A thank you to the Australian Hockey Community from the Hockey Australia CEO

To the Australian Hockey Community, 

I would like to thank you for your support of our great game of Hockey whether that be by picking up a stick and playing, coaching, umpiring, volunteering or just supporting hockey here in Australia and abroad in 2024. 

With the spotlight shining on our great game, we celebrated a year of steady growth, particularly at the grassroots level and through our player pathways program. At the same time, our Kookaburras and Hockeyroos were competing valiantly during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

We can’t thank you enough for your support throughout 2024, but particularly during the Olympic Games. We loved seeing all of the photos from fans in Paris and back home as the community rallied around the campaign and I know our players and staff in Paris all felt your support.  

It wasn’t the result we were hoping for or the result we believed we were in line for across both of our teams, but we are incredibly proud of how our teams prepared and performed as they dedicated themselves to the campaign.  

In the aftermath, we farewelled some of our greatest players to play the game. Hockeyroos co-captains Jane Claxton, Brooke Peris, and star defender Renee Taylor retired from the top level. As well as our Kookaburras captain, Aran Zalewski, Aussie’s most capped goalkeeper ever, Andrew Charter, Queensland stalwarts Jake Whetton and Daniel Beale and Matt Dawson, who, you might remember, made the ultimate sacrifice, amputating the top of his finger ahead of the Kookaburra’s pursuit for gold in Paris. 

We also farewelled Eddie Ockenden, after a record-setting career with the men’s national team. A captain for many years, Eddie amassed 451 international caps outside of five Olympic Games appearances before proudly carrying the Australian flag for the country at this year’s Olympics Opening Ceremony. The accolades go on and on for Eddie. We congratulate him and look forward to having his experience remain in hockey with his new role at the Tasmanian Institute for Sport.  

Thank you to all of our retiring players for their commitment and passion which has left a lasting legacy on the game. 

On home soil, Aussies enjoyed the Kookaburras clean-sweep series over India at the Perth International Festival of Hockey before triumphing as champions in season six of the FIH Pro League. We farewelled Colin Batch and thank him for his long-term commitment to the Kookaburras program, and we welcome Mark Hager as he prepares to lead the Kookaburras into a new era to the 2026 World Cup and LA 2028 Olympic Games. 

The Hockeyroos enjoyed consistent success on the world stage, building nicely to become a powerful force at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and remain unbeaten in their pool. Now positioned in the top five in the world, we are delighted to retain Katrina Powell’s leadership through to the LA 2028 Olympic Games, and we look forward to seeing Katrina and the Hockeyroos continue the positive culture that has developed strongly over the last three years. 

Congratulations to HC Melbourne and the Perth Thundersticks who made history as first-time winners of the Liberty Hockey One League. Their success capped another record season for the League as it continues to go from strength to strength.  

We were thrilled to secure Kookaburra Sport as the major partner of the Kookaburras for the next three years, renewing one of Australian sport’s most endearing, long-standing partnerships. We thank them for their support from Hookin2Hockey right through to the elite level, especially with the best brand alignment in world sport! 

We are pleased to welcome new and renewed partners, including Adina Hotels, Sportslink Travel, East Coast Car Rentals and Liberty, who recently signed as a major naming rights partner for the 2024 Liberty Hockey One League. We can’t thank all of our partners enough for their ongoing support. 

Our national participation program for 5 – 12 year olds, Hookin2Hockey, accelerated in 2024. We are pleased to have over 240 clubs as official Hookin2Hockey program providers across Australia, up 142% from 99 clubs in 2023. The growth was helped by our first dedicated Hookin2Hockey month promotional competition in February, and we will have even more prizes on offer in 2025, as we drive participation numbers with more ‘Bring a Friend’ initiatives. 

I am also pleased that Under 12 playing numbers increased by over 18% from 2023. 

Further, Hockey Australia will run a National Roadshow in every state and territory in 2025. These sessions will focus on the Modern Approach to Coaching and will target Hookin2Hockey Coordinators, Junior Coordinators, Participation Staff, and Community Coach Developers. 

At the start of the year, Hockey Australia strengthened its commitment to protecting the hockey community when it adopted the SIA National Integrity Framework, further improving how complaints and concerns within our community are managed. 

Thanks to an anonymous donor, we have been able to relaunch the Hockey Australia Foundation, which has enabled fantastic work in the Northern Territory as well as other remote and regional communities in Australia. Seeing our sport enjoyed in all corners of the country is fantastic and we look forward to this expanding in 2025 with the help of the foundation. 

We are eagerly awaiting the start of development on the brand-new Hockey Australia Centre of Excellence in Perth, which will get underway next year after receiving the green light to go ahead last month.  

The High-Performance Facility will be world-class, rivalling any other hockey facility in the world, and we know it will add immense value to our High Performance programme both on and off the pitch. 

I can’t thank everybody involved in our great game enough for a mammoth year in our sport across the country. From all of our players to coaches, officials, and the many volunteers thank you for your commitment to the game. 

Following a big year in 2024, I know I echo the sentiment of the entire Australian hockey family in looking forward to what 2025 will bring and there’s no better way to kick it off. In as little as six weeks, the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos begin their journey to LA 2028 right here on home soil, when the FIH Pro League returns to our shores for the first time in two years.  

You can join us at Sydney Olympic Park from 4 – 9 February by getting your tickets at Ticketek, or you can continue to watch all Kookaburras and Hockeyroos matches live and free on 7Plus. 

We hope to see you all there! In the meantime, take care and enjoy the festive season, we look forward to seeing you all in 2025. 
 
Best regards,

David Pryles 
CEO, Hockey Australia