Massive congratulations to legendary Australia star Alyson Annan, who has been inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne on Thursday.
The award is the highest national sporting honour that can be given and is designed to both celebrate the history of Australian Sport and excite the next generation of Australians to achieve their potential both in sport and in life.
As if you needed reminding, Alyson was a pivotal force in the Hockeyroos team that achieved global dominance for almost a decade. The team’s feats included five consecutive Champions Trophies between 1993 and 1999, two World Cups (1994 and 1998) and two Olympic gold medals (1996 and 2000).
She was the leading goal scorer at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and at the World Cup in 1998 and was a member of the Hockeyroos side that won the first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal, in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, beating England 8-1 in the final. She represented Australia 228 times and her 166 career goals for Australia remain unmatched.
“To be recognised by The Sport Australia Hall of Fame is a great honour”, said Annan, who then told of her gratitude to fellow hockey legend and Hall of Famer Ric Charlesworth, who famously coached the Hockeyroos during their stunning period of dominance.
“We were all motivated to be the best we can be. Ric Charlesworth’s undeniable ability to bring the best and the worst out in people is extraordinary. It is a shame that it is only when you get older that you begin to realise just how good it was, how great our team was and how dedicated we were to achieve our goals.”
Robert de Castella MBE, Chairman of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame selection committee recognised Annan’s individual contribution to her team’s ultimate success.
“Alyson was voted the best in the world in 1999 and her record of representing Australia almost 230 times and having been a prolific scorer with an acknowledged ability as a game winner contributed to her success,” de Castella said. “She scored 166 goals across her international career which is just a phenomenal accomplishment.”
Cam Vale, Hockey Australia Chief Executive, said “The award is an honour truly befitting an individual of her status. She is without doubt one of the greatest hockey players ever to grace the turf in Australian colours.”
You can read the full story on the Hockey Australia website by clicking here.
