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Brisbane Hockey Association's High Club Fees in 1952
Reproduced from the 1982 Brisbane Hockey Association's Golden Jubilee Booklet.

One of the biggest controversies of the 1952 hockey season was inflation. Yes, even in those long gone days, money was as big a problem as it is today. The Brisbane Hockey Association was forced to set club fees at an all-time high. Some of the bigger clubs had to pay more than £300 gross to take part in the season.

A grade fees were £35 per team, Reserve grade teams had to pay £32 each and B grade sides, £29/10/-. The fees were set accordingly to each grade, with the junior grades paying the lowest fees.

The J1 and J2 teams were faced with a £3 bill, the J3 and J4 sides paying the "meagre" sum of £2 each. It did not pay to be a strong club. Valleys, with the largest number of sides in the competition, had to pay more than £300 to cover their teams.

The fee increase was strange as the BHA had recorded a £151 surplus after the 1951 season. With a similar surplus in 1950, clubs objected quite strongly to the increases. At the first delegates meeting held after the release of the budget, the plea by many of those present to abandon the new fee increases was refused.

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But the BHA did have problems. It cost the association £240 to send a team to Perth that year, while the year previous when the side went to Adelaide, the cost was £97. The association also had to set aside £150 - a rise on the previous year of £50 - to pay for ambulance attention at hockey matches in Brisbane.

The association had enlisted the services of the Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (QATB) for medical attention at matches, whilst in previous years honorary members of the Queensland Ambulance Association had carried out the work on a voluntary basis.The first patient of the new ambulance service was present patron, Hec Cormie, who was hit in the eye by a hockey ball.

Equipment was also becoming costly for players, who could be expected to pay around £4 for a good stick, 15 shillings for a ball and around 13 shillings for shin pads. In 1947, a quality stick cost around £1/7/- and balls were no dearer than about 10 shillings.

Note: Australia's currency went decimal ($ & ¢) in 1966.

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