IPCH supports referee course at Australia’s Club Championship

From 19 to 21 January, the Australian Powerchair Hockey Association – NSW (APCHA) hosts its first Club Championship since COVID-19. This big event welcomes five teams from the east, south and west of Australia.

Thursday the 18th, IPCH officials Inge de Zwart and Kimmo Virtanen will be supporting a referee course. Kieran Watts, Vice President of APCHA, is looking forward: “We have six candidates undertaking the course, which is something we are really excited for. Kimmo, Inge and Davor have gone above and beyond to make this a possibility and we feel very blessed to welcome Kimmo and Inge to the land down under.”

Also IPCH is looking forward:”This is a tremendous opportunity for IPCH to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our sport. We are dedicated to empowering nations worldwide, particularly those in the early stages of development, so they feel supported and empowered to pursue their athletic aspirations. We are always eager to assist and contribute to the advancement of our sport, with the ultimate goal of achieving inclusion in the Paralympic Games.”

The Championship will run across three days, with each team playing two games a day. The official schedule is available on the social media channels of APCHA or their Tournify. Thanks to their broadcast sponsor Support Your Way, livestream will also be available. This link will be shared on APCHA’s socials.

Monday 22 January, the event finishes off with a player development day. This will be an opportunity for players to reflect and learn from their performance as an individual and as a team. “In the past year, we have had a huge focus on improving the skills of our athletes with the help of Alexander Pedersen.”, Kieran adds. “He has played a vital role in player development for our powerchair hockey community by sharing his wealth of knowledge and advice amongst our athletes. Alexander will be assisting us at the player development day, and we can’t wait to see what the world champion brings to our tournament.”

IPCH applauds all efforts that are being made by the Australian Powerchair Hockey Association to further develop powerchair hockey in Australia. We wish everyone involved good luck this weekend and good games.