Hockey SA Life Member announcement ...

Hockey SA is pleased to announce the Life Membership of BRUCE MURRIE. 
 
This announcement was made at last night’s Hockey SA AGM, following the unanimous support of the Board and its members, to recognise Bruce as its newest Life Member. 

Bruce has rendered exceptional and distinguished service to hockey in South Australia for over 58 years, across the full spectrum of playing, coaching, umpiring, umpire coaching, technical officiating and administration. His dedication and passion to our sport, alongside his years of service to the hockey community, distinguish him as an exemplary and deserving recipient of Life Membership. 

There are few clubs and associations across our state that have not felt the impact of Bruce’s contributions to hockey. 

Playing

Bruce started playing in 1967 for the first Underdale High School Hockey team when the side-line roll-in and 3 person off-side were still in play! After also playing for Henley High School, Bruce went on to have a long playing career of over 42 years, ending in playing Veterans for Grange Royals Hockey Club, including a Premiership in the Vets B side in 2009. In between, he played for Woodville Hockey Club from 1972-1975, Stuart HC in Whyalla from 1976-79, and then for Royal Park HC from 1980 and then Grange Royals HC when Royal Park HC amalgamated with Grange HC from 1989.

Coaching

Bruce has an extensive and very successful coaching history spanning more than 49 years up to present day, including both junior and senior teams, school, SAPSASA, club and state teams. Many of his teams have gone on to play in finals series and grand finals, and Bruce has an impressive track record of successful premiership winning teams – with over nine senior premiership flags just with Grange Royals!

Bruce started coaching in 1976 when he moved to Whyalla as a teacher. He coached the Whyalla Town Primary School Junior and Senior teams for 4 years in the Whyalla Primary School Competition and also coached the Fisk Women’s A2 team in 1979 in Whyalla.

Upon moving back to Adelaide, he joined the Royal Park Hockey Club and started coaching the U13 and then U15 teams.

When he transferred to teach at Seaton Park Primary School, he took over as the North-West Primary Schools Competition Co-ordinator for 4 years. He also coached the Seaton Park Hockey teams and started a 20 Year association with SAPSASA, first as the District Coach for the Western, and then Airport/Western team, and later the Salisbury District as both boys and girls coach. He was also SAPSASA State Manager/Coach for 3 years in 1987, 88 and 89. He also coached the South Australia U13A team in 1989.

He was the Treasurer of the Royal Park Hockey Club in 1989 before the amalgamation with Grange to form the Grange Royals Hockey Club.

Bruce started coaching the Grange Royals U13 team in 1990 and has gone on to coach the M1/M4/M5/M6 Women at Grange Royals for most of the past 30 years - and continues to coach the M5 Women at Grange Royals in 2025!

He was awarded Life Membership of Grange Royals Hockey Club in 2024.

Umpiring and umpire coaching

Bruce’s service to umpiring, umpire coaching and umpire development in this state is the very definition of service. His performance, dedication and passion to umpiring and developing South Australian umpires is well known and recognised by almost every club and association across the state.

He joined the Hockey SA Umpiring Panel in 1983 and is still part of the umpiring group in this his 42nd year of umpiring at the age of 72! He has umpired the Grand Finals at all Country and Regional Associations across SA. He umpired the South Australian Country Championships Grand Finals, both Men and Women, for 20 years, and also the South Australian Junior Championships Grand Finals of the U18 and U15, again for 20 years.

He also umpired at the national Australian Country Championships for 4 years.

Around this time, he was coach and mentor for hockey umpire development in summer hockey with Margaret Grieve and Roger Clarke.

He was appointed as the Umpire Manger at the Australian National Masters Championship in 1997 in Adelaide, and appointed by Hockey Australia to be Umpire Manager at the Country Championships in 1996 and 2000 and Umpire Manager at the U13 National Championships in Adelaide in 2008 and 2013.

He has been Umpire Manager for the U12 and U16 School Sport tournaments in both Boys and Girls in Adelaide in 2002, 2006, 2012 and 2024, as well as Umpire Manager at the Pacific School games in 2017.

He was the Chairperson of the Hockey Umpires Association for 8 years from 2009-2016, which entailed not only Chairing of the Associating meetings, but also extensive umpire coaching, mentoring and assessing, recommending umpires to Hockey Australia for National Championships and doing the allocations of appointment across the metro competitions and across the state for finals (including regional association finals series appointments). He has also presented and run many Level 1 and 2 Umpire accreditation seminars to provide education and upskilling of umpires across the state, and assessed countless umpires for their formal accreditations.

He has been awarded the Hockey SA Henry Brown Medal for Services to Umpiring 4 times – in 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2014.

Bruce has held a Level 2 Coach accreditation since 1992, awarded an Umpiring ‘A’ badge in 1985 which converted to a Level 2 Umpire, a Level 2 Umpire Coach awarded in 2012 and currently is a Hockey Australia Foundation Lead Facilitator and Foundation Lead Technical Official. 

Technical Officiating

Bruce added another tool to his belt in 2017 by becoming a Technical Official. He regularly officiates from the technical bench throughout the Premier League competition and State Championships each season, alongside his coaching and umpiring duties, and in 2025 is one of the Technical Officials at the Australian National U16 Championships in Adelaide.

He also was the subject in the winning photo in the Hockey Australia Hockey Heroes Photo Competition in 2023! (Photo below) 

We look forward to formally recognising and celebrating Bruce’s Life Membership with him and his family, at the Hockey SA Awards Night in September. 

Congratulations Bruce!