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10th Women?s World Cup

By Gené Stephan

PERTH will not host international hockey in the foreseeable future - and speculation is growing that WA may lose the AIS hockey unit.

Hockey Australia has confirmed Perth will not host any internationals in the lead-up to the Athens Olympics as the organisation attempts to recoup almost $500,000 it spent on behalf of the women's hockey World Cup in Perth 14 months ago.

Executive director Linden Adamson said it was not Hockey Australia's intention to punish WA but to give other States the opportunity to raise revenue.

"We were forced to spend funds on behalf of the World Cup's organising committee and that came from members' funds," Adamson said.

Hockey Australia hopes to use the eight international series planned for 2004 to give States an opportunity to prop up their funds.

"Perth will not host an international series in the foreseeable future but nothing has been decided beyond 2004," Adamson said.

The World Cup in December 2002 lost almost $600,000, wiping out funds accumulated by the WA Women's Hockey Association over 87 years.

This was in addition to the $500,000 Hockey Australia spent on behalf of the event towards a hosting and broadcast fee.

Adamson said there was a need to stage this year's four international series for men and four for women in places such as Cairns and Darwin, which more closely resembled conditions players will face in Athens in August.

Adamson confirmed Hockey Australia was reviewing its high-performance program based at the AIS in Perth.

He said four cities - Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne - had been invited to submit proposals to host the program after the Athens Olympics.

Perth has been home to the AIS hockey unit since its inception in 1984 and the issue of moving the program east has been raised in the past.

"We have a benchmark in Perth and whoever wants to replace WA would have to offer something equal or better," Adamson said.

He said Melbourne had indicated it might withdraw, leaving the other three States to clarify their proposals before an April deadline.

Negotiations will be finalised by June 30.

Hockey WA chief executive officer Linda Hamersley said president Ceri Writer would raise the issue of international games at a meeting of State presidents in Melbourne tomorrow week.

Hamersley also will pursue the matter when she meets Adamson next week.

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