Massive year of WA Hockey awaits in 2026

Australia’s best athletes from state, national and international sides will once again light up Perth as the Premier League returns for a blockbuster 2026 season.

Both the Men’s and Women’s competitions will launch together, kicking off the year with a show‑stopping Gala Round from Friday 27 March, before the home and away season officially gets underway on Friday 10 April.

From there, the action rolls through Perth’s top hockey venues, building momentum all the way to a September Finals series where everything is on the line. The league's premiers will be decided in the season finale on the Hockey WA Grand Final Day on Saturday 19 September.

The 2026 season will also be packed with purpose and passion, featuring a standout line‑up of themed rounds including Anzac Day, Lizzie Watkins Organ Donor, Regional, Indigenous, Pride, Breast Cancer Care and R U OK? Rounds - celebrating community, culture and the causes that matter.

With final fixtures and live broadcast details still to be locked in, there’s even more to come - so stay tuned as what promises to be one of the biggest seasons yet continues to take shape.

The action doesn’t stop with the Premier League, with Senior, Junior and Masters competitions also returning in 2026 to deliver wall‑to‑wall hockey across all age groups.

The Senior and Masters seasons will fire up from Saturday 11 April, with the Junior competitions launching from Friday 1 May, setting the stage for months of high‑energy match play across Perth’s leading venues.

With teams battling it out to prove they’re the best of the best, the season will build towards a thrilling Finals series in September, where premiership dreams are on the line. Senior Turf, Metro & Masters Grand Finals will be held across Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September, with the Junior Grand Finals falling on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September.

And that’s not where the action ends. 2026 will be packed with Championship tournaments and carnivals, giving players the chance to represent their club, community and even Western Australia on the national and international stage.

A full suite of Hockey Australia National Championships will return in 2026, launching with the Indoor Championships in Canberra, ACT and Goulburn, NSW throughout January. The calendar continues with major events across the country, including the Under‑16 Championships in Hobart, TAS, Under‑21 Championships in Canberra, ACT, Under‑18 Championships in Darwin, NT, Country Championships in Bendigo, VIC, Men’s Masters Championships on the Gold Coast, QLD, Under‑14 Championships in Canberra, ACT, and the Women’s Masters Championships, with the host venue to be confirmed. View the full National Championships line up here.

Closer to home, the much‑loved CBH Group Country Championships will return to Perth Hockey Stadium in June, once again shining a spotlight on the best regional talent across WA. The Women’s competition will run from Friday 19 June to Sunday 21 June, followed by the Men’s competition from Friday 26 June to Sunday 28 June.

International flavour will also be on display when the KMSB Youth International Gryphon Cup returns in November, continuing its rapid growth and attracting junior athletes from across WA, Australia and Asia.

Junior players will battle for club bragging rights during the Fuel to Go & Play Club Championships, held at Perth Hockey Stadium during the July school holidays (6 to 17 July), before the Indoor Club Championships take centre stage at Mundaring Arena in the October school holidays (5 to 9 October).

And it’s not just Perth in the spotlight. Regional hockey will be front and centre with the South West Junior Carnival returning over the WA Day long weekend, alongside the popular Narrogin Carnival on 18 and 19 July.

After an electrifying ONE Active Hockey One season in 2025, the Perth Thundersticks are set to return in 2026, ready to light up the national stage once again.

The Women’s team will be chasing even more history as they look to build on their incredible back‑to‑back championship success in 2025, while the Men’s team head into the new season hungry to take their game to the next level.

With team selections, fixtures, ticketing and membership details to be unveiled throughout the year, there’s plenty for fans to look forward to as the countdown to another big Thundersticks season begins.

Fast‑paced, high‑energy action will return when the Hockey WA Indoor season fires up again in 2026, with competitions for both Senior and Junior athletes back on the courts.

Running from mid‑October through to mid‑December, the season will feature eight rounds of competition followed by a finals series, delivering an exciting indoor campaign to close out the year.

Further details will be released later in the year - so stay tuned as the indoor season approaches.