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Clearinghouse for Sport
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Hockey

A sport where two teams use sticks to hit a ball into the opposition's goals.

Hockey was first introduced in Australia by British Naval officers in the late 1800s. Australia’s first national association, the Australian Women’s Hockey Association (AWHA) was formed in 1910. 1

Discover more about hockey through the Clearinghouse evidence base:

Evolution:

  • Australian Women’s Hockey Association (AWHA) [1910-1991]
  • Women's Hockey Australia [1991-2000]
  • Australian Hockey Association (AHA) [1925-2000]
  • Hockey Australia [2000-]

Participation

An estimated 99,500 Australians [aged 15+] participated in hockey at least once in 2024. 2

An estimated 36,000 Australian children [aged 0-14] participated in hockey at least once in 2024. 2

An estimated 50,000 Australian women [aged 15+] and an estimated 49,000 Australian men [aged 15+] participated in hockey at least once in 2024. 2

Explore further participation statistics for hockey through the AusPlay online portal., opens in a new tab

Governing body

Hockey Australia is an organisation recognised by government at all levels as the National controlling body for the sport of hockey in Australia.

In 1925, the Australian Hockey Association (AHA) was created as the national governing body for male hockey.

In 1991, Australian Women’s Hockey Association renamed to Women's Hockey Australia.

The AHA and Women's Hockey Australia ran as separate organisations until 2000 when they merged to become Hockey Australia.1  

REFERENCES
  1. History, opens in a new tab, Hockey Australia (accessed 7 January 2026)
  2. AusPlay Data Portal: Participation by activity, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 15 October 2025)

Documents

The Clearinghouse for Sport has sought permission from relevant organisations for the inclusion of their documents in this archive. Copyright ownership remains vested with the organisation and as such permission from the copyright owner should be sought if you wish to communicate, adapt or reproduce these documents.

Australian Hockey Association Annual Report for 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1992 not held.

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