| Association name | Ice Hockey Australia |
|---|---|
| IIHF membership | 11 February 1938 |
| President | Don Rurak |
| IIHF men's ranking | 34 |
| IIHF women's ranking | 25 |
| http://www.iha.org.au | |
The Australian Ice Hockey Federation, currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Australia and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was first established in 1908, making it one of the oldest national ice hockey associations in the world.
The purpose of Ice Hockey Australia is to encourage, promote, control and administer all forms of ice hockey in and throughout Australia through and by various Member States for the mutual and collective benefit of the members and sport itself.[1]
IHA also governs an eight-team, semi-professional league, known as the Australian Ice Hockey League.
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The birth of Ice hockey occurred in Adelaide with ghundi in the construction of the first rink in Australia in the early years of the 20th Century. Since then, the "Hockey Bug" has spread all over the country. The prosperous growth of Ice Hockey in Adelaide, Melbourne and later Sydney was abandoned as soon as the First World War broke out in 1914. Ice Hockey was much slower off the mark after the First World War. The Sydney rink had closed throughout the war and did not re-open until 1920. There had been some hockey in Melbourne in 1919 but was not on a really organised basis, in that year the Melbourne team made its first appearance. In 1921 interstate games resumed, the few pre-war players who made it home safely and were capable of playing, were drafted into teams.
However the story was different in 1922, club teams in Victoria were stronger than ever before, there several players of high standard available for the representative side which played New South Wales in Melbourne, and they astonished New South Wales by winning the series and the now famous Goodall Cup. Although they did not know it at the time, Victoria's win that year was a memorable one, it was not to be repeated for 25 years.
The next year (1923) saw a big step forward on the national level. While the Victorian team was visiting Sydney for the Goodall Cup series, a central body was formed to control the game on an Australia wide basis. Players were now receiving equipment from Canada and some were beginning to wear production and homemade protective padding and gloves. The twenties drew to a close with New South Wales still dominating the interstate scene. The tragic economic depression was sweeping the world and entertainment was something people listed very low on their budgets.
The early thirties were remarkable for the development in the strength and character of Australian Ice Hockey. Inter state growth was on the rise and new faces joined the sport, whose names are still known to this day. With the outbreak of war in the later part of the decade, as was the case in the First World War, hockey players were quick to join up and several were decorated for their devoted and heroic service to their country.[2]
When Ice Hockey was ready to be resumed after World War II, the position regarding players was the best it had ever been. A ready made pool of youngsters was waiting to join the returning servicemen in what were to become the boom years of the game. In 1947, Victoria won the Goodall Cup after 25 years of being in the wilderness. The next year 1951, the association became the strongest it has ever been. The association took steps to have only four teams in each rink brought about ability to concentrate the quality of the teams, and have a better quality of game.[3]
Ice Hockey Australia has many state branches across the country[4]:
In addition to the above, there are three organisations affiliated to IHA, with responsibility for the control of ice hockey within their own organisations but remaining under the rules and regulations of IHA. The affiliated bodies are[5]:
Each year Ice Hockey Australia participates in a number of international championships that are held by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
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Sports governing bodies in Australia | Ice hockey in Australia | Ice hockey governing bodies