2020 SEASON REGISTRATION FEE UPDATE

With the commencement of the 2020 hockey season delayed until Saturday July 18th 2020, Hockey NSW has now made a decision on the situation surrounding registration fees.

It is important to note that the following advice ONLY applies to the Hockey NSW portion of registration fees. Hockey Australia, Association and Club fees are not controlled by Hockey NSW and therefore we have no jurisdiction to make decisions on these portions of the registration fee.

Hockey NSW members who have already paid the 2020 winter registration fee will be given two options which are outlined below.

1. Any member who has had a change in circumstance due to the COVID-19 pandemic can request a refund for the Hockey NSW portion of their fees.
2. A member may choose to let Hockey NSW retain our portion of the fees they have already paid, and in return the member will have their Hockey NSW fees covered for the remaining portion of the 2020 season PLUS the entire 2021 hockey season.

In coming to this decision, Hockey NSW has considered the fact that many of our members are now in a difficult financial position due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Hockey NSW also needs to protect our financial viability going forward to ensure programs, pathways and opportunities are in place and available for current and future generations after the COVID-19 situation settles.

As such, we want to reward any member who chooses to support Hockey NSW during this uncertain period with a free year of Hockey NSW registration. If any member of our community who has not yet registered wishes to receive the same incentive in option two above, we encourage them to register as normal before July 18th.

Members will still be able to register after July 18th, 2020 but will not be eligible for the 2021 season incentive.

It is important to note that information detailed above only applies to the Hockey NSW portion of registration fees. Hockey Australia, Association and Club fees are not controlled by Hockey NSW and therefore we have no jurisdiction to make decisions on these portions of the registration fee.

Any member wishing to apply for a refund of their Hockey NSW fee can submit a request along with their personal details via this form. You must login with your Hockey NSW username and password. Requests for refunds will be open until Sunday 31st May. Refund requests will only be accepted through the official form and each individual member must submit a request (i.e. no group or family requests). Hockey NSW refunds will be processed via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to a member’s nominated bank account, not through revolutioniseSPORT. If any Club or Association also chooses to refund their 2020 fees, these will also need to be processed separately outside of revolutioniseSPORT as well.

We will endeavour to process refunds as quickly as possible. However, this will be a complex process involving several parties including revolutioniseSPORT, multiple financial institutions and our small Hockey NSW finance team. We appreciate our members patience and understanding during this process and urge you to be considerate as there is the potential to be processing a large number of refunds.

As this is a complex situation, we have complied a list of answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) you may have below.  

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY 2020 CLUB AND ASSOCIATION FEES?

Hockey NSW have communicated our decision with Clubs and Associations and encouraged them to work with their members to find the best solution for their organisation going forward. Each Association and Club will be in a different position and have the right to make their own decisions regarding their fees. We urge you to contact your Club or Association regarding their portion of the 2020 registration fees.   

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY 2020 HOCKEY AUSTRALIA FEES?

Hockey Australia has not yet made a decision regarding refunds for their portion of 2020 registration fees. We encourage you to check the Hockey Australia website regularly for updates. Hockey NSW will continue to advocate on behalf of our members for Hockey Australia to honour all refund requests received during this process.  

CAN I STILL PLAY HOCKEY IN 2020 IF I RECIEVE A REFUND?

If you request a refund before the 31st May, you WILL NOT be able to play in 2020 unless you re-register again later in the year.  There will be an opportunity to re-register again once hockey resumes. 

DO I REQUIRE ANY PROOF TO CLAIM A REFUND?

Hockey NSW understands thousands of our members have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 situation and we do not wish to place any further burden on them. We WILL NOT require any proof of hardship for refund requests submitted by 31^st May.

However, we encourage any member who is in a financially stable position to consider supporting your Club, Association and Hockey NSW by allowing each party to retain their section of your 2020 registration fees.  

WHAT HAPPENS WITH OUR PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE?

All members who are registered for the 2020 season with Hockey NSW will be covered as normal under Honan’s Personal Injury Insurance up until December 31st 2020. As the insurance premium is included in Hockey Australia’s levy, you may be required to pay this before the commencement of the 2021 season even though your Hockey NSW registration will be rolled over.

Hockey NSW will continue to work with Hockey Australia over the coming months to provide clarity on insurance for the 2020 and 2021 season. We will communicate any further information regarding this issue with our paid members in the coming months. Hockey NSW is also seeking clarification from Hockey Australia and Honan on whether the 2020 insurance premium can be included in any refund this season.

WHAT IF I HAVEN’T REGISTERED YET BUT WANT TO PLAY WHEN HOCKEY RESUMES?

Any member who is in the financial position to do so, may register as normal up until the 18th July for the 2020 season and will be also have their Hockey NSW registration fee covered for the 2021 season.

If you are unable to register now, there will still be an opportunity to register later in the year when hockey resumes. Members who register after the 18th July or do not register in 2020 will not be eligible for the 2021 season incentive.

WILL I HAVE TO PAY A REGO FEE NEXT YEAR?

If you are registered with Hockey NSW by the 18th July and have not requested a refund, your 2021 Hockey NSW registration fee will covered free of charge.

However, this does not apply to the Hockey Australia levy or any Club and Association fees. These will need to be paid for as normal before the commencement of the 2021 season unless your Club or Association has indicated otherwise. Please ensure you contact your Club or Association to check on their individual arrangements for 2021 fees.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY REFUND?

Hockey NSW will begin to process refunds during May. As this is a complex process involving multiple parties, refunds will take different times to process. We hope to have all refunds processed by June 30th. In order to ensure your refund is processed in a timely manner, we encourage you to submit your request as early as possible and ensure all personal details provided are accurate and current.

There is the potential for Hockey NSW to be processing a large number of refunds over the coming weeks, so we request your patience as our small team undertakes this huge challenge. Hockey NSW will not be accepting any requests to expedite the refund process. The only way to ensure your refund is processed quickly is to submit your request by 31 May. We encourage our members to wait until June 30th before enquiring about the status of their refund. If you have not received your refund by this date, we will be happy to assist in getting it to you as quickly as possible.

CAN I REQUEST A REFUND AFTER THE 31st MAY?

Hockey NSW will consider any requests for refunds after the 31st May 2020 on a case-by-case basis. We encourage anyone who wishes to receive a refund to submit their request before the 31st May.

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHER?

The NSW Government has confirmed that the $100 Active Kids Voucher used by a parent to partially offset registration fees cannot, under any circumstances, be returned as cash.

Hockey NSW along with several other State Sporting Organisations have requested clarification from the NSW Government on the Active Kids Voucher. Hockey NSW will provide further advice on Active Kids following guidance from the NSW Government.

A second $100 Active Kids voucher is available from July 1st and we encourage you to access it and use it with hockey. Registrations for our Centre of Development program will open later this year and all participants can use the Active Kids voucher to offset part of the COD registration fee.