Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in the Netherlands are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two thirds of the population older than 15 years participates in sports weekly.
Richard Ian CharlesworthAO is an Australian sports coach and former politician. He played first-class cricket for Western Australia and international field hockey for the Kookaburras, winning a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics and winning the World Cup in 1986. Charlesworth served as a federal member of parliament from 1983 to 1993, representing the Labor Party. After leaving politics, he was appointed coach of the Hockeyroos, leading them to Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. Charlesworth later coached the Kookaburras from 2009 to 2014, and has also worked in consulting roles with the New Zealand national cricket team, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Fremantle Football Club.
The Australia men's national field hockey team is one of the nation's most successful top-level sporting teams. They are the only Australian team in any sport to receive medals at six straight Summer Olympic Games (1992–2012). The Kookaburras placed in the top four in every Olympics between 1980 and 2012; in 2016, the Kookaburras placed sixth. They also won the Hockey World Cup in 1986, 2010 and 2014.
The Australia women's national field hockey team are, as of August 2023, ranked second in the world. Having played their first game in 1914, and their first Olympic game in 1984, they are one of Australia's most successful sporting teams, boasting three Olympic gold medals, two World Cup gold medals and four Commonwealth Games gold medals. The Hockeyroos have been crowned Australia's Team of the Year five times and were unanimously awarded Best Australian Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Carole Helene Antoinette Thate is a Dutch former field hockey player, who played 168 international matches for the Netherlands, in which she scored forty goals. She made her debut on 20 November 1989 in a friendly match against England.
Carina Marguerite Benninga is a former Dutch field hockey player, who played 158 international matches for The Netherlands hockey team, in which she scored 25 goals. She was part of the gold medal winning team at the 1984 Summer Olympics and also won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Other highlights of her career include gold medals at the EuroHockey Nations Championship and Champions Trophy in 1987, as well as a gold at the 1983 Women's Hockey World Cup and the 1990 Women's Hockey World Cup. Next to her sports career, Carina Benninga studied law; in 1987 she got her Masters’degree.
Maximiliano Jorge "Max" Caldas is an Argentine field hockey defender, who made his debut for the national squad in 1994, and competed for his native country in the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics.
The 2000 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 8th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for women. It was held from 26 May to 3 June 2000 in Amstelveen, Netherlands. It was held simultaneously with the men's tournament, just like the year before in Brisbane, Australia. From this year on the tournament began to be held annually until the 2014 edition due to the introduction of the World League.
The 1999 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 7th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for women. It was held between 10 and 19 June 1999 in Brisbane, Australia. It was held simultaneously with the men's tournament. This was the last biannual edition of the tournament until 2014 when it returned to its original format due to the introduction of the World League.
Hockey Club Klein Zwitserland, commonly known as Klein Zwitserland, is a Dutch professional field hockey club based in The Hague, South Holland.
María Cecilia Rognoni is a retired Argentine field hockey player, who won the 2002 World Cup in Perth, Australia where she was elected as the best woman hockey player in the world by the FIH.
Juliet Haslam OAM is a former field hockey defender and midfielder from Australia, who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992, for her native country. She was a member of the Australia women's national field hockey team, best known as the Hockeyroos, that won the gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. As well as being a dual Olympic Gold Medallist, she won a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal, two World Cup Gold Medals, five Champions Trophy Gold Medals and was named in the Australian Women’s ‘Team of the Century’.
The 1997 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 6th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for women. It was held between 1–8 June 1997 in Berlin, Germany. From this edition on a win was rewarded with three points instead of two, and a draw with one point.
The women's field hockey tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics was the 5th edition of the field hockey event for women at the Summer Olympic Games. It was held over a thirteen-day period beginning on 20 July, and culminating with the medal finals on 1 August. Games were played at the Herndon Stadium and the Panther Stadium, both located in Atlanta, United States.
Kate Louise Richardson-Walsh, is an Olympic Gold and Bronze Medal winning English field hockey player. She was capped a record 375 times for her country and was the England and Great Britain Captain for 13 years.
Jamie Dwyer is an Australian field hockey player. He currently plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth, Western Australia. He also played for the Queensland Blades in the Australian Hockey League. He debuted for Australia as a junior player in 1995, and for the senior side in 2001. He has played over 350 matches for Australia and scored over 220 goals. He has represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he won a gold medal and the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics where Australia won bronze medals. He has also represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where he won a gold medal and the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he also won gold. He has won silver medals at the 2002 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2014 Men's Hockey World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
Sandra Pisani OAM was an Australian field hockey player who played 85 international games for Australia and was the captain from 1985 to 1987. She competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and was part of the team that won Australia's first Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Alison Louise Peek, nicknamed "Peeky", is a former field hockey player from Australia, who competed in two Summer Olympics for her native country. She was a member of the Australia women's national field hockey team, best known as the Hockeyroos, that won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. As well as being an Olympic gold medallist, she won a Commonwealth Games gold medal, two World Cup gold medals, four Champions Trophy gold medals and was named in the Australian Women's ‘Team of the Century’.
Patricia Heberle is an international field hockey player, coach and administrator whose involvement has spanned the Australia women's national field hockey team and England women's national field hockey team.
Freeke Moes is a Dutch field hockey player.
