Award of Merit - Wendy Pritchard (nee Butcher)

Wendy Pritchard is one of Australia’s greatest ever female hockey players and an inaugural member of the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame.

She started playing hockey at the age of 10 in Busselton, Western Australia. At 16 she represented WA at her first Australian Senior Championships and was then subsequently selected for Australia in the same year, unheard of then and today.

Wendy has been involved with hockey for over 50 years, from coaching school girls to managing the Hockeyroos. In 1993 Wendy was asked by then national coach, Ric Charlesworth to manage the Hockeyroos and that association produced arguably Australia’s greatest ever female sporting team. As Manager, Wendy was involved with the team that won two World Cup Gold Medals in 1994 and 1998 and Olympic Gold in 1996 and 2000.

Travelling the world to international hockey tournaments, coupled with working with Ric Charlesworth, is always challenging but Wendy was able to build and mould an efficiency between Ric, the team and the off field staff that enabled the Hockeyroos to perform at their best, especially in the major tournaments. She built a great trust with Ric that facilitated ultimate performance. 

Retiring from managerial duties after the Sydney Olympics, Wendy continued her involvement in hockey being asked by Hockey WA to join the committee to select players for the WA Hockey Hall of Champions, a position she continues to hold today. Wendy’s depth of knowledge of WA female players has been a decided asset to this committee.

Wendy was asked by former HA President David Hatt to join the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame Committee and her great knowledge of Australian players, spread over 50 years as a player and later as an official, is invaluable. Her contacts in the hockey community are extensive and provide the Awards committee with great depth of knowledge upon which decisions are based.

Wendy has other commitments to hockey including helping HWA compile their historical records of women’s hockey in WA, as well as being on the committee for the Western Australian Hall of Champions for all sports.

Wendy's Award of Merit was ratitifed in 2019.

What she said…
“I am especially proud to be receiving Hockey Australia’s Award of Merit. I am grateful of the acknowledgement and recognition from HA for my contribution to hockey. The voluntary work done by many, many people around Australia is amazing and to be among other recipients of this award is humbling.” Wendy Pritchard

From those in the know…
“Wendy Pritchard has made a wonderful contribution to hockey in Australia. Wendy was first selected to play for her state and her country in 1965 at the age of 16. Wendy was a brilliant right half at state and international level. Her game was characterised by sublime ball skills and fierce determination. She went on to play 43 games for Australia until her last appearance in 1979.

In 1993 Wendy was appointed as Manager of the Hockeyroos. By 2000 she had been a key figure in the unprecedented success of a team which is arguably the finest in Australian sporting history. Subsequently Wendy has worked tirelessly in hockey to ensure that the women’s game and its legacies will be preserved and protected through her meticulous research and record keeping.” David Hatt (former Hockey Australia President)

Hockey Timeline
Player
Western Australia
1965-1980 Western Australia Women’s Team

Australia
1965-1973 Women’s National Team

Manager
Australia
1993-2000 Manager Women’s National Team

Administrator
2000-present Hockey WA Hall of Champions Selection Committee member
Hockey Australia Hall of Fame Selection Committee member
Western Australia Hall of Champions Committee member

Awards
2002 Western Australia Hall of Champions inductee
2008 Hockey Australia Hall of Fame inductee