David Pryles Resigns as Hockey Australia Chief Executive Officer

The Hockey Australia Board has announced that CEO David Pryles has resigned from his executive role, effective from 8 June 2026.

The Board has formally accepted his decision and acknowledged his executive leadership and strategic contributions across his tenure of four and a half years.

Tenure of Progress and Strategic Reorientation

Pryles has overseen the national sporting organisation since joining in early 2022, navigating a period of considerable administrative and commercial change. His time at the helm focused heavily on balancing elite performance pathways, grassroots participation, commercial sustainability, and complex stakeholder relationships.

The executive departure comes immediately after the Hockey Australia Board announced an ambitious new strategic direction designed to guide the sport toward the Brisbane 2032 Home Olympic Games and beyond. Pryles was instrumental in developing this long-term operational roadmap, leaving the business with a clear strategy and a solid foundation that extends through to December 2028.

Commenting on Pryles’ departure, outgoing chair of Hockey Australia, Ross Sudano, said: “David has made a significant contribution to Hockey Australia during a period of considerable change and progress for our sport.”

“He has led with professionalism and commitment, and we thank him for the strong position in which he leaves the organisation.

“We wish David every success for the future,” he said.

On his LinkedIn post, sharing his time at Hockey Australia, Pryles, shared: “It has been a genuine privilege to lead this remarkable organisation and work alongside so many passionate people — from grassroots volunteers and clubs to our high-performance athletes and teams, and our commercial and government partners.”

“I’m enormously proud of what we’ve built — and even more excited about where hockey is heading next.

“Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey. It has been an honour,” he said.

Commercial Milestones and Executive Transition

The outgoing executive successfully secured a record investment to develop a world-class Centre of Excellence in Perth, partnering with the Government of Western Australia and Hockey WA to anchor the sport’s high-performance ecosystem.

Concurrently, the organisation expanded its broader government and commercial partnerships, stabilised its financial position, and expanded its executive leadership team to implement sport-wide governance and integrity improvements.

On a grassroots level, the administration drove significant community engagement and national participation growth. This momentum was highlighted by the network’s flagship Hookin2Hockey program, which recorded double-digit growth year-on-year under his watch.

To maintain structural continuity, the Board has appointed David Thompson as acting CEO to steer operations while a formal executive search for a permanent successor commences next week.

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