Caringbah resident Naomi Duncan, and Grace Young from Yowie Bay, are finalising preparations to compete in Hockey 5’s at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina next month.
Hockey 5’s is a fast format of the traditional sport of field hockey, played with five players instead of 11, on a smaller sized field.
Duncan, 17, is no stranger to the international game, having made her debut for Australia at the Youth Olympic Games qualifiers in Port Moresby earlier this year.
As the team comprises players from NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, Duncan said preparations for the Games have been difficult.
“Not many coaches know the format, and some of us (players) have never met before, but we have been messaging each other and we are all pretty excited,” she said.
While Australia has previously fielded a men’s 5’s team, which won gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China, it is the first time a women’s team will compete in the event.
Young, 16, said it is a privilege to be part of Australian hockey history.
“To be over there and show off the junior program will be really good for the sport in Australia,” she said.
Paula Duncan, mother of Naomi, has booked a ticket to Argentina to support the girls during the Games.
“They’ve been playing for the state team every year since they were 12-years-old,” she said. “To watch them have this amazing experience is very exciting.”
Both Duncan and Young also played for the Australian Schoolgirls team in South Africa earlier this year.
The girls train with both their clubs and the NSW Institute of Sport squad each week.
The team will meet for the first time when they head into camp, before flying out to Argentina on October 2.
Australia’s first women’s game is scheduled for October 7.
