By: Hockey Australia

Hockey Australia is pleased to announce the Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey players selected to tour Malaysia in January/February 2010.

There is a good mix of youthful talent and experience in the team, which bodes well for the squad preparing for the World Cup in 2011.

First time tourers include talented youngsters Emma Godfrey, Jen Rowe and Claire Butcher who are also joined by Steph Riordan, Emily Carroll and Kellie McLeish. They will be ably guided by Melissa Eastwood (Capt) and Erica Trahar (Vice Capt) both of which performed exceptionally well on the tour to England and Scotland in December 2007.

The touring party also sees the return of Lauren Austin and Fiona Young who along with Melissa Eastwood were all part of the successful 2007 World Cup campaign, where Australia finished 6th out of 12, against world leaders Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Ukraine and Belarus.

Coach Mark Sandhu said he is impressed with the talent available and will be looking for strong performances from existing squad members and those wanting to compete for positions at the upcoming National Championships in Adelaide.

“The full squad will be participating in a two day training camp leading into the Championships, which will be a great opportunity for players to get to know each other before heading off on our Malaysian tour,” he said.

As part of preparing for the 2011 World Cup in Poznan Poland, Mark Sandhu will also attend the 2010 Euro Nations Indoor Championships in Duisburg Germany prior to the tour of Malaysia.

“This tournament will see the top six placed European teams qualify for the World Cup, and as such will be a highly competitive event. It will also be a great opportunity to see how these teams adapt to the recent rule changes introduced,” he added.

The Malaysian tour takes place with the full support of both Hockey Australia and the Malaysian Hockey Federation. The Australian team will be participating in high intensity training sessions before taking on the Malaysian national team in a series of matches.

With Malaysia in strong growth mode in the sport, indoor hockey is looking forward to the boost it has long deserved.


Australian Women’s Indoor Hockey Tour of Malaysia 26/1/2010-7/2/2010