Amy adds teaching to her hockey credentials

Using her experience, Amy will provide aspiring hockey players with a unique pathway to success through the Brisbane Blaze TAFE at School Program.

As an Academy of Sport teacher, Amy will deliver classes to year 10 and 11 students in partnership with Hockey Queensland from the State Hockey Centre (SHC), based in Brisbane.

"I started playing at four years old, and I've been playing ever since," explained Amy.

"My coaching career started at 15, and during my degree, a job opportunity presented itself with the Brisbane Women's Hockey Association as the Member Development Manager, and I've never looked back."

"I've coached multiple Brisbane and Queensland teams, gained national and international coaching qualifications and have been fortunate enough to travel around Australia."

Amy is an accredited Federation International Hockey Level 3 Coach and Coach Educator, a Hockey Australia Advanced Coach with a Bachelor's in Exercise and Movement Science.

She also plays in Brisbane's Premier League while coaching a men's Brisbane Hockey League team with UQ hockey.

Having won the Hockey Queensland Pathway Coach of The Year in 2020 and 2023, Amy currently coaches the Queensland Under 18 Women's team and was recently appointed to an international side to play in Malaysia.

"I'll be coaching an Australian all-stars hybrid team made up of Queensland and New South Wales under-17 girls, and we'll play against other age groups from around the world at the U17 Mirnawan Cup in Kuala Lumpur”

Bringing a lifetime of hockey coaching and playing experience to TAFE Queensland, Amy will teach the Certificate II in Sport Coaching (SIS20321) at the SHC.

"My favourite thing about coaching is the connection with players. I enjoy the challenge of working with each player differently to meet their needs and help maximise their potential."

Amy will use the incredible facilities to teach students the coaching skills required to engage with players and conduct coaching sessions in community-based hockey clubs.

"Because we're based at the State Hockey Centre, where Hockey Queensland is based, students will also be able to rub shoulders with people in the high-performance program."

"There's also two turf venues, a gym, and a large hockey pitch table that allows players to stand around it to talk game strategies that will give students insight into how the high performance run things," she explained.

Amy will also bring a wealth of industry contacts to the classroom, and she will be able to support her students both on and off the field while offering valuable educational and career opportunities.

"As an experienced hockey player, coach, umpire and selector, I have various perspectives for every unit I deliver, so my students will get a holistic understanding of hockey coaching and playing fundamentals."

"I also have various hockey connections around the state and country, and I'll be able to connect students travelling from Toowoomba or Sunshine Coast with people local to their area, which will be beneficial."

Upon completion, students will qualify to work or volunteer in assistant coaching roles at hockey clubs and organisations.

"My students will be ready to become casual development officers for programs like those at Brisbane Women's Hockey Association. There are immediate opportunities available to earn money, even before graduation."

"But there's so many different avenues that you can go down with sports coaching. You could go into sport science, management, high performance, and administration."

"There are just so many opportunities that come with a knowledge of sports coaching, and what happens at a grassroots level is beneficial going forward."