Roller hockey tournament 'pilgrimage to Mecca' for Australia, New Zealand

For Australian inline hockey players, the road to NARCh is a pilgrimage.

For most Australian hockey players, simply getting to North America is an accomplishment.

For Australia's inline hockey players, getting there is only the beginning.

Players from Australia and New Zealand will travel more than 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) to compete in the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh) Finals in Irvine, California, from July 8-19. The tournament is one of the sport's premier events bringing together hundreds of teams and thousands of players from around the world across youth, amateur and professional divisions.

The trip requires months of preparation, significant personal expense and more than a dozen hours in the air. Yet year after year, players continue making the journey.

"NARCh has a certain notoriety about it," Australia coach Nick Jones said. "It's like a pilgrimage to Mecca for roller hockey."

Founded in 1994, NARCh has grown into one of inline hockey's biggest annual gatherings. Games run from early morning until late at night on multiple rinks, creating nearly two weeks of nonstop competition and a reunion for the global roller hockey community.

For players from traditional hockey markets, attending can be a relatively straightforward trip. For Australians, it is anything but.

"The commute for us is about 12-16 hours," Jones said. "Then you've got training every week for a few months on end."

Many of the players are university students or young professionals who must arrange time away from school or work. Flights alone can cost the equivalent of $1,500 to $2,000 Australian dollars, with accommodations, rental cars and tournament fees adding to the total.

"Every player is laying out a few thousand dollars just to have fun for a few days playing hockey," Jones said.

The sacrifices are reflected in players like brothers Matt, Will and Lach Clifford, who are among Australia's leading inline hockey players.

The three Gold Coast natives, ages 27, 25 and 23, are all pharmacists. Matt owns his own pharmacy, and Jones expects his younger brothers to eventually do the same. Despite balancing demanding careers, they drive more than an hour each way to Brisbane several times a week to train.

At home, they have transformed an old shed into a shooting area with makeshift boards and a net and converted their garage into a gym where they train daily.

"They set the tone and they set the bar for everyone else to chase," Jones said.

Will Clifford will captain Australia's NARCh team this year after he was an assistant captain for the Australian national team at the 2024 World Inline Hockey Championships in Roccaraso, Italy. Along with his brothers, he's also a volunteer coach for younger players, helping grow the sport in a country where the inline hockey community remains relatively small.

The team heading to California is built around a core group from Brisbane that competed at NARCh for the first time last year. They will be joined this year by players from New Zealand, creating what Jones describes as a combined Australia-New Zealand all-star team.

The partnership reflects the realities of the sport in that part of the world.

Unlike North America and Europe, where larger player pools make elite competition easier to assemble, Australia and New Zealand often rely on cooperation to create opportunities for their top players.

The approach paid off last year. Competing against 17 teams, Australia finished sixth, one victory shy of advancing to the medal rounds.

"It was a great result for us," Jones said.

The experience also gave players a firsthand look at the highest level of club inline hockey.

Australia has an established inline hockey community and regularly competes internationally, finishing among the top 16 nations at the most recent World Inline Hockey Championships. But opportunities to face elite competition remain limited compared to those available in North America and Europe.

That is one reason NARCh remains so appealing.

"We're one division below the pro level," Jones said. "The guys see the pro players and think we're just one step away from that. Let's get better. Let's get faster. Let's get quicker."

For many first-time visitors, the tournament itself is unlike anything they have experienced. Jones said players are immediately struck by both the scale of the event and the facilities.

"Everyone is just utterly amazed," he said.

Australia's inline hockey infrastructure often requires creativity and resourcefulness. Players compete on everything from converted basketball courts to concrete surfaces. Dedicated facilities featuring the same sport-court flooring used at NARCh and international competitions remain rare.

At NARCh, players encounter multiple rinks under one roof, world-class playing surfaces and an atmosphere unlike anything most have experienced back home.

Just as important is the sense of community.

"It's such a tight-knit community, like a family almost," Jones said.

Players return home with new friendships, new training ideas and a clearer understanding of where they stand against some of the best competition in the world. Jersey exchanges are common. So are conversations with curious opponents.

"Everyone's always shocked to see Australians at any hockey tournament," Jones said. "Everyone's quick to talk to Australians."

When players board the long flight home, they carry more than memories of a few days in California. They gain new goals, stronger friendships and a renewed belief in what is possible.

The travel is demanding. The costs are substantial. The commitment is significant. But for Australia's inline hockey players, that's simply the price of getting to the sport's biggest stage. Because in roller hockey, NARCh isn't just another tournament.

It's a pilgrimage.