Ausdrill ‘reset’ sees partnership end with Hockey Australia

The longstanding and successful partnership between Hockey Australia and Perenti subsidiary Ausdrill will finish at the end of the year.

Ausdrill’s association with Australia’s national hockey teams and High-Performance Program will have spanned a decade after starting in 2012.

In Ausdrill’s time as the Major Partner of the Hockeyroos, Australia’s national women’s hockey team climbed from seventh to as high as second in the world rankings.

The Hockeyroos won Gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a Silver medal at the World Cup in the same year and silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Ausdrill came on as a Supporting Partner of the Kookaburras in 2017, the period seeing Colin Batch’s team win the 2018 Commonwealth Games, inaugural FIH Pro League, reach number one in the world and achieve their recent Olympic Silver Medal in Tokyo.

In collaboration with Hockey Australia, the mining services company has also been instrumental in engagement and community development initiatives in remote regions of Western Australia.

This included taking the Hockeyroos to Kalgoorlie in the Goldfields of Western Australian in 2012 and 2013, as well as supporting the launch of a pilot hockey program in the region in 2020.

Ausdrill has also been a strong promoter of gender diversity in the mining industry and encouraging women working in the sector. These ambitions align with hockey’s standing as the most gender-equal sport.

The impact of Ausdrill’s backing also opened the door for a number of Hockeyroos athletes to explore career and professional development opportunities with the company.

“Hockey Australia has enjoyed a prosperous relationship with Ausdrill, and the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras have been fortunate to enjoy their support over an extended period,” said Hockey Australia GM - Commercial Tim Cherry.

“We thank Ausdrill for their commitment and contribution to our world class national teams and for helping us to promote our sport across Australia.

“Ausdrill’s commitment to providing career and professional development opportunities for our elite female athletes in particular has been a major contributor to their success both on and off the pitch.”

“The landscape of sport sponsorship is ever-evolving, and while this signals the end of a chapter, we look forward to exploring and engaging other exciting opportunities with similar organisations who share our values of leadership, excellence, integrity and inclusion.”

Perenti Chief People Officer Ben Davis thanked Hockey Australia, the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras for their support over the ten year period.

“We have been incredibly proud to have partnered with the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras and to have been a part of their successful sporting journey since 2012,” Mr Davis said.

“Over that time we have experienced the highs and lows of sport together and that has created a strong bond between both organisations and players. It has been a privilege to offer employment and development opportunities to a number of Hockeyroos during that time.

“As with all businesses, our focus and objectives have changed and evolved over time and we wish Hockey Australia, the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras every success beyond our partnership.”

Hockey Australia is continually searching for new corporate partners and organisations who are interested in aligning themselves with one of Australia’s most successful Olympic team sports and one renowned for its gender equality and strong family values.