Hockey Australia announce ground-breaking major partnership with Kookaburra Sport

The Kookaburras will proudly showcase ‘Kookaburra’ on their front-of-shirt for the next three years after Hockey Australia secured a long-term major partnership with one of hockey’s most iconic brands.

The three-year agreement renews one of Australian sport’s most endearing, long-standing partnerships that extends back 30 years, when Kookaburra Sport originally partnered with Hockey Australia to name the men’s national team after Australia’s iconic native bird. 

As well as becoming the Official Front-of-Shirt Sponsor for Australia’s men’s national hockey team the Kookaburras, Kookaburra Sport will also feature on the Hockeyroos front of skort and become the Exclusive Ball Partner for Hockey Australia and its suite of National Championships and the Hockey One League.

Kookaburra Sport’s commitment to the community game and its subsequent alignment with Hockey Australia’s key development pathway, the National Championships and Hookin2Hockey ensures the partnership will be felt across all facets of the sport.

Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles said the announcement marks an iconic moment in the sport’s history.

“This announcement is an incredibly exciting moment for our sport. It’s fantastic to align the Kookaburras, who are one of Australia’s proudest national teams with Kookaburra Sport who are a proud Australian-owned company. Both brands have a lasting legacy synonymous with Australian sport over many decades and align through shared values, a mutual passion for hockey and the understanding of the importance of community in our game.”

“I’m very much looking forward to working with Kookaburra Sport and we are excited by the opportunity for both parties to deepen connections with the community from our Hookin2Hockey clinics, through the grassroots, all the way up to our elite High-Performance programme.”

Brett Elliot, Group Managing Director at Kookaburra Sport echoed Pryle’s sentiment, adding:

“Kookaburra Sport is proud to be associated with one of the most successful sporting bodies and teams this country has produced. As a brand we have had a long-standing relationship with both the sport itself and Hockey Australia that spans more than 30 years. 

“Together we share brand synergies and a partnership that highlights the importance of the hockey community here in Australia from the elite level to grassroots. As a 5th generation Australian owned and operated family business that has been part of the fabric of Australian sport since 1890, today represents a proud moment for Kookaburra Sport, Hockey Australia, and the game itself.”

As both squads prepare to fly out for the remaining matches of Season 5 of the FIH Pro League in Europe, Kookaburra Sport ambassador Tom Craig said it’s a proud moment to be representing Kookaburra Sport. 

“It's been reasonably well publicised, the struggles we've had to get a front-of-shirt sponsor and for a team that's as proud as the Kookaburras, who have a long and famed tradition, we’re stoked to have Kookaburra Sport backing us and even better that it's a brand that is huge in Australian sport and a big supporter of Australian sport,” Tom said.

Kookaburras Captain Aran Zalewski added, “It's great, we're really happy to have Kookaburra Sport on our playing uniform and partnering with them is exciting for us. It's such a natural fit, to have the Kookaburras sponsored by Kookaburra Sport as our major sponsor and we're very excited to be representing them.” 

ABOUT KOOKABURRA SPORT

Established in Melbourne in 1890 by founder Alfred Grace Thompson, Kookaburra Sport remains a proud sports equipment manufacturer specialising in field hockey, cricket balls and AFL footballs as well as equipment, bespoke team wear, clothing and footwear. Kookaburra hockey balls have been used at every Olympic Games since 1956 and today, the Kookaburra Dimple Elite is the only hockey ball with Global Approval from the International Hockey Federation.

After 130 years Kookaburra Sport remains a 100% Australian family-owned business. Fourth and fifth-generation members of the Thompson family continue to work at Head Office in Melbourne, with additional offices in India, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and an agency in South Africa, employing over 250 people globally.