Steph Andrews appointed WAIS Hockey Head Coach

The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Steph Andrews as Head Coach of the WAIS Hockey Program.

Andrews joins WAIS with a decade of coaching experience at the highest level across Australia and Canada, including the last two and a half years as an Assistant Coach of The Hockeyroos.

Prior to that she was the Women’s Senior Assistant Coach and Head Junior Coach for Field Hockey Canada and Head Coach at the ACT Academy of Sport.

For Andrews who is regularly in and around the WAIS environment with the Hockeyroos the opportunity to take on the role leading the development of WA talent to be considered for future Hockeyroos and Kookaburras squads, added with the returning to a program she was part of as a player, is one she is relishing.

“I am really excited to be given an opportunity to head up a program that I was part of as a player,” said Andrews, who was a WAIS hockey scholarship holder between 2004-2009.

“There are some really talented athletes in both the men’s and the women’s WAIS program so that’s really exciting.”

“Being able to stay in the Australian high performance hockey network, coupled with the variety of the role and working in the development space were also contributing factors,” she added of the opportunity to support and develop the next wave of Western Australian talent.

2021 sees hockey at WAIS move into an exciting new phase, with an innovate new approach, combining the men’s and women’s athlete groups to a single program.

The structure has been developed following discussions with partners to enhance the delivery of coaching and services to athletes, better preparing them for selection to National Teams.

WAIS Performance Team Director Neill Potts welcomes her appointment, “Steph brings extensive experience coaching national teams at the highest level, most recently with The Hockeyroos, who ended their last full season ranked number two in the world.

“To have a coach of her calibre and experience move from the National Program to run the WAIS training environment will have significant benefits for athletes. Her first-hand knowledge of world leading systems and processes are set to strengthen the pathway in Western Australia and provide the best possible support and preparation for athletes to graduate to the national team.”

Andrews will finish her time with The Hockeyroos in March, before commencing at WAIS in April.

The WAIS hockey coaching team will include Chris O’Reilly, who will take the position of Hockey Coach, having helmed the men’s program since 2013.

Potts’ also thanked current Women’s Head Coach Jeremy Davy for his eight years of service to WAIS.

“We are very fortunate to have had Jeremy’s expertise leading the women’s program for the last two Olympic cycles. His professionalism and care have been an asset to WAIS developing the women’s program.

“He has played a significant role in coaching WA athletes to earn selection on The Hockeyroos, including current players Georgia Wilson, Karri Sommerville, Aleisha Power and Penny Squibb.