Territory Stingers join Malaysian Hockey League after Hockey One rejection

A professional Northern Territory sports team has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure their players get to play after the country’s premier league rejected their bid for admittance.

Australian Kookaburra and Territorian Jeremy Hayward. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin.

The Territory Stingers have sensationally announced a move abroad to compete in a professional league.

After the team’s bid for admittance into the nation’s premier hockey league, Hockey One, was rejected last month, the Stingers decided to take their talents to Asia.

The Stingers will compete in the 2025 Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) season, scheduled to take place during February and early March.

A league that’s been running for 37 years, the MHL is slated to be a significant step forward in Hockey NT’s program, crucially providing local juniors and seniors an avenue to further their career.

“This is a key announcement for Territory hockey, particularly as we navigate around Hockey One’s exclusion of the Stingers from their 2025 league,” Hockey NT chief executive Jason Butcher said.

“We are committed to ensuring our program continues to grow and that we provide aspirational opportunities and competition pathways for our athletes to pursue their dreams.”

Hockey NT CEO Jason Butcher. Picture: Supplied.

An opportunity too good to turn down, the Stingers are looking forward to testing their metal in a competitive league.

Butcher said the support shown by the Malaysian federation had been very promising and he was grateful for the opportunity.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Territory Stingers,” he said.

“The MHL is a highly competitive and well-regarded tournament, and we are extremely grateful to the Malaysian Hockey Confederation for their support in helping us secure this fantastic opportunity.

“Malaysia is an amazing place to tour and play hockey, and we look forward to immersing ourselves in their rich hockey culture.”

Not finished with the Hockey One saga just yet, the Stingers will continue to look for avenues for their athletes to be nationally identified and selected at the senior level.

“We are actively working on solutions to address this aspect of Hockey One’s exclusion from the pathway, and we will make further announcements in the coming months,” Butcher said.

The Territory-based club had pushed heavily to join the premier competition after being part of the Australian Hockey League, which was dissolved in 2019.

However, due to a number of constraints, their bid has been turned down, with a second Melbourne-based team the likely expansion target.

The Stingers will take to the turf for the first time following the announcement in a litmus test this Friday and Saturday against the defending men’s and women’s premiers the Brisbane Blaze.