With an eye on the Brisbane Olympic Games of 2032, hockey has launched a futures academy program to help create a pipeline for Hockeyroos and Kookaburras.
The program is a joint effort between Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) and Hockey NSW.
It’s designed to propel the sport of hockey towards excellence and innovation on the pathway to the 2032 Olympic Games – and with the support of the RAS will assist in the development of regional athletes from across the state.
The South West Sydney Academy of Sport (SWSAS), through its chief executive officer Gerry Knight, also known as Mr Hockey, is a major influence on the new pathway.
“After joining then Campbelltown Hockey Association in 1977, and still playing in its senior men’s competition, Gerry Knights is well aware of the sport’s development needs and continues to be an active influence on its junior development pathway,’’ says the chair of the RAS, Brett O’Farrell.
“This exciting program holds immense significance for our budding female and male hockey talents in South West Sydney, particularly for those proudly representing the Metro South West Hockey Association, which includes the powerhouse Moorebank Liverpool Hockey Club,’’ Mr O’Farrell said.
“To work with the state’s most promising young athletes 10 years out from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games is quite exciting.’’
The role of RAS in the futures academy program will be to provide performance support to the state’s leading regional athletes, essentially preparing talented young pre-elite male and female athletes for the rigours of the elite levels of their chosen sport.
SWSAS will also be operating a tier two development program within the region to talent identify and provide a further opportunity for those pathway athletes in the sport.
Nominations for the 2023-2024 Club Menangle hockey program are now open with further details available on the academy’s website www.swsas.org.au.
Pictured above are SWSAS hockey athletes Charlotte Manny and Nathan Julius with Gerry Knights (CEO), Brent Livermore (Hockey NSW) and Nathan Czinner (NSW Pride player)
