Six weeks after the Otago Daily Times revealed the Black Sticks were finally returning to Dunedin, details of the tournament were announced yesterday.
The women’s Four Nations tournament will start at the McMillan Centre on Wednesday, January 21 and end with a finals day on Sunday, January 25.
New Zealand, ranked ninth in the world, will be joined by Japan (No 11), the United States (No 12) and Korea (No 16).
It will be the first Black Sticks women’s action in Dunedin since 2007, although they played in Cromwell in 2018.
The tournament, hosted in partnership with the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Hockey Association, will feature six round robin games over three game days before finals.
The Black Sticks are seemingly near-constantly on the road, so a home tournament is a rare chance for Kiwi hockey fans keen to see elite action.
"It’s great to have home content in January,’’ Black Sticks coach Phil Burrows said.
"We don’t often get the chance to play in New Zealand, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase to our hockey community how we’re tracking on the road to the World Cup.
‘‘After a successful 2025, winning both the Nations Cup and Oceania Cup, we’re eager to build momentum and measure our progress early."
Otago Hockey Association general manager Andy McLean welcomed the return of international hockey to the city.
"Otago Hockey is very appreciative of Dunedin City Council’s and New Zealand Hockey’s support in bringing international hockey back to Dunedin,’’ McLean said.
‘‘How fantastic that will be to not only reward our loyal local hockey community but also introduce hockey to a new audience for the wider community of the lower South Island.’’
The McMillan Centre had a significant upgrade, led by the council, last year, with the playing surfaces replaced by the same Olympic-grade turf used in Paris.
DCC city services general manager Scott MacLean is looking forward to the facility being in the spotlight.
"When we commit to upgrade sporting and community assets, our ultimate goal is to see increased utilisation of these spaces and ideally an enhanced ability to attract national and international sporting fixtures,’’ MacLean said.
"Our upgraded hockey turf is a prime example of this plan coming to fruition and we hope to welcome these and many more tournaments to the city."
Another big hockey tournament will follow in August.
Dunedin is hosting the premier New Zealand secondary schoolboys tournament, the Rankin Cup and India Shield, for the first time in 17 years.
All that remains is to get the Black Sticks men back to the city for the first time since 2001.
Four Nations
The schedule
January 21: US v Korea, 4.30pm; New Zealand vs Japan, 6.30pm
January 22: US v Japan, 4.30pm; New Zealand v Korea, 6.30pm
January 24: New Zealand v US, 2pm; Japan v Korea, 4pm
January 25: Finals, 2pm and 4pm
