Australia: Kookaburras & Hockeyroos set to play on home soil one last time before Paris 2024

Hockey Australia in partnership with the Western Australian Government, through Tourism Western Australia, are excited to announce a brand-new International Festival of Hockey to be hosted in Perth this April. The event has also been made possible thanks to the support from Commonwealth Games Australia as part of their Green2Gold2Great program, which aims to propel Australia’s charges forward on the world stage.
   
The month-long Festival will see Australia’s iconic women’s and men’s hockey teams, the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, play against some of the world’s best. It will be the last and only chance fans have to see the teams in action on home soil before they head to the Olympic Games in Paris this year.
   
The Kookaburras will kick off the Perth International Festival of Hockey, reigniting a classic rivalry with a five-Test series against India from Saturday 6th – Saturday 13th April. It is set to be an epic battle with the Kookaburras currently sitting fifth on the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s World Rankings, while India sits just above them in fourth.
   
The Hockeyroos will then compete in a Test series against China, and Japan from Friday 19th – Sunday 28th April. Australia, China and Japan all sit in the top 10 of the FIH Women’s World Rankings, with the Hockeyroos fourth ahead of China at eight and Japan tenth. All national teams involved in the Perth International Festival of Hockey have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Festival will also see Australian development teams compete in what will be a crucial last chance to earn a spot in the Australian Olympic Team. All matches will be played at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University, with all Hockeyroos and Kookaburras matches streamed LIVE and FREE on 7Plus.

Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said: 

“The WA Government is proud to continue supporting international sporting events and build our reputation as the fastest-growing events capital in the South East Asian region. 

“We look forward to welcoming these international teams and many out-of-state visitors to Western Australia for this exciting new hockey event, adding to the robust list of events taking place in Perth’s premier sporting stadiums in 2024.”

Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles says Hockey Australia is thrilled to provide fans with the opportunity to see the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras play on home soil before their Olympic Games campaign in Paris.

“We are very excited for this month-long Festival of Hockey in Perth this April. With over 11 games to choose from, plus a host of activations and giveaways for fans young and old, there will be plenty of entertainment on offer both on and off the field at the event. We encourage local and interstate fans to head to beautiful Perth in April as their last chance to see and show their support for the green and gold before the Olympics.”

The teams will be playing for the honour to lift the newly created Men’s and Women’s Perth Cups which will be revealed before the tournament gets underway.

The announcement comes much to the delight of WA’s Hockeyroo Aleisha Power and Kookaburra Aran Zalewski who say there’s no feeling like being able to lift the trophy on home soil in front of fans, family and friends.

“I remember watching my heroes play right before the Olympics,” Margaret-River raised Kookaburra Aran Zalewski said.

“It’s exciting we get to do that for our fans and especially with a massive test series against India. We recently beat them twice on their home patch and we know they’ll be coming over here to try and do the same on ours.”

“It is always a privilege to play at games at home and extremely special to play in my home state surrounded by the hockey community I grew up in,” Western Australia’s Hockeyroo goalkeeper Aleisha Power said.
   
“We are excited for the opportunity to play these games before our biggest test of the year, the Olympics. The squad has been working extremely hard and we can’t wait to showcase what we’ve got.”

Aside from weeks of top international competition, fans are also encouraged to make the most of the family-festival vibe, showcasing a DJ, fun activations, and the chance to meet their heroes in green and gold at Perth Hockey Stadium.

Tickets are on sale now, with family festival passes available and child passes starting from $6.

Visit the event webpage – www.hockey.org.au/pifoh for all the event information and tickets.

Perth International Festival of Hockey schedule

For the full schedule, including Australia A matches, click here