The gala day saw 12 teams in the under-11 and under-13 boys and girls divisions take the field in preparation for the upcoming state championships.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Hockey Association rep coordinator Terry Rhook said the gala day was based on a few from around the state that gave each team a chance to dust off the cobwebs.

"Clubs from other areas have regional competitions that get them ready for the state championships and we don't have that," he said.

"Our clubs tend to be a bit rusty in their first couple of games at the state champs."

Rhook said having the second field in action allowed them to host this sort of an event.

"That was probably the big things for us and we had lots of positive feedback about it," he said.

"What we want to do is a few things better for next time because we thought the canteen and barbecue might have been under pressure a bit and that was the case."

The plan is to throw the gala day open to other associations from around the state including Newcastle, Tamworth and Grafton starting next year.

"We want to be a bit more proactive and go from the under-9 to under-18 divisions throughout the year," Rhook said.

Any future gala days will be held in line with the representative calendar.

Hockey NSW regional coaching coordinator Leigh McIntosh was also integral in getting the day off the ground.

"We only had a week to organise it and Leigh rang me and asked if we should do something like it," Rhook said.

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