It’s the location of countless wins and losses tough drills and in-depth strategising. But most of al l Stead Park Hockey Ground is where lifelong friendships are made.
Stead Park Hockey Ground is about 300 metres from the Princes Highway on John Street Corio.
There are a range of competitions played there using two synthetic pitches under lights including representative local masters and youth hockey.
Alex Humphrys plays for the Geelong Sharks in the Hockey Victoria Premier League Competition. She has been using the Stead Park facilities since moving to the region in 2017.
It's nice to have a really great facility within Geelong and not have to go to Melbourne to play a high level of hockey. That's definitely my favourite thing about it.
The Curlewis local describes the Stead Park community as tight-knit and while she loves the game it’s definitely the people who have helped her stick to her sport.
They sort of adopted me as extra parents because I was away from [mine] so it was really lovely to have that sense of family through the hockey club.
Alex says her new family is absolutely over the moon about Stead Park becoming the home of hockey in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The 27-year-old thinks plans to upgrade the existing pitches to an international standard plus media coverage will attract more players including girls and women.
She is also hoping it will help put both the sport and Geelong on the map.
Seeing players in their hometown on the telly but also being able to go…to see these incredible women playing a really high level of sport will be fantastic.
[It will create] drawcards for higher level hockey tournaments to be down here and really build the profile of hockey as a great sporting career pathway for young people.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held from 17 to 29 March 2026.
Event cancelled
The Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games have been cancelled as at 18 July 2023.