Big changes are being proposed for the way Ice Hockey South Australia is governed.
A new constitution has been drafted, with a motion put forward by Sharyn Peterson (current Vice President) to give every league a direct voice, balance club representation, and build a stronger, fairer, and more sustainable future for our sport. This is not yet in place — it’s a proposal that needs member approval at the upcoming AGM. We encourage all members to read the full rationale and proposed constitution linked below, consider what these changes mean for you and your league, and come along to the AGM on Friday 12th December to have your say.
If you have any questions about the proposed constitution, please contact secretary@icehockeysa.com.au or CLICK HERE to submit them online. Answers will be posted in the FAQ section below for the whole community to read.
Q&A Session Details
📅 Wednesday, 3 December
🕒 7:00pm
💻 Recording (link HERE)
AGM details
This new constitution will need to be voted on by IHSA members before it can be implemented. We encourage all members to attend the 2025 Annual General Meeting to have their say on the proposed constitution. The AGM will be held on Friday 16th January (Rescheduled following the Q&A session)
Your engagement is vital to shaping the future of ice hockey in South Australia.
Key Links
FAQ
This section will be updated with any questions received from the community on the proposed new constitution.Q: Who is putting this motion forward?
A: Sharyn Peterson
Q: Why has this constitution update been the work of one person and not a team/working group/IHSA board?
A: There have been working groups in the past, but they weren’t able to get a viable draft over the line. The current proposed constitution has been put together by Sharyn Peterson, following the Sports SA template & in consultation with Brianna Morello select IHSA members.
Q: Don't you need to hold a Special General Meeting for Constitution Change?
A: No - Constitution changes can be tables at any General Meeting so long as the required notice period is met.
Q: How many members are required to vote for this motion to pass?
A: A quorum for an IHSA General Meeting is 15 members. 75% of members present must vote in the affirmative to pass this motion.
Q: Why update the constitution now?
A: The current constitution was last updated in 2019, with minimal overall changes to the structure and function of the association. The 2019 constitution does not meet current legislative requirements.
We are also at a tipping point with junior numbers, which have been in decline since 2020. ASL growth has stagnated, and women’s numbers have also been on a slight decline since 2023. The current constitution and management structure does not meet the needs and goals of the association if our aim is to grow the sport in SA.
Q: Has this update been reviewed by any legal representatives?
A: The proposed new constitution has been developed in line with the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR) template, which can be downloaded here.
Advice has been sought from the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR), Sports SA, and Ice Hockey Australia (IHA) with respect to rescheduling the AGM. We have yet to hear back, but the IHSA executive have unanimously decided against proceeding with an AGM with a proposed agenda that was unconstitutional.
Q: How would this affect officiating/bylaws across each league?
A: There will be no change to the current rule structure, all leagues will still need to follow International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and IHA rules and bylaws.
As they currently do, each league will be able to develop their own league-specific bylaws regarding player eligibility & movement, finals eligibility, etc.
League-specific bylaws will require approval from the IHSA board before they can be brought into effect. Exemptions to bylaws may still require board approval if they cannot be approved at a league level.
Q: How will league representatives be appointed?
A: Approaches may be different depending on the league.
Currently, ASL, women’s and Junior’s have conveners that are appointed by the IHSA board. The current ASL convener has been appointed for a term of 2 years, and we expect them to remain in their role until the end of the 2026/27 ASL season.
The role of Women’s convener and the role of Junior Convener will be open for appointment for their 2026 seasons. These roles will likely follow the same application and appointment process applied in previous years. As leagues adjust to operating more independently from the IHSA board, leadership committees may choose to employ different approaches to nomination/appointment in the future.
Clubs may choose to elect a senior winter club convener from the existing pool of delegates, or open nominations to the broader club membership base.
Q: How will this affect club autonomy/decision making?
A: We expect the proposed constitution change will allow clubs (and other leagues) to operate with more autonomy at a local/league level.
Currently, decisions around bylaw interpretation, player movement/eligibility, minor schedule changes, etc are being made by the IHSA board (club delegates + executives), which introduces significant delays in decision making, and takes up a large proportion of the management committees time and capacity.
Decisions around: - Other leagues
- Officiating
- Goalie development/recruitment
- Junior development/recruitment
- Senior player development/recruitment
Are either being made by the executive outside of board meeting times (if no motion is required) or are being voted on by club delegates that have little to no involvement with the matter under discussion.
Q: Why limit to only a single vote per league instead of weighting to reflect the number of players in a league?
Alternative models of governance were considered, including weighting board membership/votes by player numbers, or retaining the current number of club votes and introducing board membership for additional leagues, but a few key issues continued to come up: - Players move across leagues, especially between Women’s & ASL, and Juniors & Club, determining a players “primary” league and getting a clear idea of the size of each league for weighted votes places additional administrative pressure on an already overworked executive
- The overall size of the board needs to stay manageable, the greater the number of voting board members, the more difficult it is to meet quorum (the minimum number of people required for a meeting to go ahead) or voting minimums, which could make it more difficult to hold meetings and make decisions about the path of the association
- Providing a single vote per league allows an equal voice and perspective to leagues that may not make up the majority of players, but do have room to expand (women’s, ASL) or should be a growth priority (Junior’s) in order to ensure long-term sustainability of the association.
