Little's award is richly deserved. His dedication to hockey and his achievements in the sport over more than 30 years have been truly remarkable.

He's a former president of Port Macquarie Hastings Hockey Association, which he joined in 1981.

Little has been representative coach, and in 1991 he was the assistant when the Hastings C graders won the Premier State Championship.

He's credited as a major player along with Paul Woolnough in getting a junior boys hockey competition up and running.

Little also helped start the summer and Saturday morning competitions.

A founding and life member of the Settlers Inn/Port City club, Little has been president, head coach and on the match committee.

It isn't bad for a bloke who only turned to hockey at age 30. Little played rugby league and football and coached football, but he was asked to mentor a B grade women's hockey team in which his wife, Judy, played.

"I coached soccer, and hockey and soccer are pretty similar positions," he said.

Little regards 1985 as his first big success. His B grade Settlers Inn women's team started the season with just four players, but ended up winning a title.

"We built it up," he said.

Teamwork and harmony are central to Little's ethos. He set up a table at the Inn that year which became known as Kenny's Corner.

"If someone had a problem, they'd come and speak to Ken," he said. "It's a team sport. Everyone's got to get on."

Little's work behind the scenes has often been as vital as his coaching and playing. In 2000, he was invited to the women's association meetings to bridge the gap with the men.

His playing time has also been extraordinary. This is the first year since 1990 a team he's in hasn't made the finals.

The 63-year-old is contemplating retirement. A knee injury looks to have put an end to his career. He's having surgery soon.

"If that fails, I could still play in the cage [goalkeeper]," he said. "I've done that before."