players will begin on Monday 18 January.  Players need to meet in the Greenlees main car park at 7pm.  Fitness Training is open to all senior players and their friends.

Anyone wishing to trial for Mens 1st or 2nd grades also needs to attend fitness training on wednesday 20 january and wednesday 27 january.  These sessions will be held at Cintra and will kick off at 6.30pm sharp.

Skills training for senior teams will commence in the first week of February with mens teams training on Wednesday nights and womens teams and under 17s training on Thursday nights.  Skills training for junior teams (minkey. U11, U13 and U15) will commence on Wednesday 10 February.  A training schedule for all teams will be published once confirmed.

COMMITTEE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

The Briars Hockey Committee has 3 positions yet to be filled for the 2010 year.  If you are interested in taking on any of these roles, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Our club is volunteer run and without volunteers in every role, we will not function successfully.

Junior Liaison Officer: Represent the Juniors Sub-Committee at Briars Hockey Committee meetings; highlight feedback and suggestions from the Junior area of the club; ensure parents and players are kept well informed; be a point of contact for junior players and parents; liaise with Team Managers to collect fees and distribute information.

Umpire Co-Ordinator: ensure all umpire requirements are meet weekly; distribute umpiring allocations weekly; be a point of contact for all Briars umpires; promote umpire development in particular through the junior teams.

Uniforms Co-Ordinator: keep track of uniform stock stored at Cintra; liaise with Treasurer regarding sales, payments and stock levels; provide uniform items to players as required; collect junior shirts from Team Managers at season end.

SPONSORSHIP

Briars Hockey are now looking for sponsors for the 2010 season. Your business can have exposure to over 300 hockey players not to mention Greenlees sporting members, through email marketing, signage at Cintra, advertising at Greenlees and marketing branding. Any players bringing in sponsorship to the club for 2010 will enjoy a significant reduction in fees for their efforts!

If you are interested in seeking a sponsorship opportunity or would like to receive a sponsorship pack, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The more sponsorship we have, the lower YOUR fees will be.

BRIARS JUNIOR SUB COMMITTEE

The Briars Hockey Committee are looking to put together a Junior Sub-Committee next year, made up of parents and supporters of our junior teams.  The committee would meet once a month to discuss issues and requirements for our junior players and teams and be a point of contact for junior players and their parents.

If you are interested in being a part of this Sub-Committee, or have a question about th sub-committee, please email Janet at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

BRIARS AT GREENLEES MEMBERSHIP CARD

Don't forget to use your Briars at Greenlees membership card everytime you purchase drinks at the bar at Greenlees.  Not only do they get you a discount on your drinks, but a percentage of sales are donated back to our hockey club!

CALL FOR UMPIRES

If you are a badged umpire, not currently undertaking any umpiring duties for Briars and would like to earn some extra cash, let us know! Alternatively, if you are interested in gaining an umpiring badge to earn extra cash, we can help you do this.

Briars has a strong commitment to developing umpires and can assist with your theory exam, being tested, providing resources and allocating games to you.

If you are interested, please email our Umpires CoOrdinator Adam Schasser at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

BRIARS SCARVES FOR SALE

LARA JEAN ASSOCIATION

Briars Hockey club are proud to be associated with the Lara Jean Association, setup by mens hockey player Adam Palmer.  The Association has been recently established to provide support and guidance for families who have had children diagnosed with many forms of rare genetic disorders.

The Lara Jean Association was formed after Adam and his wife received the terrible news that their 3 month old daughter Lara Jean has Aicardi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the corpus callosum in the brain causing frequent seizures and physical and intellectual delays.

Briars Hockey will be supporting the Lara Jean Association throughout 2009 and into the future, so keep an eye out for opportunities to help this worthy cause.

For more information on the Lara Jean Association, please visit www.larajeanassociation.com or contact Adam on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

FREQUENT BRIARS PROGRAM

In 2009, Briars will be introduced the "Frequent Briar Program" to offset playing fees and reward our loyal supporters.  This system was proposed and accepted unanimously at the recent Briars AGM attended by committee members and players from all areas of the club.

Briars is a volunteer run club and we rely on the skills and time donated by many of our supporters who are not paid for their contributions and simply do so for their love of our club.  We would like to reward those of you who support the club in various ways.

As with most clubs in Sydney, we are constantly fighting increased charges from Associations and suppliers, which force us to increase our fees in order to cover costs.  Briars sources sponsorship and runs a number of fundraising events each year in an attempt to keep our playing fees as low as possible, however fee increases are inevitable.

Below are the agreed playing fees for 2009.  How can i reduce my playing fees we hear you ask? Fees can be reduced by participating in the Frequent Briars Program and giving back to your club.

Here are some ways you can save:

- Attend season launch ($10 credit)

- Selling Cadbury fundraising chocolates ($10 credit per box sold)

- Attending the Red Shield Appeal ($10 credit)

- Help out at working bees at Cintra ($10 credit)

- Attend the Annual Luncheon ($40 credit)

- Helping out at Bunnings BBQ days ($10 credit)

- Attend trivia night ($10 credit)

- $100 credit per $1000 of sponsorship introduced

Any unused credits at the end of the season can be used to pay for your Presentation Night ticket or taken off your fees for 2010

BRIARS CLOTHING AVAILABLE NOW

New stock of Briars fleeces and polo shirts have arrived in Junior and Senior sizes. 

Fleeces are dark blue with gold sleeve strike and logo, with a collar and partial zipper at the neck.  Fleeces are $40

Polo shirts are dark blue with logo and gold trim on the collar.  Polo shirts are $35  

These can be purchased from the Uniform Officers below, or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Womens: Emma Smith, Janet Adams

Mens: Matty Small, Blake Durance

Juniors: Gary Fuller, AJ

BRIARS HOCKEY ON FACEBOOK

Want to see photos from our social events and keep upto date with the club? Join the Briars Facebook Group!

Photos have been uploaded from last year's Presentation Night, 2008 Pub Crawl, grand finals and various injuries along the way.