Jamie Jansen

Journalist

Beach hockey, which made its debut in Australia at Port Douglas’ very own Four Mile Beach, has recently earned official recognition as a legitimate sport by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

Four years ago, Greg Mill, Port Douglas local and the president of world beach hockey Ltd, organised the inaugural beach hockey event in Australia during the Port Douglas Carnivale. 

The event’s enthusiastic response enabled successful annual tournaments, supported by the Douglas Shire Council's provision of two inflatable beach hockey pitches and equipment.

Mr Mill was inspired by his visit to the inaugural world beach hockey festival during the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. At that time, the sport remained virtually unknown in the rest of Australia. 

Last October Mr Mill initiated negotiations with FIH, leading to the exciting moment of international recognition. 

He expressed his enthusiasm for this recognition, noting the many opportunities it unlocks within the FIH Continental and National Hockey Associations structure.

Mr Mill is now on a mission to introduce this new version of hockey to countries around the world. 

“We’re currently expanding beach hockey across Australia, setting up teams in Perth, Melbourne, Townsville, and the Gold Coast for next year.

“But my vision extends beyond that. I'm looking at globalising beach hockey. Several countries, such as Puerto Rico, Sierra Leone, America, and Belgium, already embrace beach hockey. But there is no structure, no global organisation. 

“I reached out to eight countries, proposing the idea of collaborative involvement, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

“The plan is to hold a World Cup in 2025, probably on the Gold Coast. To date, we have confirmation that 50 countries have requested to join and we expect to double this number of countries by the end of 2024.

“Our longer term goal is to be invited to be a participant sport in future ANOC world beach games run by the Association of National Olympic Committees.

“We hope to make beach hockey the most exciting beach sport in the world.”

Mr Mill revealed plans for an upcoming tournament in Port Douglas next year.

“Four Mile Beach is great but the tides do stop us from playing regular competitions in Port Douglas," he said.

"So we're in conversation with the Douglas Shire Council about the possibility of having a standalone beach hockey sand pitch at the Port Douglas sports precinct."