One of Australia’s most successful teams has a new coach to take to them to 2024 Olympics

The Hockeyroos are set to enjoy a period of stability after a tumultuous lead-in to the Tokyo Olympics, with two-time gold medallist Katrina Powell to coach the team until at least the Paris 2024 Games.

Powell, a former Hockeyroos captain, was called on at the 11th hour to take the Australian team to Japan after former coach Paul Gaudoin stood down in March on the eve of a review into the program’s “toxic culture”.

Gaudoin was part of a long list of personnel who left the Hockeyroos program after the independent review found “dysfunctional culture and leadership” in the team that was ”not conducive to athlete wellbeing or sustained on-field success”.

Despite coming in at the last minute, Powell, the first female Hockeyroos head coach since Colleen Quinn in 1978, led Australia to win all five group stage matches in Tokyo before a shock 1-0 loss to India in the quarter-finals cruelled medal hopes.

Powell, who won gold with the Hockeyroos at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics among her 252 games for Australia, was awarded the job after a rigorous five-week process.

“I’m really excited. Normally, the Olympics is the end of a cycle, but Tokyo felt like the start of something,” Powell said.

“With the time leading up to Paris being a shortened period, it feels like we have already started the work that needs to be done to be successful.

“The project of preparing for and competing in Tokyo was a huge challenge. Being a former elite hockey player, I know that is what high-performance athletes are looking for, that next challenge.

“The Tokyo Olympics proved to myself what I can get done in a short space of time, but it was made easier by the commitment and enthusiasm of the athletes.

“It is about providing players with opportunities through a structured framework of how we want to play but also a licence to take the game on.

“That’s the traditional Australian way of playing – one that is attacking, wanting to take it to the opposition and defend stoutly. Now we need to maximise the opportunities we have created for ourselves.”

Powell will relocate to Perth from Canberra as soon as possible as she looks to prepare the Hockeyroos for next year’s World Cup as well as the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Oceania Cup, which doubles as an Olympic qualifier.

Ross Sudano, who chaired the selection panel, said Powell won the role ahead of internationally based candidates.

“Katrina was appointed on the back of her ability and an assessment of her skill-set,” Sudano said in a statement.

“She is strongly passionate and connected to achieve success with the Hockeyroos and has demonstrated an ability to build trust within a high performance environment.”