Hockey Australia is an organisation that formed from the merger of the Australian Hockey Association and Women's Hockey Australia in 2000. It is the national body responsible for the promotion, development and administration of
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Hockey Australia is a full member of the
International Hockey Federation
The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (English: International Hockey Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. ...
, and comprises the State and Territory associations.
History
The British Army has been credited with the spread of hockey throughout the world, but in Australia's case, the British Navy deserves the honours. In the late 1800s, Australia did not have a naval fleet of its own and relied upon the Royal Navy for the security of the coastline. The British Naval officers stationed in Australia taught the locals the game of hockey and laid the foundations for a sport which Australians have developed and mastered.
National teams
Hockey Australia is the governing body that oversees Australia's National Teams.
*The
Kookaburras
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
(Men)
*The
Hockeyroos
The Australia women's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Hockeyroos) are, as of January 2019, ranked third in the world. Having played their first game in 1914, and their first Olympic game in 1984, they are one of Australia's most succes ...
1991–2018 (Men) 1991-2018 (Women), Replaced by Hockey One
* Hockey One 2019–Present (Men & Women)
* National Championships Last Run in 1993 (Women) 1994 (Men), Replaced by AHL
*Under 21 National Championships
*Under 18 National Championships
*Under 15 National Championships
*Under 13 Australian Carnival
*National Country Championships
*Veterans National Championships
*Under 13 Indoor National Carnival
*Under 15 Indoor National Championships
*Under 21 Indoor National Championships
*Under 18 Indoor National Championships
*Opens Indoor National Championships
In August 2015, Hockey Australia announced its Indoor Australian Championships will be held in Wollongong in 2016 and 2017. The three-week festival of indoor hockey will be played at the Illawarra Hockey Centre, in
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...
. Championships will be played in Open, Under 15, Under 18 and the Under 21 categories, as well as a new Under 13 event, over the 23 days. This is the first time all Australian Indoor Championships are held in one venue.
is the premier field hockey competition in Australia, it began in 1991, with its arrival the Open National Championships were discontinued.
Women
* Open National Championships were discontinued after 1994, so for the early years of the AHL there was also a National Championships.
* From 2014 onwards, the Under 18 National Championships have been contested by 10 teams, with New South Wales and Victoria each fielding 2 teams. In 2016 this number increased to 11 with the addition of a second Queensland team.
* From 2010 onwards, Hockey Australia have not played a finals series in the U15 National Championships, so the winners were the teams ranked highest on the ladder after the round-robin competition. In 2014 Hockey Australia increased the number of teams to 12 with the stronger states (NSW, QLD, VIC, WA) fielding two teams each, playoff matches were reintroduced.
* The Under 13 National Championship was included as a full National Championship from 2011. Prior to this an invitational event was run and sanctioned by Hockey Australia, but did not hold National Championship status. Similarly to the U15 competition, there is no finals series and the Champion is the team ranked highest on the ladder at the conclusion of the competition. In 2014 Hockey Australia increased the number of teams to 12 with the stronger states (NSW, QLD, VIC, WA) fielding two teams each. In 2015 Hockey Australia renamed this event as an Australian Carnival, with the stronger states (NSW, QLD, VIC, WA) required to pick even teams in order to promote participation over elitism, matches are also shortened to 20 minute halves with a full round robin.
Australia women's national field hockey team
The Australia women's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Hockeyroos) are, as of January 2019, ranked third in the world. Having played their first game in 1914, and their first Olympic game in 1984, they are one of Australia's most succes ...
Indoor field hockey
Indoor hockey is an indoor variant of field hockey. It is similar to the outdoor game in that two teams compete to move a hard ball into the goal of the opposing side using hockey sticks. Indoor hockey is played on a smaller area and between sm ...
*
Indoor Hockey World Cup Indoor Hockey World Cup may refer to:
* Men's Indoor Hockey World Cup
* Women's Indoor Hockey World Cup
{{disambiguation ...
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...