Western Australia has a rich hockey tradition which has enabled Australia’s men’s and women’s teams to be world leaders in the sport.
The Western Australian Government is investing $135 million to build the Australian Hockey Centre (AHC), making Western Australia the premier hockey destination in the country.
In 2022, the WA Government, in partnership with Hockey WA, was successful in a national bid to host the Hockey Australia Centre for Excellence (HACE) and retain the high-performance hockey program in Perth.
The successful bid will see Perth host the HACE for a term of 18 years to 2042. This will ensure this significant asset is managed effectively, both operationally and financially over the longer term, ensuring community value is maximised. This long-term approach will support the next 4 Olympic cycles and provide Hockey Australia with a solid foundation for building its program well into the future.
Perth Hockey Stadium, located at Curtin University’s Bentley campus, has been the home of hockey and Western Australia’s premier hockey venue since 1979. The Australian Institute of Sport’s Hockey Unit was established in Perth in 1984.
The current Perth Hockey Stadium will be developed into a contemporary 'Home of Hockey' that will be a world-class, high-performance centre and international competition venue, to include:
The new facility is required to meet the current and future needs of hockey in WA and Hockey Australia’s requirements for the Centre of Excellence.
Hockey WA and its tenants will remain onsite for the duration of the build.
The AHC project is managed by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC).
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) is leading the Australian Hockey Centre project on behalf of the State, in close partnership with VenuesWest, Hockey WA, Hockey Australia, Department of Finance and other key stakeholders to ensure hockey and the WA community is the big winner from this opportunity.
The AHC project aims to deliver a facility that:
Engagement for the AHC project is ongoing. To date, DLGSC has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including Hockey Australia, Hockey WA, Curtin University, Towns of Victoria Park and South Perth, local hockey clubs (through Hockey WA) and local Aboriginal Elders.
On 4 December 2023, the Hockey Australia High Performance – Centre of Excellence (HA HP COE) Agreement between the WA Government, Hockey Australia (HA) and Hockey Western Australia (HWA) was signed for and on behalf of the State by DLGSC.
The Agreement outlines the deliverables of the WA Government’s $135 million commitment to build the HA HP COE and also commits the WA Government to provide funding to HA and HWA throughout the 18-year term.
The Australian Hockey Centre will commence construction in February 2025 and is expected to open in 2028. Construction will support more than 200 jobs and contribute to $34.4 million in Gross State Product to WA.