Four rivals are bidding to unseat Perth as the home of Australia’s world-class hockey program in what would be a 40-year shake-up to follow the Paris Olympics.
Hockey ACT, Hockey NSW, Hockey Queensland and Hockey Victoria have all submitted expressions of interest to become the sport’s hub, while Hockey WA will fight to keep the program in Perth once their contract expires in December 2024.
Hockey Australia wants to bring the sport’s world-class program closer to its headquarters in Melbourne.Credit:Photosport NZ
Perth has been hockey’s high-performance base since 1984 but Hockey Australia, with its offices currently based in Melbourne, is seeking to create a single hub combining the departments.
Bids will receive feedback after they present to a five-person panel made up of HA board directors, the high-performance director and independent members.
Those bids will be finalised in September with a decision expected by the end of 2022.
It’s understood Hockey WA remains strongly backed and will present a strong case to continue the sport’s presence in Perth.
But with Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics on the horizon, HA is buoyed by the level of interest from rival associations.
“Hockey Australia’s ambition is to co-locate our high-performance program and head office within a world-class hockey centre, capable of accommodating our national squads, supporting our high-performance staff, our head office staff and supporting the delivery of world-class broadcasted hockey events,” HA boss David Pryles said when expressions of interest opened in March.
“Our national teams are among the best in the world and have constantly inspired the nation through their performances. To continue this sustained podium success with a focus on medals at Olympic Games we need to implement the world’s best development support systems and environment for all athletes and staff.”
The Kookaburras recently romped to a seventh-straight Commonwealth Games gold medal after settling for silver at the Tokyo Olympics in a shootout loss to Belgium.
The rebuilt Hockeyroos were third at this year’s World Cup and claimed silver at Birmingham’s Games earlier this month.
AAP
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