Hockey NSW has been identifying ways to help increase participation and get more people to play. Hockey NSW assessed their opportunity through ActiveXchange and initially focused attention towards the Blacktown LGA, with data indicating:
These were compounded when comparing against surrounding areas including Penrith, Parramatta and The Hills Shire which all saw lesser demand and higher conversion rates.
As a result of the analysis, Hockey NSW met with Blacktown City Council to build support for a playing facility and was able to use the data intelligence to support their presentation. Blacktown City Council was able to verify these insights and the data via their own ActiveXchange account.
Through the platform, Hockey NSW can continue to identify and address areas of potential growth to continue to drive participation and necessary data to support infrastructure decision making, coupled with the ability to target by demographic, from a region down to suburb level.
Utilise ActiveXchange’s demand modelling to highlight opportunity areas for growth, factoring in existing infrastructure and facilities, total current members and conversion rate of the unique Hockey NSW member profile.
Benchmark current performance and participation across surrounding LGAs and view comparison conversion rate in respective Government Regions as well as across other sports. Evidence the need for facility provision to meet the projected demand and engage the local community in key growth areas.
Through the Market Demand & Gaps module, Hockey WA connected membership and education datasets to identify high-potential participation zones. These insights inform more effective activation and development planning.
Visualisation of Blacktown current membership (dark shading indicates higher density of members), compared against surrounding LGAs. Demand of over 1,000 with a current conversion rate of less than 25% indicates the potential opportunity and current lack of supply to meet this demand.
Evidencing the current demand conversion rate across the Central City Government region and LGAs within as comparison against Blacktown area of focus. Below references the potential demand growth by 2030, factoring in the unique profile created for Hockey NSW members, showing a significant increase anticipated in the Blacktown LGA, the value of future supply will be critical in meeting this demand.
The impact of a dedicated Hockey facility in Blacktown LGA, factored with the projected unmet demand growth by 2030, could see an increase of Hockey participation in the LGA by 250%.
Blacktown City Council added a Hockey field in their 2025-26 Master Plan.
We are grateful to ActiveXchange for helping Hockey NSW to make the case for our sport with Blacktown Council. This is a fantastic tool for identifying and presenting strategic growth opportunities.
