Hockeyroos and Kookaburras secure funding from WA Government
Published Tue 01 Aug 2023
The Hockeyroos’ and Kookaburras’ pursuit for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has been given another significant boost with the Western Australian Government announcing an additional $400,000 investment into Australia’s flagship national hockey teams.
The additional funding will help the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras preparation and training for the upcoming Qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The WA Government, Hockey WA and the Western Australian Institute of Sport already committed $135 million last year to develop a new Hockey Australia High-Performance Centre of Excellence in Perth.
The ground-breaking development is a key component of Hockey Australia’s strategic goal to deliver a world-class high-performance environment for Australian hockey’s top talent, now and in the future.
“We are grateful of this considerable support by the Western Australian Government, which will help our Hockeyroos and Kookaburras in the lead up to the 2024 Games,” said Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles.
“It truly underlines their passion and commitment to the sport of hockey in Australia and their desire to help our national teams be the world’s best. We also continue to be appreciative of the ongoing commitment by Hockey WA in supporting our high-performance goals.”
“The funding will make an influential and markedly positive impact on the teams’ preparations and ability to reach the level of excellence required.
“The Olympic Games is the pinnacle for hockey athletes and this funding will allow our world class players, their coaching and support staff to leave no stone unturned in their ambition to be standing on the top of the dais next year.”
WA Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman said: “The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras have a long and proud history of success and we are pleased to support their hard work to achieve Olympic gold and beyond.”
“Success is never automatic. The road to Paris will be challenging and both teams will need to stay focused to keep their world rankings in an increasingly competitive environment.
“Through this targeted, high-performance investment, the WA Government hopes to give our elite teams the greatest opportunity to win. We wish them all the best with their preparations for Paris.”
The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras first opportunity to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is at the Oceania Cup, which sees the two teams take on their New Zealand counterparts. The event takes place from 10-13 August in Whangarei New Zealand. Australian audiences can watch all matches live and free on 7plus.
