Former Kookaburras captain and Olympic bronze medallist, Mark Hager has immediately been introduced as the brand new coach of the nationwide males’s hockey crew, the Kookaburras, and can lead the aspect to the LA 2028 Olympic Video games and past.
The Kookaburras head coach place is the newest in Hager’s excellent teaching profession, which has spanned 13 years and included a bronze medal because the Coach of the Nice Britain girls’s crew on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Returning to Australia three years in the past, Hager has since been the driving pressure behind Hockey Australia’s Nationwide Athlete Pathway Program because the Technical Lead. Within the position, Hager has labored alongside fellow Kookaburras’ nice, Mark Knowles, in overseeing the event of Australian hockey expertise and making certain success on the world stage.
“Teaching the Kookaburras has been an aspiration of mine ever since I received into teaching,” Hager mentioned.
“Having began out as an Australian Nationwide Junior Coach, working alongside the likes of former Kookaburras’ coaches, Barry Dancer and Colin Batch, has inspired me to wish to go even additional in my teaching profession.
“You at all times aspire to teach your private home nation. Having been a Kookaburra myself, and having had the expertise of teaching abroad, I really feel now’s the best time to step into this position.”
Following his time because the Australian Nationwide Junior Coach, Hager grew to become the Head Coach of the New Zealand Black Sticks Ladies, rebuilding the aspect after their last-place end on the Olympics in 2008 and main them to 2 consecutive fourth-place finishes on the Olympic Video games in 2012 and 2016.
“Mark has vital expertise as a head coach and vital expertise at growing a youthful group by way of an Olympic cycle to ship on the Olympic Video games,” Hockey Australia Excessive Efficiency Director, Bernard Savage mentioned.
“He’s demonstrated technically, tactically and culturally with New Zealand and Nice Britain and has a sound understanding of our strengths and challenges, having been embedded in our pathways system for the final three years. We’re assured having this expertise within the head coach position goes to be actually highly effective.”
Hockey Australia CEO, David Pryles echoed Savage’s ideas that Hager is the best match to construct on the Kookaburras’ success on the pathway to the LA Olympic Video games in 2028.
“This can be a actually thrilling new period for the Kookaburras. It’s our likelihood to refresh, reset and switch our consideration to specializing in medalling in LA 2028.
“Mark brings with him the wealthy legacy of the Kookaburras, having been a captain of the aspect who achieved success in Atlanta in 1996, so we’re excited to see what he can do with this group.”
“The objective is at all times to win medals,” Hager added.
“Over the following three and a half years main into the Olympics, now we have to be effectively ready. We have to create depth, and we have to flip up with a extremely aggressive group who actually imagine they’ll win a medal.
“I get very excited in regards to the historical past and wealthy legacy of the Kookas and realizing what it means to be a Kooka, having been there and skilled it myself. I’m simply actually excited to be part of it once more.”
MARK HAGER’S COACHING CAREER
Head Coach – Nice Britain Ladies
2020 Tokyo Olympics – bronze medal
Head Coach – New Zealand Black Sticks Ladies
2018 Commonwealth Video games – gold medal
2012 & 2016 – Olympic Video games – Fourth x2
Head Coach – Australian U21 Males’s
2009 8 Nations – gold medal
2007 Youth Olympics – gold medal
2005 U21 World Cup – silver medal
Assistant Coach – Hockeyroos
2004 Athens Olympics – fifth
2003 Champions Trophy – gold
2002 Champions Trophy – 4th
2001 Champions Trophy – bronze
Head Coach – Australian U21 Ladies’s
U21 World Cup – bronze
MARK HAGER’S PLAYING CAREER
Two-time Olympian: Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996
Olympic bronze medallist: Atlanta 1996
Kookaburras Captain: 231 appearances for Australia
