Golden 2000 Hockeyroos squad hold virtual reunion

A host of the Hockeyroos’ 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medal winning squad have come together for a special reunion to reminisce and celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their achievement.

Twenty years ago to the day of the Closing Ceremony to signal the end of the Sydney Olympics, members of that successful Hockeyroos squad, together with coaching and backroom staff, joined the unique reunion that was held virtually online over ‘Zoom’ due to the COVID restrictions.

The gold medal in Sydney was the culmination of the Hockeyroos claiming three gold medals from four consecutive Olympic Games, solidifying that golden generation as one of, if not the greatest teams in Olympic history.

A contingent of the Perth based players congregated at Coach Ric Charlesworth’s residence for the online reunion, while superstar forward Alyson Annan joined from the Netherlands where she is currently in charge of their national women’s team.

“Even now I look back at that time and what we achieved and what we did…what we had was unique,” reflected Annan.

“We had such a good team and were such good mates and respected each other for who we were and what we had to offer, and that was part of our mission statement and I continue to refer to that with everything I do.”

“I look back at our time and it was absolutely fantastic.”

Among the laughs, fond memories and updates, Hockey Australia President Melanie Woosnam and CEO Matt Favier conveyed their congratulations.

“Everyone is so proud of this group,” said Woosnam.

“Attending an Olympic Games is a significant achievement in itself, and you managed to win a gold medal on one of the toughest sporting stages in the world, made even more special being a home Olympics in Sydney.”

There was also a special recorded video message from Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates AC, as well as former Australian swimming coach and patriotic Aussie Lawrie Lawrence, who led the charge in the crowd when the Hockeyroos defeated Argentina in the gold medal match.

“You established yourselves as the finest ever hockey team that the world had seen, and certainly the finest ever Olympic team that the Australian Olympic Team has fielded,” said Mr Coates in his message.

“We all remember that Final against Argentina. We all gathered in the quadrangle at the back of the Olympic Village and marched on mass to the hockey stadium.

For Charlesworth, who had a reputation of demanding perfection and excellence, it is a time he still looks back on with great pride.

“It was a difficult year. We had our ups and downs and we had to deal with incredible expectations,” recalled Charlesworth.

“In the end we were well prepared and when it came to playing in finals, we accordingly played pretty well.”

The reunion was organised by Hockeyroos trio Juliet Haslam, Lisa Carruthers and Alison Peek.

“This was a special team to be part of and winning a gold medal at a home Olympics is something that we all cherish, we all share that unique bond,” said Haslam.
 
“One of the keys to our success was that we had an entire squad of amazing, talented and dedicated players who bought the best out of each other, we were all about ‘team first’ and being committed to the cause.”
 
“We also had an exceptional coaching and off field team that left no stone unturned in our quest for excellence and success.”
 
“To be able to catch up and see what everyone is up to 20 years on and to reminisce about stories from 2000 and those Olympics was wonderful.”

The Hockeyroos’ gold medal triumph over Argentina was one of the most watched games of any sport in Australian history, with just under 5 million people reported to have tuned in.