March Newsletter

Presidents Report March 2025

Dear Members,  Welcome to the 2025 season.  Many clubs are well into practices and new member days with the first carnival of the Qld season scheduled for Killarney in April. The carnival will feature a Qld supported ladies carnival which is designed to provide coaching and camaraderie for our women players in teams other than their club teams.

I would like to welcome Kaylun Dixon as our new SEO and she is already kicking goals and keeping me on my toes. The office will be staffed Monday to Thursday  8.30 am to 3 pm  for all contact and support. For emergency support Kaylun may be available out of hours or contact myself.

Deb Austin has once again helped the QPA in our hour of need when Adam had to resign to a change of personal circumstances. I would very much like to thank Deb for her ongoing support and willingness to step up and the job.

Our Junior and sub junior teams will compete at Albury along with many  of our elite players which will provide a warm up for the Barastoc competition at Warwick which this year should be a cracker with Victoria and Western Australia competing alongside QLD and NSW.

The polocrosse Australia annual general meeting will be held in Adelaide on the 22^nd of March with Board members Mick Templeton and Brian Johnson   up for reelection as well as a nomination from WA of Pip Crook a former WA president. Qld will be represented at the meeting by Trish Shepherd, Kelly Sturgess and Jamie Bredhauer. Qld polocrosse has had enquiries from clubs to have a cost effective membership for come and try days. Qld will be looking for a solution from PA and our insurers at the PA AGM.

 Polocrosse Australia has struggled to find suitable candidates to fill positions so I would encourage members to consider a position on the Board in the future to give back to our sport through governance.

Qld looks forward to hosting a UK junior team in July at the Tara zone championships and then supporting the UK team to play at the Narrabri junior carnival. Nominations will be called for shortly.

Roma Club will once again be holding coaching on the Friday before their carnival for juniors with some great coaches advertised. As per last year if there are enough adults interested I am sure some senior coaching can be organized as well.

Qld polocrosse is keen to improve umpire skills across the state and to facilitate this in the future to be eligible for the club coaching subsidy of $500 your coaching weekend must include a session on umpiring. Our State umpire Matt Gleeson will be happy to assist.

The news from IPA is that the world cup will be held in Zimbabwe in 2027. This will require  Australia to consider teams in 2026 so the Nationals in Darwin become an important part of that process. Qld will be sending teams to Darwin in all possible grades and the selection process will commence at the Zone championships at Tara in July 2025.

From an administration focus QLD Polocrosse will continue with the Schoolzine app and I encourage all players to download the free App and subscribe to Qld Polocrosse. It is an effective method of communicating to our members if everybody is subscribed. Our website will be updated shortly and moved to Schoolzine hosting. Our horse welfare , carnival safety and umpire reports will continue to  be lodged on this platform.

I have been advised that Andrew Rose has stepped down as NSW president and I would like to thank Andrew for his support and advise over the years and wish him well. Kayleen Wilson is the new president and I look forward to working with her and the NSW board to continue to improve Polocrosse for our players.

I look forward to meeting players through the season so if you have ideas to improve our sport I am always happy for a chat. Lets make 2025 a season to remember for all the right reasons.

Mike Williams

QLD President

Management Committee

Coaching Subsidy

Clubs are to be advised that from now on in order for clubs to receive their $500 coaching subsidy they need to include umpire coaching as part of the weekend. Clubs need to contact state Director of Umpiring  Matt Gleeson for what is required.

Multi-horse Carnival

The below information is for the following regions: Capricornia, Central West, Far North and Outback.

Following the AGM vote regarding the Multi-Horse Carnival proposal, the QPA has communicated the outcome to Polocrosse Australia (PA) and the National Umpires Committee (NUC).

After review, the NUC has confirmed that PA is supportive of QPA making decisions regarding Multi-Horse carnivals for the 2025 season.

The QPA committee has approved your request to run any of your carnivals as Multi-Horse in 2025, provided the following condition is met.

End-of-Season Review: You must present evidence demonstrating that Multi-Horse carnivals have contributed to growing participation and positively impacted the sport. This evidence will be used to assess whether similar requests should be approved in the future. Information can be accessed from the data base and QPA is able to assist however anecdotal evidence is also valuable.

We recommend consulting with other zones, to explore their approaches to growing playing numbers at both club and Zone level. There are clubs such as Dirranbandi which have had great success in recruiting new players.

Horse Welfare Officers

The below contacts are for the Horse Welfare Officers for this year.

April Carnival Invites

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!

Keep your eyes on this space with regards to the pathways to Darwin. Players, Coaches and Managers keep an eye out for the Expression of Interest for the Darwin National to come in the coming months.

Queensland Zone Title

Shout out to all zones to start thinking about the Queensland Zone Title to be held in Tara July 5-6. Zone Manager Matt Johnson will be in touch with zones shortly to plan for the events.

Queensland Juniors - opportunity coming

Exciting details in relation to a UK mixed team touring. Nominations will be opening soon to be playing in Narrabri to be apart of the Queensland team. This team will be a 6 man mixed team 3 boys and 3 girls, there will be more details to come.

QPA Database

We require all contact details and horse information to be correct within the database. This needs to be completed as soon as possible to allow any incorrect information to be adjusted.

Roma Junior Coaching

The QPA is proud to support the Roma Junior Coaching held on Friday the 25 April. Looking to build on a very successful event held last year, the Roma Club has sourced a fantastic line-up of coaches for this event. The QPA is excited to provide the coaches with a gift voucher as a thank you for their time and we hope as many juniors as possible attend for a fun and informative day!

Mark your calendars and check out the Roma Polocrosse Club Facebook page for more information.

QPA Merchandise Price List

First Aid Subsidy Policy

QPA Women's competition

The Killarney Polocrosse Club will be hosting the QPA Women’s Competition at our Annual Carnival on the weekend of the 5^th and 6^th April. This is compulsory for any women playing at the carnival to play in this competition, and we are hoping that it will be a very successful and enjoyable weekend for all that participate. There will be guest speakers and complimentary nibblies and drinks on Saturday afternoon. The carnival is also a designated Multi-horse carnival, so this will be giving any representative players the opportunity to play both their spare and good horses.

At the end of last year, we lost one of our stalwarts of the game Paul (Zoom) O’Leary and we are having a one-off game on Saturday afternoon, East verses West. Players for this game have been invited by the O’Leary family to play in his honor.

Paul was awarded Life Membership to the QPA, at the Cocktail Party in December and this was accepted by his wife Jennifer and family. Justin Hafey spoke at the dinner, with many stories of how Paul influenced him and many others in our Polocrosse family.

Looking forward to the upcoming season and wishing everyone a safe and happy 2025.

Successful Come and Try Day Kicks Off Exciting Season

Our recent Come and Try Day was a huge success, with a fantastic turnout, especially from juniors eager to get involved in the sport. We had strong interest from new members, many of whom signed up on the day, and the positive feedback has been overwhelming. It’s great to see the enthusiasm for Polocrosse growing in our community!

Looking ahead, our club and the Far Northern Zone are excited for the upcoming Coaching Clinic in Townsville this April. This clinic will be a valuable opportunity for players of all levels to develop their skills and learn from experienced coaches.

We are also thrilled to once again host the Night Chukkas, running alongside our Multi-Horse Carnival. With $6,000 in prize money up for grabs, this event is shaping up to be an action-packed weekend. Be sure to mark your calendars—it’s one you won’t want to miss!

Stay tuned for more updates, and we’ll see you on the field soon!

Fun Grade Competiton

Toowoomba Polocrosse Club is excited to introduce a brand-new ‘Fun Grade Competition’.  This initiative comes in response to the noticeable absence of lower-grade and new players who find existing competition levels beyond their skill set or starting in our sport. Without an appropriate level of play, many players lose interest and leave the sport altogether, and we are seeing the effects of this. 

Smaller clubs, which rely heavily on lower-graded players, are feeling the impact. Without these players, it becomes increasingly difficult for clubs to host carnivals and sustain the sport at the grassroots level.

The Fun Grade Competition is designed to bridge this gap—creating an inclusive, relaxed, and enjoyable environment where players of a grading of 2.5 and below can participate, develop, and most importantly, have fun (even touch the ball)! We are aiming to cap teams at 12. 

By supporting this initiative, we ensure that everyone, from beginners to lower graded players, has a place in the game, helping to grow and sustain our sport for years to come.

Let’s get involved, spread the word, and make the Fun Grade Competition a success!

Trialled at Stanley Rivers, Cunningham's first carnival and Toowoomba.'

I have attached the flyer as well.

Let me know if you need more information

Thanks heaps

Nic Faulkner

Welcome to the 2025 Polocrosse Season – A Message on Horse Welfare

Dear Players & Members of Qld Polocrosse,

Welcome to another exciting season! As the King of the One Horse Sport, we take great pride in our game, our community, and most importantly, our horses. Our biggest assets are our players, our supporters, and our horses—and their well-being is essential to the future of our sport.

Prioritizing Horse Welfare

As we begin the 2025 season, I encourage everyone to be mindful of horse welfare. It all starts at the club level, where your club captain and horse welfare officer play a key role in identifying and addressing any concerns. They are there to support members and ensure that any issues are resolved quickly and appropriately.

A Shared Responsibility

With today’s digital world keeping a close eye on everything we do, we must lead by example and uphold the highest standards of care for our horses. Let's work together to make sure our sport continues to be known for its excellence, integrity, and respect for our equine partners.

See Something? Say Something.

If you witness anything concerning related to horse welfare, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can report it to:
✅ Your club captain
✅ Your zone welfare officer
✅ Or contact me directly

By looking out for one another—both on and off the field—we can ensure that Qld Polocrosse remains the best it can be.

Wishing everyone a fantastic and successful season ahead!

Paul Erbacher
Horse Welfare Officer
Qld Polocrosse