6:10 PM
Mon 21/May
University Barons vs HSOB / Burnside White
Nunweek Park 2

7:20 PM
Mon 14/May University Barons vs University Wizards
Nunweek Park 1

Monday 7th May 7.45pm
Uni Barons vs Harewood 5 Red
Marist Park @ St.Bede’s School

6:10 PM, Mon 30/Apr
University Barons vs Carlton Redcliffs
Nunweek Park 1 (for map see Resources)

The UC Hockey Committee is proud to have seen our club grow from three teams to ten over the past three seasons. With so many extra teams, the task of providing playing gear for everyone has become more and more difficult for the committee – both to find funding for new kit and to organise sets of shirts for each team at the beginning of the season – to the point where this task has become unmanageable for our small, volunteer committee.

The committee has therefore reached the decision that rather than using the old model, members will now be required to purchase their own playing shirt which will be approximately $35.00 to $40.00 each, and will last their entire time with the club. We have reached an agreement with Kukri sports (www.kukri.co.nz) to supply our club with a new, custom designed playing strip that will be smart, consistent across all of our teams and available at a very reasonable price. Kukri have their own factory in China which means they can guarantee us that shirts purchased by future members will match all current members.

The new arrangement has several important benefits:

• The whole club will get a fresh new look that is consistent across all teams (unlike the current mish-mash of uniforms we currently have)
• You can keep your shirt at the end of your time with the club and you can have your name (or something else) printed on the back for an extra $5 + GST.
• The club can add new teams and players can migrate across teams with no hassles
• The new method is far more sustainable from an organisational point of view – we’re working hard to make running the club easier to run for future committees to guarantee the club’s success looking forward

We understand that hockey is an expensive sport and we’ve worked hard to lower our subs over the last few years (nearly 20% since 2009 in real terms). We understand that this decision will place an extra cost on players, but we believe this is quite modest ($35-$40 spread over 2-3 years with the club is quite a small increase, plus you get to keep the shirt when you leave). Contrast this with many many hours of saved committee time, a guarantee of smart, consistent attire for all club members and the ability to concentrate our funding efforts on things like new training equipment, goalie gear and turf hire funding to reduce fees further. To make the phase-in easier, we will be offering a buy back scheme for the 2012 season for shirts that have been used for one season or less, are in good condition and have not been customized with a player’s name.

The committee is excited to see the phasing in of the new strip  - we hope you are too!

The Committee – UC Hockey