Ice hockey in Australia

Ice hockey in Australia
The two teams who participated in the first ice hockey match in Australia, 17 July 1906
CountryAustralia
Governing bodyIce Hockey Australia
National team(s)Men's national team;
Women's national team
National competitions
International competitions

Ice hockey in Australia is a sport which had a relatively poor popularity, having low participation and spectator attendance figures when compared with many other sports played in the country.[1]

However, the establishment of the semi-professional Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) in 2000 (in place of the collapsed former state-based national competition)[2] has seen an increase in popularity for the sport,[3] a trend which continued in 2012 with the successful expansion of the league into Western Australia with the inclusion of Perth-based side Perth Thunder and the introduction of a two-conference competition.[4]

The AIHL is the top-level ice hockey league in Australia, and the largest league in the Southern Hemisphere.[5] The Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) is the top-level women's competition and was formed in 2005.[6]

Ice hockey in Australia is governed nationally by the Australian Ice Hockey Federation (currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia),[7] formed in 1923 as the Australian Ice Hockey Association.[8] Australia is an active full-member of the International Ice Hockey Federation having been admitted to the federation in 1938.[9]

As of 2012 there were approximately 3,200 registered ice hockey players in Australia.[9]

  1. ^ "Participants" (PDF). 4177.0 - Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia, 2009-10. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2010. p. 13. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  2. ^ "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  3. ^ Brodie, Will (4 September 2011). "Ice hockey shoots, and scores". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Nine Teams, Two Conferences, One Cup". Australian Ice Hockey League. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  5. ^ "About the AIHL". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  6. ^ "About the AWIHL". Australian Women's Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  7. ^ "About Ice Hockey Australia". Ice Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  8. ^ "History of Australian Ice Hockey" (PDF). Ice Hockey Australia. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  9. ^ a b "About Australian Hockey". Australia. International Ice Hockey Federation. 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.