Matches will start on Friday/Saturday March 20/21.

"April is going to be a write-off this year with holidays and Anzac Day falling on a Saturday,'' Manning Hockey president Debbie Monck said.

"So we'll be starting in March so we can still play our grand final on the third weekend in September - on Saturday September 19.''

The association is still waiting on word from Hastings Hockey on whether sides from Port Macquarie would be involved in the men's and women's division one competition this year, as has been the case in recent seasons.

"Our match committee has written to them,'' Ms Monck said.

All positions on the association's board of management were filled at this week's annual meeting. Newcomers include Terry Bourke, Lynn Brettle and Jason Sipek. They join the re-elected Debbie Monck (president), John Surtees (secretary) and Loretta Bennett (treasurer) along with board members Lyn Turner, Michelle Collier, Dylan Turner, Shane Green and Kevin Haigh.

Wingham will be looking to repeat last season's successes when the club won three premierships in the junior and senior competitions.

Meanwhile Manning Hockey will monitor the condition of the grass fields at Taree Recreation Centre as preparations continue for the Half State Women's Masters Championships to be held here in July.

The association hopes to use two grass fields for the championships. However, the fields have deteriorated in the drought and may not be in suitable condition if the dry weather continues.

"The last time the Half State was here we used four grass fields. But that was before we had the third turf field,'' Manning Hockey president Debbie Monck explained.

With the third turf in play Ms Monck said the association would look to use two grass fields this year, depending on the number of sides involved.

"I'd expect we'd get between 50 and 60 teams here going on other years,'' she said.

Ms Monck assured the championship would go ahead even if the grass fields are out of play.

"We'll use the three turf fields. We may have to go later into the night or play half hour games, but we'll get through the program,'' she said.

The association's third turf field came into play in 2018.

The original field - named in memory of Allan 'Tate' Taylor, has been in operation since 1988. Manning was one of the first associations in regional NSW to construct a synthetic surface field.

Manning Hockey's second field, the Terry Launders Field, came into play in 2000. Terry Launders was a long-serving treasurer of Manning Hockey Association.