An Open Letter to the Hockey NSW Community
ALEXANDRA EL-SHAMY, 22 April 2025
At the last Board meeting, I was elected President of Hockey NSW. I take on this role with a mix of pride, humility and an unwavering belief in the potential of our sport.
Hockey has been part of my life since I was six years old, first picking up a stick on a grass field at National Park on a cold Saturday morning in Newcastle. I’ve never been the star player and, as many of you will attest to, I’ve definitely found myself in a bit of strife from time to time. I’ve been passionate, impatient, frustrated and, on occasion, a handful. But that passion has always come from a good place – a deep love for our game and a belief in its power to shape people, anchor communities and make a real difference in people’s lives.
Over the years I’ve seen our game from just about every angle: from a Minkey player to the national hockey league; from local, regional and State coach and selector to a proud parent, and back again; from Association President to Hockey One Director to Hockey NSW Director. I’ve put out witches hats, fundraised for uniforms, toiled over draws, reconciled financial accounts and penned more emails than I care to recount. I’ve experienced the joyous highs and the devastating lows, the countless volunteer hours, the limited resources, the politics, the late nights and early mornings. I’ve lived it all.
But this appointment isn’t just about me. It’s about what we can achieve together to reenergise hockey in NSW. I’m under no illusion that this is a simple time – for our sport, or for sport more broadly. Many codes are facing the same pressures we are: participation challenges, governance scrutiny, rising costs and growing expectations around transparency and communication. These aren’t unique to us, but that doesn’t make them any less real. I’ve heard the frustration. I’ve felt it myself. But frustration mustn’t divide us, it needs to be a starting point – a bridge, not a wall! We are stronger when we contribute, not just critique. When we show up, not just sound off.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my predecessor, Adriana Care, and her six years as President. Anyone who thinks this type of leadership role is about glory or profile, clearly hasn’t done it. It’s demanding – no, it’s gruelling! It’s time-consuming. It’s a strain on your personal life, your family, your career and your peace of mind. You don’t do it unless you care deeply, and you have to possess a certain type of strength, personal agency and just plain grit to get through – and this is exactly what and who Adriana Care is. She led us through fires, floods, pandemics, restructures and reforms. On behalf of the entire Hockey NSW community, thank you Adriana. You gave your all.
I’m conscious this letter might seem very ‘me-heavy’ — but one of the criticisms we’ve heard is that members often don’t know who their leaders are. So, I want to tell you who I am, what I stand for and how I intend to lead.
I step into this role with a strong sense of purpose and a firm belief in what sport can and should be.
The transformative power of sport – to connect us, to build identity, to restore belief – is not a theory to me. I’ve witnessed it change lives. It changed mine. Hockey has given me lifelong friendships, resilience, purpose and an enduring connection to my community.
I believe sport is one of the last great forces for connection. I’ve seen its impact, in small country towns, regional hubs and city clubs. It builds resilience in children and adults alike. It teaches us how to win with grace, lose with dignity and keep going after setbacks. It creates friendships and support networks that extend far beyond the pitch. In a world that’s increasingly isolated, sport gives us a reason to show up – for each other and for something bigger than ourselves.
Professionally, I’ve spent more than two decades helping organisations navigate complexity. I’ve worked in sport, not-for-profits, and community-led enterprises. I’ve led turnarounds, rebuilt trust and designed systems that actually work. But above all, I’ve seen the power of culture, the kind that lifts people, brings them in and holds them accountable.
I’m not a theorist, I’m a practitioner. I don’t have lots of acronyms after my name, but I know how to roll up my sleeves and get to the heart of a problem. I break challenges into manageable chunks, and I work alongside people to deliver practical, lasting solutions. That’s exactly what I intend to do here – alongside our CEO, management team and Board.
And so, with that in mind, here are the commitments I make to you, our hockey community. They’re not slogans. They’re a promise to lead with purpose, to act with clarity and to hold myself and others to account.
1. Rebuilding Trust & Communication
Trust grows when people feel heard, informed and respected. I want to foster open communication with players, parents, umpires, volunteers and everyone who gives their time and energy to this sport. That means more regular updates, clearer messaging and a commitment to transparency, while also respecting privacy and upholding fair processes.
We won’t always have all the answers immediately and not every decision will please everyone, but you deserve to understand how and why decisions are made. If something’s unclear or doesn’t sit right, I encourage you to reach out. We will take the time to explain, check or review as needed. This is how we build trust: not through promises of perfection, but through honest, ongoing dialogue.
2. Supporting Sustainable Growth
Growth doesn’t happen the same way everywhere, and it shouldn’t. Our 27 Associations each have different strengths, challenges and local dynamics. Some excel at recruitment, others at retention or volunteer engagement. Our role is to understand what each community needs and tailor our support accordingly, not impose a one-size-fits-all approach.
We’ll build on the positive momentum in schools, where engagement is strong. But like many sports, our real challenge is conversion: how do we turn that spark of interest into long-term participation? That means clearer pathways from school clinics into clubs, stronger alignment between local programs and making sure our entry points are welcoming, accessible and fun – for players, officials and volunteers alike.
3. Clarifying Roles & Responsibilities
One of the biggest sources of frustration in any organisation is confusion over who’s responsible for what. At Hockey NSW, we are committed to ensuring that everyone including Board, Management, Associations, Clubs and volunteers, understands their role and feels equipped to play their part.
We want clarity, not complexity. That means clearer structures, more useful tools and better two-way communication. Whether it's delivering programs, managing risk, selecting teams or supporting growth, we’ll work to ensure people not only know what’s expected, but feel supported to deliver.
4. Rebuilding Our Pathways — With Clarity, Care and Courage
Our talent pathway has been one of the most debated and emotionally charged issues in recent years and understandably so. We’ve seen the highs and lows, the hopes and disappointments. We’ve had strong views on all sides. It’s time to move forward with clarity, care and courage.
Our job now is to build a pathway system that is transparent, inclusive and genuinely developmental – a system that not only identifies and supports talented athletes but helps shape good humans. Every player, coach and official should be able to see where they sit, understand what’s possible for them and know what they need to do to progress.
We also need to have honest conversations about coaching. In our efforts to avoid perceived or potential conflicts of interest, we made the call to sideline many of our most experienced, passionate and skilled coaches. Let me be clear, at the time, that decision was necessary. It was made to protect the integrity of our processes and rebuild trust. But in a sport like ours, where talent often runs in families and community ties are deep, we now need to learn from that experience. We must find a better balance, one that allows us to leverage the strength of our best people, while still managing risk with transparency and integrity.
5. Driving Cultural Change — On and Off the Field
Culture is everything. It’s how we show up, how we treat each other, - especially our officials, and how we carry the weight of the uniform. And it’s time to be really honest: we are dealing with far too many integrity issues, includingwhen our teams go away. That has to change!
We will not shy away from this. We need to set clear standards and hold ourselves to them. That means being crystal clear about our expectations, ensuring every player and participant understands the boundaries and acting swiftly and consistently when those boundaries are crossed. If forced to choose between protecting the culture of hockey or winning – we will choose culture, every time.
We will also continue to build on the foundations that have been laid strengthen the leadership and management structures around our teams. This includes giving coaches and team staff the tools and license to manage behaviour, lead by example and create environments that protect players — sometimes even from themselves. We need to make it easier to do the right thing and much harder to ignore the wrong one.
6. Listening and Leading — Together
Leadership doesn’t mean having all the answers, it means knowing where and when to listen. As President, I’m committed to engaging more deeply with our Associations, understanding your local realities and creating stronger, more respectful two-way relationships.
NSW is a big state and while I can’t promise to visit all 27 Associations personally, I can promise more opportunities for direct engagement. That includes regular Association Forums, clearer dialogue between the Board and Association leaders and a renewed focus on meaningful face-to-face connection wherever possible.
We won’t always agree (and that’s healthy!) but we should always be able to talk, to listen and to find common ground in service of our shared goal: a thriving, future-focused sport for every community across NSW.
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This won’t all happen overnight, but I promise to be honest with you – about the wins, the setbacks and the work in between. I won’t ask for perfection, I won’t ask for blind loyalty or agreement on every issue. But I will ask for respect, for fairness and for people to show up with the intent to build, not to tear down. If something’s not right, raise it – with me, with Management, with the Board – with those in a position to address it. We won’t always get it right, but we’ll never move forward if we’re not prepared to speak openly, listen respectfully and work through the tough stuff together.
Our sport has deep roots and extraordinary people. We’ve weathered plenty, and we’ll weather more – but we will continue to grow through hard work, collaboration and a deep, enduring passion for our great sport.
Yours in hockey,
Alexandra El-Shamy
President, Hockey NSW
22 April 2025