Kieran Govers, Mark Hager join Territory Stingers coaching team

Two of Australia’s most accomplished hockey champions have been named in the Territory Stingers coaching team for the 2024 edition of the Festival of Hockey.

Hockey NT will welcome one of the country’s most accomplished Kookaburras as the Territory Stingers coach for this year’s Festival of Hockey.

Two-time World Cup winning Kookaburra Kieran Govers boasts a distinguished career as a player, also winning Olympic bronze and Commonwealth gold in his tenure.

Govers has since moved his sights to coaching where he has been involved with the Malaysian men’s senior team and Adelaide Fire.

He takes over as head coach of the Territory Stingers for the event scheduled for September 20 and 22 at the MWT Hockey Centre in Darwin.

Meanwhile, Michelle Caden will take charge of the women’s team, and she also boasts a storied career as one of the great players of the Territory Pearls and as Hockey NT’s technical director.

Kieran Govers of Australia in action during the men's Hockey semi-final against England at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre, during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Picture: Dan Himbrechts

Hockey NT chief executive Jason Butcher will continue to mentor in a support role for Govers and the team, bringing three decades of experience.

The coaching roster is further enriched by Mark Hager, another of the all-time great Koobaburras who had successful coaching tenures at the Blacksticks and for the Great Britain women.

Hockey NT Director and ‘Pathway Advisory Panel’ chair Chantrelle Carey said the calibre of coaches highlighted the relationship Hockey NT had built with the rest of the country.

“Our priority is to invest in the development of our people and therefore to build local capacity, these appointments are going to have a powerful impact on our community,” Carey said.

“They also highlight the relationship hockey in this country has with the Stingers, the understanding of our importance to the National program and also hockey’s national identity.

“Kieran and Mark both have an intimate understanding of this, and we are not only excited about what they will bring to the Stingers program.

“But we are also resolute about the importance of the Northern Territory resurgence to hockey in this country.”

HNT is also preparing to make additional off-field team appointments in the coming weeks to further support the teams’ preparations for the Festival of Hockey.

A preliminary squad is expected to be announced by the end of May, with updates leading into full preparations for the September games.

The announcement of this year’s Festival opponents is still pending, following a competitive series against the 2023 Hockey One League champions, the Brisbane Blaze, last year.

This decision aligns with upcoming decisions and announcements on the Stingers’ ambitions to join the 2025 Hockey One League.