The challenge will be hosted at the Cooke Hockey Complex and Learmonth Park. 

Over 700 12-15-year-old hockey players from across the state will descend on Bathurst, to participate in modified games.

Teams of nine players will play on halved fields, with games starting on Friday at 11am and concluding on Sunday afternoon. 

The COD off-season program is now its third year of running and Hockey New South Wales participation manager Blair Chalmers said the program is standardised across the whole state. 

“We have a wide range of ability across age groups,” he said.

“We focus on core skills and game knowledge, like how you have to be aware with the ball, how to create opportunities and the right movements to make.

“Fitness is also a big component and some age groups have a minimum beep test requirement.

“Daily training environment has to be competitive and you need more fitness at high levels.”

The past two Basil Sellars Regional Challenges have been held in Moorebank and Newcastle respectively.

This year’s challenge will test some of the hockey players, when it comes to competing on different surfaces.

“Bathurst has some good turf and grass facilities. It’ll be good experience for some to play on grass,” Chalmers said.

“They’ll be 82 teams coming, with over 700 athletes.”

Some of the best talent in the state at the 12-15 age group will be competing and the weekend will also provide a chance for squad coaches to be familiar with some of the best.

While competition is expected to be competitive, Sellars said awards will be presented to players around citizenship, attitude and approach to the sport of hockey.

“It’ll be an inviting environment to identify talent. It will also provide good experience to play at a high level,” he said.

“We will be trying to improve our best juniors and retaining our participation players.

“We’ve always noticed the ones who have participate in COD, tend to better off than the ones that haven’t.”

Sellers said the Bathurst Hockey Association have been key to the event happening. 

“They’ve had to install safety netting, which makes Bathurst one of the best equipped facilities.

“Other associations will want to go the way of the Bathurst facility.”