Hockey Australia and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see the two organisations work together to develop hockey in their respective countries.
The five year arrangement, which runs from 1 January 2016 until 31 December 2020, will see collaboration across all areas of the sport, from grassroots development to high performance, including:
- Hookin2Hockey, Hockey Australia’s national grassroots junior development program, licensed to the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and implemented into its coach education programme
- Invitations for national teams to compete in competitions and events in both countries
- Coaching, umpiring, officiating and administrative staff exchanges between the two countries
Hockey Australia Chief Executive Cam Vale was in Kuala Lumpur to put pen to paper on the MOU, which follows similar bi-lateral agreements signed with Hockey India, Hockey New Zealand and Singapore Hockey over the past seven months.
As part of the arrangement, Australia’s men’s hockey team, the Kookaburras, will be invited to participate in the prestigious Sultan Azlan Shah Cup each year and the Australian men’s junior team, the Burras, will receive an invitation to the Under 21 equivalent, the Sultan of Johor Cup.
In return, Hockey Australia will invite Malaysia’s men’s and women’s national teams to take part in new international events hosted in Australia. Malaysian teams will also be invited to compete in the Australian Hockey League and under-age Australian Championships.
Speaking of this agreement, Cam Vale said: “This MOU marks the formalisation of an already strong relationship. It represents a continuation of our efforts to strengthen ties and play a leading role in the growth of hockey in the region.
“Our high performance department already enjoys excellent relations with Malaysia; the Kookaburras and Burras frequently compete at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Sultan of Johor Cup, and both Malaysia’s men’s and women’s teams took part in the International Super Series in Perth previously.
“By working together more formally we can improve hockey in both countries more holistically than simply at the top end of the sport.
“Hookin2Hockey will provide Malaysia with a proven junior development program and will further strengthen the brand for us. The opportunity for the sharing of knowledge through the exchanges is an equally exciting prospect.”
Malaysia Hockey Confederation President Dato' Sri Subahan Kamal believes that this is a great opportunity for Malaysia to progress. He said: "We have much to learn from Australia. It is a fact we must acknowledge. Australia has been the perennial powerhouse of world hockey. The fact that we have come to a common agreement speaks volumes of our talent pool. We must use this opportunity to grow".
The Australian men’s junior team, the Burras, had previously been invited to compete at the 2015 Sultan of Johor Cup and will travel to Johor Bahru for the tournament, which runs from 11-18 October.
It marks the first competitive tournament opportunity for the Burras in their build-up towards the Junior World Cup qualifying tournament in early 2016 and will see them take on the likes of Argentina, Great Britain, India, Pakistan and Malaysia.
For more information about Hockey Australia, visit their website by clicking here.
And more information about the Malaysia Hockey Confederation can be found on their website here.
Article and photo courtesy of Hockey Australia.
