Hobart will welcome some of the nation’s best young hockey talent this week as the Hockey Australia Under 16 National Championships take place from Tuesday 14 to Tuesday 21 April at the Aurora Energy Tasmanian Hockey Centre.

The week-long tournament will bring together Under 16 boys’ and girls’ state teams from across Australia, showcasing the next generation of elite hockey players competing at the highest junior level.

Hockey Tasmania CEO Damian Smith said the championships would be another highlight on the Tasmanian hockey calendar, further demonstrating the state’s ability to host major events.

“On the back of a highly successful Pro League international series in February, we’re looking forward to hosting the Australian Under 16 Championships and seeing our next generation of athletes perform on home turf. Events like this are critical in showcasing our pathways and reinforcing Tasmania’s ability to deliver high-quality national and international hockey.”

Matches will be played daily across the eight-day tournament, with teams competing for national honours in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions. The opening two days will feature group stage matches, followed by repechage games on Thursday and a rest day on Friday. The knockout stage will then take place across the weekend, with the gold medal matches concluding the tournament on Tuesday, 21 April.

The Tasmanian boys’ team will begin their campaign on Tuesday at 10:15am against New South Wales, before facing South Australia later that evening at 6:00pm.

Captain Ewan Podmore said the team was relishing the opportunity to host the national championships.

“I think all the boys are super keen. We had a team meeting yesterday about what it means to have a home tournament and to represent the state. We’re very excited to show what we can do and to host everyone.

“We’ve got high expectations for the team. I think we have what it takes to perform really well and achieve some positive results.”

The Tasmanian girls’ team will open their tournament against Queensland at midday, before taking on the Northern Territory at 7:30pm.

Captain Claudia Windsor said she was looking forward to the added support of a home crowd.

“It’s really special to be playing a national tournament at home, with support from family and friends. It’s really exciting, and we’re hoping for some strong results.”

Windsor said the group was confident heading into the tournament.

“We’ve been training hard, so hopefully we can win a few games and get some good outcomes. There’s some really strong emerging talent in this age group, so it’s exciting to see what we can achieve.”

If you can't get along to the Aurora Energy Tasmanian Hockey Centre to catch the action, you can watch the games on Live Hockey.

Keep up with all the action in the Tournament Hub