The much anticipated double header between HC Melbourne and NSW Pride will mark the long-awaited return of the league after COVID caused a two-year hiatus.

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Nowra's Callum Mackay and Gerringong's Grace Stewart are both important fixtures in the NSW Prides sides.

The two male and female Pride squads are made up of the best hockey athletes from across the state, and were recently selected at the Hockey NSW Open State Championships in Newcastle and Tamworth.

Stewart has had a fantastic career so far, debuting for the Hockeyroos back in 2016, scoring in her first match, going on to later be selected for the Olympics squad.

The Hockeyroos had a strong run at the 2020 Olympics, going undefeated in the preliminary matches, only conceding one goal in five outings, but ended up losing in the quarter-finals 1-0 to a strong Indian side.

Mackay has been a regular for the NSW Blues in recent years, being lauded for his consistent play and hounding pressure he puts on opponents.

He currently coaches and plays for the University of Wollongong team in the Illawarra South Coast League, coming off a premiership winning season last year.

The blockbuster double header will take place at Melbourne Sports Centre, Parkville on September 29.

Hockey One General Manager Andy Crook is confident the league will capture the imagination of the Australian sporting public and be an appealing entertainment product for hockey and sports fans alike.

"Hockey fans have had to wait but we can now confirm the schedule with assuredness and plan for the league to return in a big way," said Crook.

"Having the fixtures locked in is a significant step to getting the league back in the minds of hockey fans."

Hockey One is the only elite domestic league in Australia that is truly gender equal with each fixture being a double header comprising a men's and women's match.

The league features some of the world's best hockey talent with the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos ranked top three globally.

"We are blessed and fortunate in this country to have some of the world's best hockey players, so the competition and standard of the league is elite," said Crook.

As in the inaugural season, the 'conversion' rule which is unique to the Sultana Bran Hockey One League will be retained. The rule allows players to double down after scoring a field goal by subsequently converting a one-on-one shoot out with the opposition goalkeeper.

Every match that is tied at the end of full time will again be decided by a penalty shootout to ensure a result.

Match times and broadcast details, plus information on the finals series are to be confirmed.