The Australia women's national field hockey team (nicknamed Hockeyroos) are Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

's national women's hockey team.

Having played their first game in 1914,they are one of Australia’s most successful sporting teams, boasting three Olympic Gold
Medals from the past six Games as well as winning two World Cups (1994, 1998) and three Commonwealth Games Gold Medals (1998, 2006, 2010).

The Hockeyroos have been crowned Australia’s Team of the Year five times and were unanimously awarded Best Australian Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

A notable part of the Hockeyroos colourful history has involved Ric Charlesworth. Charlesworth was at the helm of the Hockeyroos from 1993 to 2000, where his reign as coach saw the team win the 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 Champions Trophies, 1994 and 1998 World Cups and the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Charlesworth took the Hockeyroos to the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games where the team won back-to-back gold medals.

Given the extent of the Hockeyroos success, the team has consistently remained at the top of the world hockey rankings. From the late 1980s until 2000, the Australian team was ranked at number 1 in the world. Only once during this period, did the Hockeyroos fail to win a tournament, when they finished second.

Rechelle Hawkes

As part of the Olympic team in 1988, 1992, 1996,1999 and 2000, Rechelle Hawkes

Rechelle Hawkes

Rechelle Margaret Hawkes was the captain of the Australian Women’s Hockey Team, best known as the Hockeyroos, for eight years and is one of only two Australian females to win three Olympic gold medals at three separate Olympic Games: Sydney 2000, Atlanta 1996 and Seoul 1988.Hawkes also competed at...

 is one of the most revered Hockeyroos of all time. Such is her status in international hockey that she is among the most successful female players in the history of the sport.
Hawkes is the only female hockey player to win three Olympic gold medals at three separate games. After 279 international matches,
Hawkes retired following the Sydney Olympic Games where the Hockeyroos again won gold. In recognition of her contribution to
Australian sport, Rechelle was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2002.

Alyson Annan

Alyson Annan

Alyson Annan

Alyson Regina Annan OAM in Wentworthville, New South Wales is a former field hockey player from Australia, who earned a total number of 228 international caps for the Women's National Team, in which she scored 166 goals....

 is also one of more prominent figures in the history of the Hockeyroos. Annan debuted in the Australian side at the age of 18 and became renowned for her prowess in front of goal, scoring 166 goals during her career. She was widely regarded as the sharpest shooter in international women’s hockey during the 1990s which was acknowledged when she won the World Hockey Player of
the Year in 1999. Annan represented Australia 228 times, and was part of the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Gold Medal winning teams. Annan remains the Hockeyroos highest goal scorer.

Nikki Hudson

As a highly recognised Hockeyroo, Nikki Hudson has become one of the most identifiable Australian athletes. Retiring in 2009, the striker has already become the highest capped player in the history of the Hockeyroos, finishing on 303 games (the only Hockeyroo to play over 300 games). Since her debut in 1993 at the age of 17, Hudson had scored 99 goals in international competition. In 2008, she played in her third successive Olympic Games.

The Hockeyroos today

After two successive Olympic campaigns without a medal, the Hockeyroos are currently going through a transition period and are currently ranked 6th in the world.
The Hockeyroos were extremely unlucky not to have advanced to the semi finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics after finishing the rounds on 10 points, the same as China to finish second on the pool table. However, a slightly better goal difference to China
saw them advance instead of Australia – this was the first time a team had finished on 10 points but not advance to the finals at an Olympic Games.

Following this a number of players retired, however a core group of experienced players such as captain Madonna Blyth, Casey Eastham and Kobie McGurk still remain, with these players quickly becoming leaders of what is now quite a young team. After finishing fifth at the 2010 World Cup the Hockeyroos bounced back a few weeks later at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, defeating New Zealand in the final to win their third gold medal.

Following this tournament coach Frank Murray announced his retirement. Murray was replaced by former Kookaburra Adam Commens in November 2010.

Although the team is young they are also extremely talented, and looking forward to creating their own history as the team heads confidently towards the 2012 London Olympics. They recently won the inaugural International Super Series in Perth, playing against India and Malaysia in a modified 9-a-side format.

Records

Hockeyroos international games

• 1. Nikki Hudson 303
• 2. Rechelle Hawkes 279
• 3. Karen Smith 271
• 4. Katrina Powell 252
• 5. Louise Dobson 230
• 6. Lisa Carruthers 230

Hockeyroos international goals

• 1. Alyson Annan 166
• 2. Katrina Powell 141
• 3. Jacqui Pereira 109
• 4. Nikki Hudson 93
• 5. Jenny Morris 83

• Captain: Madonna Blyth
• Coach: Adam Commens
• Assistant Coach: Katrina Powell

Major achievements

3 Olympic

Field hockey at the Summer Olympics

Field hockey was introduced at the Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition at the 1908 Games in London, with six teams, including four from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....

 Medals

Gold

• 2000 Sydney
• 1996 Atlanta
• 1988 Seoul

4 World Cup Medals

Women's Hockey World Cup

The Women's Hockey World Cup is the field hockey World Cup competition for women, whose format for qualification and final tournament is similar to the men's. It has been held since 1974. The tournament has been organised by the International Hockey Federation since they merged with the...

Gold

• 1998 Utrecht
• 1994 Dublin

Silver

• 1990 Sydney

Bronze

• 1983 Kuala Lumpur

4 Commonwealth Games Medals

Hockey at the Commonwealth Games

Field hockey became a permanent sport in the Commonwealth Games with its introduction in 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur.-Summaries:-Medalists:-Summaries:-Medalists:...

Gold

• 2010 New Delhi
• 2006 Melbourne
• 1998
  Women's Hockey at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
  *Thursday 1998-09-10*Saturday 1998-09-12*Monday 1998-09-14*Tuesday 1998-09-15*Wednesday 1998-09-16*Thursday 1998-09-17-Pool B:All times local *Wednesday 1998-09-09*Thursday 1998-09-10*Saturday 1998-09-12...
  
   Kuala Lumpur

Bronze

• 2002 Manchester

11 Champions Trophy Medals

Gold

• 2003 Sydney
• 1999 Brisbane
• 1997 Berlin
• 1995 Mar Del Plata
• 1993 Amsterdam
• 1991 Berlin

Silver

• 2005 Canberra
• 1989 Frankfurt
• 1987 Amsterdam

Bronze

• 2001 Rotterdam
• 2000 Amsterdam

7 Oceania Cup

Oceania Cup

The Oceania Cup is an international men's and women's field hockey competition organised by Oceania Hockey Federation . It is held every two years to determine which teams will receive an automatic berth to the Hockey World Cup and Summer Olympic Games....

 Medals

Gold

• 1999, Sydney, Australia
• 2001, New Zealand
• 2001, Melbourne, Australia / Auckland, New Zealand
• 2005, Suva, Fiji

Silver

• 2007, Buderim, Australia
• 2009, Invercargill, New Zealand
• 2011, Hobart, Australia

Roster as of 2011

• Teneal Attard (QLD Scorchers)
• Madonna Blyth (Captain) (QLD Scorchers)
• Fiona Boyce (WA Diamonds)
• Jade Close (NSW Arrows)
• Toni Cronk
  Toni Cronk
  Toni Maree Cronk is a field hockey goalkeeper from Australia, who made her debut for the Australian women's national team in October 2001 in the test series against New Zealand in Melbourne...
  
   (NSW Arrows)
• Casey Eastham
  Casey Eastham
  Casey Eastham is an Australian Women's Field Hockey player. She made her debut for the Australian Women's Hockey Team also known as the Hockeyroos at the Four Nations Tournament in the USA aged 17. Her AHL team is the New South Wales Arrows...
  
  (NSW Arrows)
• Holly Evans (Southern Suns)
• Anna Flannagan (ACT Strikers)
• Bianca Greenshields (Southern Suns)
• Marnie Hudson (QLD Scorchers)
• Emily Hurtz (NSW Arrows)
• Kate Jenner (NSW Arrows)
• Stacia Joseph (VIC Vipers)
• Rachel Lynch (VIC Vipers)
• Jacklyn McRae (NSW Arrows)
• Kobie McGurk (WA Diamonds)
• Georgia Nanscawen (VIC Vipers)
• Ashleigh Nelson (WA Diamonds)
• Georgie Parker (Southern Suns)
• Megan Rivers (NSW Arrows)
• Jodie Schulz (QLD Scorchers)
• Elise Stacy (Southern Suns)
• Jayde Taylor (WA Diamonds)
• Renaee Trost (VIC Vipers)
• Jade Warrender (NSW Arrows)
• Holly Webster (NSW Arrows)

External links

• Official Website