WA officials set to shine on World stage

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics Hockey tournament will not only see our WA stars show their heroics in the green and gold but also in the officiating seat, with two of our very own donning the umpiring kits on the world stage.

WA’s Tammy Standley and Peter Wright will officiate games across this year’s Olympics Hockey Tournament, with the pair excited to head to what is shaping to be a unique Olympic Games experience.

Standley says she’s excited for the task at hand as a Technical Delegate but knows that this year’s tournament will be like no other hockey tournament she’s experienced before.

“I am excited – it’s definitely going to be a very different experience to what we were expecting but we have a fantastic group that I'm appointed to work with,” Standley says.

“I’m looking forward to catching up and working with members of my hockey family from around the world – we have some unique challenges to face in Tokyo but we have all worked really hard to prepare and are up to the challenge.”

Wright, originally from South Africa, but adopted as WA’s own from his time in the state, says it’s a surreal feeling heading into Tokyo as an Umpire but he’s sure it will be a moment to remember down the track.

“The feeling is surreal; excitement mixed with trepidation of going into the unknown,” Wright says.

“While this will be a very different Olympic Games, the culmination of months and years of hard work, the long wait and being a part of a tournament featuring the world’s best teams is going to be a memory to cherish.”

Both Standley and Wright have been around the hockey scene in WA for years, with no doubts that their experience will be invaluable to those in Tokyo when the first buzzer hits on Saturday 24 July.

Standley has been involved in hockey at a state or national level since 1999, progressing from her role as Competitions Manager for Hockey Australia, to securing a position on the FIH panel.

This has seen Standley fly the WA flag at tournaments such as the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, 2016 Rio Olympics and to her most recent appointment at the FIH Pro League in Perth this past June.

Wright’s officiating on the field stacks up with the best in the world, with Wright being afforded the opportunity to umpire on the world’s biggest stage on multiple occasions.

Highlights include the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and Glasgow, the World Cup in Bhubaneshwar and umpiring in the World League Semi Finals in Johannesburg with his brother John, who was officiating his final match before retirement.

Standley says that her officiating in WA with some of the world’s most talent players has helped her reach where she is today.

“I can definitely say that officiating club hockey here in WA has helped, you have three Technical Officials overseeing a match at an international level, whereas in WA, it’s just the one,” Standley says.

“The group of Technical Officials we have here in WA work very hard, do a great job and have developed excellent skills; It makes sense that we have seen a number of them appointed to national and international events.”

Wright’s in the same boat as Standley, stating that the experiences with such talent in WA has put him in good stead when officiating at a high level.

“It has been a great experience for me to be able to officiate in one of the World’s top leagues here in WA,” Wright says.

“The standard of play is so high and every game is tough; it definitely keeps us as officials on our toes.”

Whether it be in the green and gold, or in the officiating seat, cheer on our WA heroes when they hit the field in Tokyo!