MANNING Hockey president Craig Colvin admits the loss of Port Macquarie from this year's A-grade men's competition has effectively killed the premier league concept on the Mid North Coast.

However, he hopes a similar competition will start in the future.

Four sides will now contest the Manning A-grade competition this season, with Wingham stepping up to take Port's place.

Port fielded a side in the Manning A-grade last year.

"Because of their numbers Port's going back to their own competition to help build it up,'' Mr Colvin said.

"We fully understand that. They're getting a second turf field up there and they have a huge junior base.''

Mr Colvin believes there is interest in the Hastings to eventually playing with Manning clubs in a premier league-style competition but admits this won't happen in the short term.

The Mid North Coast Premier League started in 1998 and initially involved eight sides from the Manning and Hastings associations. This included a team from the Great Lakes. There were also initial plans to extend the league to include the Macleay area, although this didn't eventuate.

Last year Port Macquarie was the only Hastings representative in the competition. Port City made the premier league grand final in 2013 when beaten by Chatham.

Since 1998 Manning clubs have dominated the competition and there has been a gradual decline in the number of clubs from the Hastings area. Great Lakes hasn't been represented in the premier league for a number of seasons.

Mr Colvin admits the demise of the premier league is 'disappointing.' However, he remains confident a similar inter-town competition will eventually come into play. "There's been some informal talk of a competition involving the Manning, Hastings, Coffs Harbour and Grafton,'' he said.

"The only problem at the moment would be that Coffs Harbour only has the one turf field.''

Mr Colvin doesn't believe the increased travel would be a turn off to players, especially for matches involving Manning clubs against teams from Grafton.

"Travel isn't such a big thing these days,'' he said.

The four teams involved in this year's Manning A-grade competition to start later this month are Chatham, Sharks, Tigers and Wingham and Mr Colvin believes it will be a closely contested race.

"Wingham won division two last season and have stepped up this year,'' Mr Colvin said.

Chatham are the defending premiers.