Wealth of experience to lead WA Under-18s in national showcase

Alistair Addison, Stu Van Selm, Jemma Buckley and Julie DeSilva will nurture the next generation of hockey talent in the state, with the quartet announced as the head coaches of the men’s and women’s 2023 WA Under-18s State Teams.

This year, WA’s best in the under-18s age bracket will head to Hobart, Tasmania from 1 to 9 July for the Hockey Australia Under-18s National Championships.

Buckley and DeSilva will lead the WA Under-18s Women’s Gold and Black teams respectively, while the WA Under-18s Men’s Gold and Black teams will see Addison and Van Selm at the helm.

Addison, the current WAIS hockey coach and formerly with England’s Under-18 Boys and Under-21 Women, is excited to defend the team’s title after a thorough selection process.

“It's great to get to the point where we have named the teams and have kicked off our campaign,” Addison said.

“With selection, there is always joy and disappointment, and I wanted to convey how competitive the selection process has been to get to this point - full credit to all the athletes throughout the trial process, they have done themselves proud.”

Addison will be assisted by dual-Olympian and World Cup gold-medallist Tim Deavin, further cementing HockeyWA’s strategic objective of securing professional and experienced coaches for its elite teams.

Buckley, whose decorated CV includes six premierships with Westside Wolves and multiple Australian Hockey League gold medals, also shared her excitement, with her coaching cohort thrilled to lead the women’s team through an important journey – one that all her team’s coaches have experienced in their hockey careers.

“It's both an honour and a privilege to be able to coach a WA State Team,” Buckley said.

"This year's coaching group for our team were all lucky enough to play in Junior State Teams for Hockey WA, and we know how much we enjoyed the tournaments and the positive influence that they had on our hockey growing up.

“Hopefully we can be successful on the field, but the girls can also walk away having had a really positive experience regardless of the result.”

An energetic group of under-18s has WA in good stead, with teams embracing the WA hockey culture heading into the national showcase.

“The buy in from the players and their willingness to strive to be the best they can has been excellent and everyone has brought a real energy to the program - it's been pleasing to see a playing group so keen to collaborate and drive things forward," Addison said.

“I think we have an exciting and talented young group and I honestly believe that they have the opportunity to do something really special this year,” Buckley said.

“I am really looking forward to hopefully creating a positive and encouraging environment, so the girls can develop and reach their full potential.”

Van Selm continues in his role after leading the Black team to a top-half finish in 2022, while DeSilva progresses to her first Under-18s State Team having won silver medals with the Under-15s Gold girls in 2019 and 2021.

2023 WA Under-18s Off-Field Teams

2023 WA Under-18s Coach Bios

Jemma Buckley – Head Coach WA U18 Women Gold

• Debuted for the WA Diamonds as a 16-year-old in 2005
• Multiple AHL winner with the WA Diamonds (now Perth Thundersticks)
• Last year played her 300^th Premier League game
• Has played nine Premier League Frand Finals, for six premierships
• Assistant Coach of WA U18 Girls in 2019
• Head Coach of WA U18 Girls Gold in 2022
• Will be assisted by fellow Perth Thundersticks stalwarts Elly Buckley, Rachel Frusher (National Development Squad) and Renee Rockliff

Julie Desilva – Head Coach WA U18 Women Black

• Has been involved in coaching and managerial roles across WA State Teams for several years
• Has progressed through the coaching pathways:

• Head Coach of U13 Girls in 2016 and 2017
• Head Coach of U15 Girls Gold 2019 and 2021 (won Silver at both tournaments)

• Now progresses to the U18 Girls cohort as Head Coach of the Black team
• Assisted by Ann-Maree Foster who assisted Desilva in 2019 and 2021

Alistair Addison – Head Coach U18 Men Gold

• 15 years' experience of elite coaching across the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia
• Current WAIS (Western Australian Institute of Sport) Hockey Coach
• Previously was Head Coach of England U18 Boys, Assistant Coach of Great Britain Women’s Elite Development Program and England’s U21 Women

Stu Van Selm – Head Coach U18 Men Black

• Held coaching roles with Hale’s Premier League men’s team between 2019 – 2021
• Head Coach of the WA U18 Boys Black team in 2022 and led them to a top-half finish
• Assisted by Lachlan Ashton who played representative hockey for WA State Teams from U15s to U21s.