Goulburn District Hockey Association alumni, Emily Chalker, is set to don the Hockeyroos uniform once again in 2021 following the release of the FIH Pro League revised fixtures.
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The competition is set to continue from September, and both the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras will restart their campaigns in April 2021.
The pro league was initially postponed in March after COVID-19 spread across the world, and Hockay Australia Head of High Performance, Toni Cumpston, said at the time that "Hockey Australia places the safety and wellbeing of our athletes and staff as our number one priority."
After a long period in which every sport across the globe has seen reductions or total cancellations of all play, national hockey teams have begun to prepare for a cautious return.
"I'm delighted that we have been able to get this schedule in place and it is really important in terms of our preparation for the Olympics next year," Cumpston said.
"We're really looking forward to the competition starting, obviously pending the situation around COVID come April next year. It has been a hard year for everyone in hockey, and the opportunity to play in the FIH Pro League is a light at the end of that.
"We are really hopeful that the world can get this pandemic under control and can play the game we love on the international stage."
The Hockeyroos have not played a match since March 7, when they lost to Argentina in Perth. The current standings have the Hockeyroos fourth on the pro league ladder, behind New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Argentina, but coach Paul Gaudoin said the break will have benefited the players.
"This break has given everyone an opportunity to freshen up their minds and bodies and rediscover that real hunger and passion to play hockey," Gaudoin said.
"Now that the revised fixtures have been released, we can start to plan and structure our preparations accordingly."
The Hockeyroos' first fixture back will take place on April 3, in the first of two back-to-back matches against the USA.
Though nothing is certain post-COVID lockdown, the USA will certainly be underdogs. Having lost all five of their previous fixtures, the American women are last on the ladder, and up against an Australian side packed with talent.
Following the news of the updated fixtures, FIH president, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra, was hopeful that the hockey world is gearing for a return to relative normalcy.
"All hockey fans have been eagerly waiting for the day where the world's best teams would play again," Dr Dhruv Batra said.
"Whilst the pandemic is not over and staying healthy while playing hockey is an absolute priority, it's a sign of hope that the resumption of the 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League is looming."
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