Hockley reflects on ‘absolute honour’ from Maccabi
Former Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley is one of seven new Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame inductees.
Nick Hockley, who served as Cricket Australia’s CEO from 2020 to early 2025, told The AJN earlier this month that he feels “blown away, very surprised, and absolutely honoured” to be one of seven Jewish Australians to be inducted into the Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame.
The induction will be at a special Maccabi Centenary gala dinner on November 10, at an iconic Sydney sports venue, for which tickets are selling fast.
“It’s incredible, and it means a great deal to me, particularly when you look at the calibre of the other inductees,” he said.
Hockley will be inducted in the administration category, with Jon Pillemer, Steven Lowy and his successor at Cricket Australia and close friend, Todd Greenberg.
The new athlete category inductees are Steve Solomon and sisters Jess and Noemie Fox.
Hockley’s sport administration journey began fortuitously when he spotted a newspaper ad for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics organising committee.
He applied, and achieved success, which led to a major planning role for the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia, and then the top job at Cricket Australia.
“I feel very privileged to be able to combine my passion, which is sport, with my profession,” Hockley said, “as sport is such a powerful connector, bringing people together.
“What I’m proudest of is whenever a team can pull off something others say might not be possible, or be too ambitious.
“An example that springs to mind is the decision we made to play the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG.
“While some said ‘you’re crazy’, our team got the whole public on board, and in the end, over 86,000 people attended the 2020 final, which really set the benchmark for lots of major events since in women’s sport.”
He recommends anyone interested in a sports administration career to never say no to an opportunity.
An athlete at three previous Maccabiah Games, and now with two young daughters involved in sport through Maccabi, Hockley said he “sees firsthand” Maccabi’s “pivotal positive community impact” and appreciates the vital role of volunteers, adding, “I commend everyone who’s involved.”
To book tickets to the November 10 Maccabi NSW Centenary gala dinner and Hall of Fame induction ceremony, visit https://events.humanitix.com/maccabi-nsw-100th-rego