Sienna Berry, Mitch Pace proud to represent Australia in new competition

Two of our homegrown talents have become a part of hockey history after representing Australia at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup in late January.

Off the back of representing Western Australia at the Hockey Australia Indoor National Championships, Sienna Berry and Mitchell Pace ventured to Oman to compete in the inaugural tournament.

Amid fast-paced action and fierce competition, both Australian teams finished in 11th place across the Women’s and Men’s competitions.

Sienna said it was “quite surreal” to be part of the Australian Women’s squad in a newly developed competition.

“The nomination process was through the National Indoor Championships last year and there wasn’t much information about what to expect from Hockey5s so seeing the list come out and knowing more about what we had ahead of us was very exciting,” she said.

“Oman is different to anywhere I’ve ever been before, but it was amazing to see the work they had put in promoting the tournament.

“All the buses were lined in Hockey5s promo signs, and the highways had banners promoting the event which was crazy to see.

“When we were lining up for our first game and sang the national anthem, the feeling of representing Australia sunk in and I felt proud.

“I was lucky enough to have my family come to watch me play and being able to do this tournament in front of them made the moment even more special.”

Sienna said playing a different format of hockey was an interesting experience and is excited to see Hockey5s grow.

“We were playing on a brand-new dry turf, and we were using balls that contained water inside them, which had to be changed every couple of minutes,” she said.

“It was a bit of a challenge figuring out how to incorporate that into the gameplay, but most teams got the hang of it by the end.

“The game format itself is an interesting style of hockey and it’s got lots of room to grow and develop tactically with its blend of indoor and outdoor skills.

“I would encourage people to give it a go as it’s such a fun, energetic way to play hockey.

“It’s perfect for people who play Indoor and Outdoor hockey, but it would also suit kids to keep them engaged.”

For Mitchell, being selected to be part of the Men’s squad brought him a lot of excitement to explore a lot of unknowns.

“Playing in Oman was one of the most memorable hockey experiences for me so far,” he said.

“To be one of the first to play in a World Cup in the new format of hockey was challenging yet exciting, with lots of learning experiences and establishing lifelong friendships.

“Being able to play against many top-quality players where I could challenge myself was very exciting.

“As someone who is quite passionate about indoor hockey, being able to play in the new Hockey5s format was awesome.”

Not only did Mitch feel a sense of accomplishment to represent Australia, but he was also proud to have been voted by his teammates as one of the team captains.

“Whenever there’s a chance to represent your country in your sport, you have to take it,” he said.

“I felt some sort of accomplishment being a third generation of my family being able to represent my country in various forms of hockey but the biggest accomplishment from this World Cup was being given the opportunity to be one of the captains of the team.

“To be voted by the team as one of the leaders of the group was a special moment for me.

Like Sienna, Mitchell also encourages others to give Hockey5s a go and he is excited to watch the format grow.

“It’s a fast, exciting game where you’re always involved,” he said.

“Who knows, Hockey5s could be similar to 3x3 basketball and join hockey at the Olympics one day.”