Former Australian reps headline WA Under-15s coaching appointments

Hockey WA’s budding young stars will be driven by an experienced coaching cohort, with former Australian U21s representatives among those taking the reins of the Under-15s State Teams in 2021.

Joel Bell and Adrian Daley, former national under-age representatives, headline a coaching announcement for a group that missed a year of competition play in 2020 due to COVID-19. 

U15 Boys Gold Head Coach Bell is excited about the prospect of developing the knowledge and experience of the state’s brightest young talent. 

“I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to pass on some of the experience my generation of Hockey players in WA were offered, which was a high exposure to some exceptional coaching and mentorship during our junior pathway years,” Bell said. 

“WA has a long, proud history of Hockey and success in Hockey and I would like to instil a sense of pride in playing in the black and gold into the boys at a young age which they can take forward with them during their Hockey career.” 

Bell leads the Boys Gold side alongside assistant coach Daley, with Jack Rolfe acting as head coach for the Boys Black, with his assistant Andrew Blee. 

Appointed U15 Girls Gold Head Coach Julie DeSilva say it’s an honour to play a part developing the next generation of WA Hockey stars. 

“It’s always exciting to see new talent and who has developed over the last 12 months; the 2020 U15s tournament was cancelled a week prior to leaving and I felt we had a very good chance to go far in the tournament,” DeSilva said. 

“After coaching several junior tournaments, I have learnt that results come from work ethic and pulling together as a unit, which I’d like to instil this mindset within the team.

”One of the best things about this opportunity is that I get the chance to know some fantastic girls and watch them make life-long friendships; I’m still friends with girls from various state teams from back in the day, so it’s great to be able to encourage the girls to stay motivated and most importantly, stay involved in the sport for life.” 

Alongside DeSilva in the Gold’s coaching cohort is Assistant Coach Anne-Marie Foster, with the Girls Black side being led by Head Coach Graham Pilcher and Assistant Coach Clair Goss. 

The WA Under-15s sides are preparing for the Under-15s Outdoor Championships, to be held in NSW in April.

U15s Coaches

U15s Boys Gold 

Head Coach: Joel Bell

Assistant Coach: Adrian Daley

U15s Boys Black

Head Coach: jack Rolfe

Assistant Coach: Andrew Blee

U15s Girls Gold

Head Coach: Julie DeSilva

Assistant Coach: Anne Marie-Foster

U15s Girls Black

Head Coach: Graham Pilcher

Assistant Coach: Clair Goss