Message from the President

Congratulations and thank you to all our players, coaches and supporters as we close out the 2026 season, and a huge 'good luck' to all our teams still in the hunt for premiership glory!

We have made important progress across the grades this season, with planning already underway for 2027 and beyond. We continue to expand our footprint across Sydney Olympic Park and the surrounding suburbs, and with plans for improved transport links and more residents within the precinct, we have a huge opportunity to become the largest Hockey Club in Sydney.

But to achieve this, we need your help - urgently!

For many years our Club has been run by a small group of dedicated volunteers. Despite our best efforts, we just can't compete with the bigger Clubs, as they have a much larger pool of volunteers. If we want to expand, develop and win, we need at least 4 Bens, 5 Yolandas and 6 Fionas!! Its crucial that we not only recruit players for all grades, but focus on a huge expansion of juniors and establish planning, development and retention pathways for them. The bigger the player base, the better we get. And with a lot of our operating costs being fixed (think Club House rent, turf training) the more players we have, the cheaper fees will become.

Over the coming months we will be forming sub-committees and arranging planning meetings. I urge as many of you as possible to take part. The more helpers, the less work required per person - many hands make light work. Further information can be found in this newsletter.

I understand also that hockey has become a very expensive sport, at a time that all of us are faced with rising costs of living. With our renewed push for more volunteers, we have scope to offer reduced fees and discounts for members who can assist across a whole range of regular tasks throughout the season. Keep an eye out for the full list of required jobs in the coming months - everything from Team Managers, Junior coaches, BBQ masters, uniform sales, social event organisers, social media content creators - you name it, we need it!!

Most of all - Raptors need YOU!!

I hope to see you all at our Awards Night on Saturday 7 November at the Aerial Function Centre.

Paul "Zorba" Economides

2026 Season— Heading into finals

Text from Womens, Mens, Juniors and Masters

Women’s Wrap Up

It’s a wrap for our women’s teams for 2026! Congratulations to all for a fabulous season, and special shout outs to Ellen, Bridget, Fiona, Joel, Badger and Hassan for the efforts with coaching and managing the teams this year. A well fought semi final effort from the 4s, and a win away from finals in 3s were standout efforts, along with strong improvement in the back half of the season for our 1s and 2s women. Keep a lookout for opportunities to help with managing, coaching and broadly supporting next year as we look to build bigger for 2027!

Junior Wrap Up

It was a fantastic season of development for our Raptors juniors!

Our U16s finished 6th, becoming more competitive as the season progressed. The players developed their skills, gained confidence playing in different positions and finished the season strongly, with some great goals in the final few games.

Our U14s finished 8th and showed tremendous improvement from the beginning of the season. Their hard work really started to show towards the end of the year, with stronger performances and some well-earned goals.

Our Minkeys had a fantastic season, improving immensely throughout the year. They scored plenty of goals and showed some brilliant passing, defending and teamwork. It was wonderful to see how much their skills and confidence developed over the season.

Well done to all our Raptors juniors on a great season! 🏑🦖

Keep the hockey going with Summer Stix!

Fast, fun and social. Join us Monday nights from 19 October through to 23 November for our Summer Stix competition. Registration open now

Fundraising & Social Activities

2026 AWARDS NIGHT – 7^TH NOVEMBER 6PM – THE AERIAL FUNCTION CENTRE

Tickets will go on sale soon, details sent on email and socials!!

Horse & Jockey Raffle Rolls On!

The season might be winding down, but the fundraising certainly isn't! Our Friday Night Meat Raffle at the Horse & Jockey continues right through the off-season and remains one of the club's most important fundraising activities.

With the NRL Grand Final just around the corner, we're expecting some huge crowds and a fantastic opportunity to boost raffle ticket sales and support both the club and our great friends at the Horse & Jockey.

We're calling on all Raptors members, families and supporters to lend a hand. Even volunteering for an hour on a Friday night makes a massive difference. It's a great chance to catch up with teammates, enjoy a meal or drink, and help raise funds that go directly back into supporting our club, equipment, development programs and events.

Can you help? Grab a mate, put your hand up for a shift, and let's finish the year strong. The more volunteers we have, the easier it is for everyone and the bigger the impact we can make. Join the H&J Meat Raffle WhatsApp chat here

See you at the Horse & Jockey on Friday night!💙🦖💛

More Than Hockey: Building the Future of Raptors Together

Behind every game, training session, junior development program and piece of equipment is a team of volunteers and supporters helping make it all happen.

Like many community sporting clubs, Raptors Hockey Club continues to face rising costs for equipment, facilities, coaching resources and player development. To keep providing great experiences for our members, we're actively seeking donations, sponsorships and volunteers who can help grow our fundraising efforts.

We're incredibly grateful for the support we've received so far this year. Thanks to our fantastic sponsors, supporters and volunteers, we've secured:

🏆Horse & Jockey Sponsorship – $5,000 and committed for Season 2027

🏆NSW Office of Sport Grants – 2 grants worth $5,000 each for new equipment and promotional materials, partial used to purchase Veo Video Camera

🏆Weekly Horse & Jockey Meat Tray Raffle – over $3,000 raised so far this season

🏆Charter Group Finance $10,000++ in 2026. For many years, Club President Paul Economides (Zorba) has supported the Club financially, to thank the Club Members who have supported his Mortgage Broking business. If you have any home or investment loan requirements, ro want your existing loans assessed to ensure you are getting a good deal, please reach out to Zorba via paul@chartergroup.com.au

Every dollar raised goes directly back into the club and helps us improve the experience for all players, families and supporters.

🎟️ The Weekly Meat Raffle Continues

Our popular Friday night Meat Tray Raffle at the Horse & Jockey continues throughout the year and remains one of our successful fundraising initiatives.

If you're looking for a simple way to support the club, come along, buy a ticket, enjoy a meal and help raise funds for Raptors Hockey. Better still, volunteer to help sell raffle tickets on a rostered basis. Many hands make light work!Join the WhatsApp chat to volunteer here

🚀 What's Next?

We're keen to build on this momentum by:

·         Identifying and applying for new sporting and community grants

·         Securing additional local business sponsorships and partnerships

·         Expanding fundraising activities throughout the year

·         Growing our donation program through the Australian Sports Foundation

·         Supporting junior development and club growth initiatives

🙋 Introducing the Fundraising, Donations and Sponsorship Committee

To help drive these initiatives, we're establishing a new Fundraising, Donations and Sponsorship Committee.

Whether you have experience in sponsorship, grant writing, events, marketing, business development or simply want to lend a hand, we'd love to hear from you. Even a small contribution of your time can make a significant difference to the future of our club.

The committee will focus on:

·         Sponsorship opportunities and business partnerships

·         Grant identification and applications

·         Club fundraising events and activities

·         Donation campaigns through the Australian Sports Foundation

·         Volunteer coordination and community engagement

·         Long-term fundraising strategy

❤️ How You Can Help Today

There are three easy ways to support Raptors:

✅ Purchase tickets in our weekly Meat Tray Raffle

✅ Volunteer for fundraising activities or join the Fundraising, Donations and Sponsorship Committee

✅ Make a tax-deductible donation through the Australian Sports Foundation

Every contribution helps strengthen our club, develop our players and ensure Raptors Hockey Club remains a thriving community for years to come.

Interested in joining the Fundraising, Donations and Sponsorship Committee? Contact the Cameron, Raptors Treasurer at finance@raptors.hockey.

We'd love to have you involved.

Help Us Grow – Recruit, Participate, Volunteer

With the season now in finals phase, planning is well underway for next year. We encourage all members to bring along friends, colleagues or family interested in playing, coaching or managing a team and volunteering for fundraising, subcommittees or umpiring.

If you have experience in or wish to get involved in outreach programs for local schools and communities we need you.  Upcoming, we have a community day with Community Day - Wentworth Point, where Raptors will be hosting a “Come and Try Hockey” between 9-10am 12^th September.It is a whole morning of activities and a great way to engage with the community.Anyone wishing to volunteer and help out, please reach out to Fiona Telfer (juniors@raptors.hockey).Link to the Wentworth Point Community Day website is here.

Junior Recruitment Drive

To help grow our junior numbers, the club will be delivering flyers to the local residents in the area.Anyone living in the area or would like to help with delivering flyers, please reach out to Fiona Telfter (juniors@raptors.hockey)

Club Meetings

A note to all members, the Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in early 2027 and we encourage all members to participate in the meeting.This is the a club for the members and member voices are important. 

Key Actions

• Buy tickets for the end of year Presentation Night!!
• 🙌 Volunteer at weekly H&J raffles and events — join the H&J Raffle WhatsApp chat
• Donate or become a sponsor via the ASF website— contributions are tax-deductible
• Spread the word and help recruit players, coaches, and committee volunteers for next year
• Join a sub-committee to help support the club activities
• Pay your outstanding competition fee invoices

Frequently Asked Questions – Club Fees and Competition Fees

What do fees cover?
Registration fees (already paid at the start of the season) cover state and association levies, insurance, and club membership — all essential costs that keep the club running safely and legally. 

Competition and team fees are separate and reflect the actual cost of your team’s competition, including turf hire and match officials. These are divided fairly across team members.

Why do fees vary?
Different competitions and grades have different costs. Teams competing at higher grades or in additional competitions may have higher fees as a result.

Can sponsorship reduce fees?
Absolutely! Teams that find a local sponsor can reduce or even eliminate competition fee contribution. Speak to the executive team— we can help connect you with potential sponsors.

If I play multiple competitions?
You only pay the registration fee once but contribute to each team’s competition fees.

Do all players need to pay?
Yes, all registered senior and masters players are required to contribute to competition fees, There is no student discount on Competition Team Fees, as any reduction would need to be offset by increased contributions from other members. Juniors playing in Junior Comps for Raptors Hockey Club are exempt. If you want to reduce fees, volunteer and we can discuss roles to reduce fees, please speak confidentially with the Treasurer — we want everyone to be able to play.

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