No YMP women’s team in Poverty Bay club hockey competition

GMC Green and Ngatapa have teams in action in the 2025 Poverty Bay women's club hockey competition starting on Saturday, but there will be no YMP women this year. GMC's Jade Stafford (left) and Ngatapa's Kate Pahina fight for the ball in a game from last year. Photo / Paul Rickard

The Poverty Bay club hockey competition starts on Saturday without one of the big names in Gisborne sporting history.

In a shock blow to the game here, YMP Hockey Club, which celebrated its centenary in 2023, will not have a women’s team competing this year.

Neither will the club have a YMP B men’s team - meaning only YMP A men will be turning out at club level in 2025.

Poverty Bay Hockey Association chair Kohere Tupara confirmed the YMP situation on Friday.

The YMP women have a long and proud history of success, having won multiple titles, and were unbeaten in 2024 up to the grand final which they lost to GMC Green.

A YMP Hockey Club member told the Gisborne Herald the cost of playing was a factor, along with the number of players available.

“This will be the first time ever that YMP has not put a women’s team into the competition,” the player said.

“We tried to muster, but we were unable to get enough players for one team, let alone the second women’s team that we ran the season before last.”

A lack of numbers is believed to also be the issue for a second men’s team this year.

Despite the loss of two teams who had been a major part of the competition over many years and that it had been a bit of a waiting game to get started this year, Tupara said it was great to be getting under way.

“We’re excited and looking forward to getting out on the Hain Farming Turf.”

Play on opening day starts at 12.30pm when PGG Wrightson Ngatapa take on LPSC Emerre & Hathaway Paikea in the women’s division.

“The game of the day to start the competition between those two teams,” Tupara said. “It has been really close between them for the last few seasons. It should be the same Saturday.”

The second women’s game pits clubmates GMC Green and GMC Kowhai teams from 2pm.

“This will be a good way for both teams to start the season...clubmates versus clubmates,” Tupara said.

The men hit the turf after that, at 3.30pm, when Waituhi take on reigning champions Laidlaw YMP A.

“Both sides will be keen to get out on the turf and this should be a close game,” Tupara said.

YMP will be wary of a Waituhi side with the potential to cause a surprise.

The second men’s game features LPSC Lytton Old Boys Traktion against clubmates LPSC Resene Masters.

“Traktion and the Masters should be a fairly straightforward result for Traktion, but you never know with the Masters,” Tupara said.

The Gisborne Boys’ High School and Gisborne Girls’ High School First XI teams have the byes.