Hockeyroos and Kookaburras secure additional support for Paris

The Hockeyroos’ and Kookaburras’ pathway to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has received another significant boost courtesy of a second stream of funding from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

The majority of funding allocated to Hockey Australia through its successful application will go towards supporting the Hockeyroos program to become centralised from January next year.

With the women’s high performance program forced to de-centralise since the start of 2022, this funding means every Hockeyroos athlete will be based in Perth for the seven month period leading up to the Paris Olympic Games.

The funding will also benefit the Kookaburras’ Olympic preparations through High Performance Mindset work, plus enhanced physiotherapy support for both programs.

Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles said it was a fantastic outcome as Australia’s national women’s and men’s hockey teams set their sights on a podium finish in Paris.

“We are grateful and thankful to Federal Minister for Sport Annika Wells and the Australian Sports Commission for this extra investment and recognising the positive impact and difference it will make to our women’s and men’s high performance programs,” said Pryles.

“To have the full Hockeyroos and Kookaburras squads at the hockey High Performance Unit in Perth next year is crucial as we continue to create a world class training environment for our athletes to achieve success.”

The ASC’s $5 million second stream funding boost is part of a $20 million commitment from the Australian Government announced in July to significantly enhance medal potential and improve the performance of Australian athletes in Paris.

The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras secured their place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning the Oceania Cup against Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand last month.