Hockey SA Welcomes New CEO Ben Smith

Hockey SA today welcomes Ben Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Ben is an accomplished sports leader with three decades of senior experience across multiple sports, most notably Cricket and Basketball.

Hockey SA Chair Derek James said the appointment follows a rigorous executive search process.

“I would like to thank Vice President Melody Cooper for her outstanding leadership of the recruitment sub-committee and Stuart Carruthers from Sport Executive for his expert guidance and support throughout the process,” Mr James said.

“Ben was the clear stand-out candidate in a very competitive field. His deep understanding of both community participation and high-performance pathways, combined with strong commercial and operational experience, makes him the right leader for the next chapter of South Australian Hockey.

“We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Ben said he was drawn to the role by the clarity and ambition of Hockey SA’s Strategic Plan.

“I love the clarity of the Strategic Plan,” he said. “The heavy lifting has been done - now it’s about execution.

We’ll be striving to unite the Hockey community to share and grow the sport beyond what happens on a pitch on any given day or night.

I’m so excited to explore new ways to advance the growth and connection of our teams here in SA.

As a global and Olympic sport, there are huge opportunities for South Australian Hockey.

As a proud South Australian returning home with my family, I can’t wait to get started and play my part in the next phase of development for our sport.”

Ben will formally commence as CEO on 9 June 2026.