National Women’s Squad named for next Indoor World Cup
Published Mon 20 Jan 2020
Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey Head Coach, Mark Sandhu has announced an extended 25-player squad for the ensuing Indoor Hockey World Cup.
The players selected herald from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia following the recent conclusion of the Open Division of the Australian Indoor Hockey Festival.
“This squad builds on the successes of the 2019 squad which attended a rigorous training camp as well as touring Austria and Russia,” said Sandhu.
“The Open Women’s Team won the 2019 Vienna Indoor Classic and the U21 team placed 5th in the Moscow Nights tournament against senior sides from both Russia and Belarus.
“The majority of those players have taken the experience and learnings from the training camp and tours and applied them when competing in the Australian Championships.
“The end result is a stronger, more flexible and tactically aware group of players. We have also added players with attacking speed and counter attacking skills to the squad.”
The average age of the squad is just under 24 years and includes players with experience in 13 World Cups. Tegan Boucher and Emma McLeish have represented Australia at the 2011, 2015 and 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cups, while Lauren Austin (2007, 2018), Kyah Gray (2015, 2018), Tamsin Bunt (2018), Karri Somerville (2018) and Elizabeth Duguid (2018) have also competed in previous World Cups.
“The announcement of the 2020 squad is the next step in continuing the necessary change both on and off the pitch,” said Sandhu.
“To improve our performance at the World Cup and our world ranking we must take risks, continue to make hard decisions, learn from our previous results and look to improve our culture as it relates to high performance, our integrity and accountability.
“The next six months are just as crucial for every squad member, as is the three day selection camp in August 2020 to select the World Cup team.”
Players will attend an intensive three-day selection camp in August, where the final team of 12 players will be selected to represent Australia at the Indoor Hockey World Cup. The timing of the tournament is to be confirmed, although it could take place as early as February 2021. Australia has competed in ever Indoor Hockey World Cup, which has been held five times since 2003. The Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey Team will be aiming to improve on its 2018 performance and earn a spot on the podium.
Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey World Cup Squad
AUSTIN, Lauren (WA) (2007, 2018 World Cups)
BOUCHER, Tegan (VIC) (2011, 2015, 2018 World Cups)
BRITTON, Tayla (WA)
BUNT, Tamsin (NSW) (2018 World Cup)
BURNS, Caitlin (NSW)
BURNS, Erin (NSW)
DOWELL, Aymee (QLD) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
DUGUID, Elizabeth (WA) (2018 World Cup)
EVANS, Mikayla (ACT) (Debut in Australian Squad)
FIELD, Litiana (NSW) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
GILBAR, Holly (QLD) (Debut in Australian Squad)
GRAY, Kyah (NSW) (2015, 2018 World Cups)
HUGHES, Kelsey (NSW) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
LEARD, Amelia (NSW)
McLEISH, Emma (NSW) (2011, 2015, 2018 World Cups)
NEWMAN, Zoe (NSW) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
ROBERTS, Anna (WA)
PEARSON, Alissia (TAS)
PRICE, Aleisha (ACT) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
REID, Emma (WA) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
SOMERVILLE, Karri (WA) (2018 World Cup) *Selected under HAHPP exemption
SCRIVEN, Emma (NSW)
THOMSON, Taylor (ACT) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Team)
VANDERZWAN, Jade (WA) (Debut in Australian Squad)
YEARBURY, Nicole (QLD) (Elevated from 2019 U21 Shadow list)
*Indoor World Cup Squad selected from 2020 Australian Women’s National Indoor Hockey Championship, Unanderra, NSW 4-7 January 2020. The Indoor World Cup Squad will attend a 3-day selection camp from 14-16 August 2020, from which the Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey World Cup Team will be selected.