Louise Dobson

Louise ("Lou") Dobson OAM (born 1 September 1972 in Shepparton, Victoria) is a former field hockey player from Australia, who earned a total number of 230 international caps for the Women's National Team, in which she scored 58 goals. She was a member of the squad, that won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dobson began her international hockey career as member of the 1993 Australian Junior World Cup Team that won the silver medal. In the following year she captained the Australian Youth Team which toured Asia. Her first selection in the Senior Team came in July 1995, for the Atlanta Challenge Cup. Once she joined the Hockeyroos, Dobson made a major contribution to their dominance. Their gold medal winning performance in Atlanta brought up an incredible 39 match winning steak.

After the Centennial Games, Dobson was part of the Hockeyroos team that successfully defended their Champions Trophy title in 1997 and 1999. Due to injury Dobson narrowly missed selection for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Despite missing out on her second Olympic Games, Dobson returned to the Australian team for the Champions Trophy in 2001. As a senior player and vice-captain, she was highly respected for her strong work ethic. Dobson received both the "Hockeyroos Player of the Year" and "Australian Hockey League Player of the Year" awards within 12 months.

Dobson was part of the Hockeyroos home assault on the Champions Trophy in Sydney in late 2003. A constant threat around goal and at penalty corners throughout the tournament, Dobson collected her third Champions Trophy gold when Australia defeated China in the final. At her second Olympics in Athens, Dobson was an important leader of the team that finished fifth, losing only to eventual gold medallist Germany and runner-up the Netherlands. She retired at the beginning of 2005.

International Senior Competitions

* 1996 – Summer Olympics, Atlanta, United States (1st)
* 1997 – Champions Trophy, Berlin, Germany (1st)
* 1998 – Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1st)
* 1999 – Champions Trophy, Brisbane, Australia (1st)
* 2000 – Champions Trophy, Amstelveen, Netherlands (3rd)
* 2001 – Champions Trophy, Amstelveen, Netherlands (3rd)
* 2002 – World Cup, Perth, Australia (4th)
* 2003 – Champions Trophy, Sydney, Australia (1st)
* 2004 – Summer Olympics, Athens, Greece (5th)

References

* [http://www.hockey.org.au/natteams/player_details.asp?PlayerID=332 Profile on Hockey Australia]