Government investment 'great news' for hockey high performance

Hockey Australia President Melanie Woosnam has welcomed the announcement from the Federal Government of a $50.6 million dollar additional investment into high performance sport over the next two years.

“This is great news for the high performance sector and for hockey,” said Woosnam.

“This announcement provides the much needed funding certainty to Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports who, due to the impact of COVID-19, have been navigating a very uncertain funding situation.

“While we are still yet to understand all of the details, with our national teams consistently being ranked in the top 3 in the world since the Rio Olympics, we are excited about where we are regarding our preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”

“I would particularly like to thank Federal Government and Sports Minister, Richard Colbeck for taking this step that will now allow our sport to confidently resume planning and preparation for the next two years.

“The Board and Management of Hockey Australia also recognise the significant efforts by Sport Australia Chair, Mr John Wylie, Australian Institute of Sport CEO Mr Peter Conde and Sport Australia acting CEO, Mr Rob Dalton in securing this support on behalf of the sector.”

“We must also thank and acknowledge the efforts from Matt Carroll and the Australian Olympic Committee in relation to securing this support.”

With hockey in the process of resuming at various stages around the country, Woosnam said the announcement added to the anticipation.

“Hockey Australia, like all other sports, have been doing it pretty tough, but are now really excited about the resumption of play for our community,” said Woosnam.

“We have been working really hard to remain connected during COVID-19 through our digital platforms, but there is nothing like being connected in person.

“Like all sectors, we have been impacted at every level and have had to take steps to reduce our workforce and close our high performance centre in Perth.

“The shifting of the Tokyo Olympic Games from 2020 to 2021 has created a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety, but we believe we have navigated our way through this by taking sensible and careful steps.

“Our players have been incredibly resilient during this period and have also been highly engaged and supportive of our efforts to remain connected. I know that they cannot wait to represent Australia in Tokyo next year and Birmingham in 2022.”