Dan Johnston, FIH International Panel and Hockey One Umpire, announced his retirement from officiating at Hockey Australia and International events during the Hockey One finals. Dan has been a dedicated servant to our game and holds the respect and admiration of his peers, players, coaches, and administrators alike. His commitment to the sport has been unwavering, and his presence on the field will be greatly missed.

Despite retiring from these high-profile officiating roles, Dan remains passionate about the sport. He will continue umpiring in Perth and is eager to give back to the next generation of umpires in Western Australia and across the country by accepting Umpire Manager appointments at the national level.

Dan began his umpiring journey at the tender age of 15 with Willeton Hockey Club (Aquinas). His first national championship was in 1999 where he umpired at the Under 16 School Boys Championship in Melbourne. Dan’s international umpiring career took off in 2008 at an eight-nation junior men’s hockey tournament held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Over the years, Dan has umpired at AHL and Hockey One from 2005 to 2025, only missing 3 years due to COVID and injury.

Throughout his career, Dan has officiated in over ten international tournaments and test series; his standout moment on the national stage was the Hockey One final in 2022, hosted by Bendigo and his Internationally highlight was umpiring a match between India and Pakistan in Perth, a special occasion as it took place in his hometown with all his friends, family and officiating colleagues in attendance.

Dan attributes much of his passion and dedication to his mentor, John Nettleton, who sadly passed away earlier this year. On behalf of Hockey Australia and the HA Officiating Advisory Group, we want to acknowledge and thank Dan for his fantastic contribution to our sport. We look forward to having him continue in the Umpire Manager role and coaching umpires throughout WA and Australia.