Sandra Pisani

{{Infobox sportsperson

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| name = Sandra Pisani

| honorific_suffix = OAM

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| birth_date = {{birth date|1959|01|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2022|04|19|1959|01|23}}

| death_place = Adelaide, South Australia[https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/17488 Sandra Pisani at Olympedia]. Retrieved 19 April 2022

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| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's field hockey}}

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Sandra Pisani OAM (23 January 1959 – 19 April 2022) was an Australian field hockey player who played 85 international games for Australia and was the captain from 1985 to 1987.

She competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and was part of the team that won Australia's first Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeysa.com.au/About-Us/History|title= Hockey SA About Us - South Australian Olympians |accessdate= 9 January 2017}}{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pi/sandra-pisani-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418045736/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pi/sandra-pisani-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |accessdate=30 April 2012}}

She was a National Women's Senior Selector for the Hockeyroos Australia women's national field hockey team from 1993 to 2000 and the Head Selector during the peak of their success when the team won two Olympic gold medals in Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament and Field hockey at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament under coach Ric Charlesworth.

Personal life

Pisani was born on 23 January 1959,{{cite web | title=Pisani, Sandra | website=Australian Women's Register | date=14 September 2023 | url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/entries/pisani-sandra/ | access-date=13 February 2024}} and lived in Adelaide, South Australia. She died from cancer on 19 April 2022.[https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/7704791/olympic-hockey-gold-medallist-pisani-dies/ Olympic hockey gold medallist Pisani dies]

Field hockey

=Club hockey=

In 1976, Pisani first played A grade club hockey for Burnside Hockey Club when she was 17 years old. She played in eight (8) winning A grade Premiership teams over 15 years (including four in five years) for Burnside in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1990. She won Burnside Hockey Club's Best and Fairest in 1985 and 1987 and received Life Membership of Burnside Hockey Club in 2002.{{cite web |url= https://sitedesq.imgstg.com/customdata/index.cfm?fuseaction=Display_Image_Listing&CategoryID=17402&OrgID=11591/ |archive-url= https://archive.today/20141102112014/https://sitedesq.imgstg.com/customdata/index.cfm?fuseaction=Display_Image_Listing&CategoryID=17402&OrgID=11591/ |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 2 November 2014 |title= About Burnside Hockey Club |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

In 1985 and 1992, she won the Association Medal for South Australia's Best and Fairest Player.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

She moved to Port Adelaide in 1991 and spent six years playing and coaching with the club. She coached the team from 1991 to 1994. In two years under Sandy's coaching, Port moved up from seventh to second and then she led them to a premiership in her third year of coaching there in 1993, being awarded Hockey SA's Coach of the Year the same year.

Later on, she coached the Premier League Woodville Hockey Club for two years.

In 2012, she was a joint winner of the Hockey SA Coach of the Year with Rachel Hampton.{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeysa.com.au/Portals/19/2012%20Awards%20Night%20Medal%20List%20for%20Clubs.pdf/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140208080043/http://hockeysa.com.au/Portals/19/2012%20Awards%20Night%20Medal%20List%20for%20Clubs.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 8 February 2014 |title= Hockey SA 2012 Awards |accessdate= 2 November 2014 }}

=State hockey=

Pisani showed a strong commitment to South Australian hockey, having been a Hockey SA State Selector, State Coach and State Team Manager at various times.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

She played for South Australia at senior state level for the South Australian Australian Hockey League team, the Southern Suns for 12 years and was captain for five years. She played in 1978 to 1983, 1985 to 1989 and in 1992.

In 2011, she was a Mentor to the Southern Suns and then became Assistant Coach in 2012 and Team Manager in 2013.{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeysa.com.au/News/coaching-staff-confirmed-for-2013-ahl-teams-12539/ |title= Hockey SA - Coaching staff confirmed for 2013 AHL teams |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

=International hockey – player=

Pisani played 85 international games for Australia, making her debut in 1981 at the World Cup in Buenos Aires at 22 years of age. She was the captain from 1985 to 1987.

This is a list of tournaments she played in:

1981 America's Cup – USA
1981 World Cup, Argentina – 4th place
1982 America's Cup – USA
1982 Invitation Tournament – NZ
1983 World Cup - Malaysia – BRONZE medal
1983 European Tour – Holland and Germany
1983 Four Nations Tournament – Perth
1984 Pre-Olympic Tour – Europe
1984 Olympic Games – Los Angeles – 4th place (Australia at the 1984 Summer Olympics)
1984 Four Nations Tournament – Melbourne
1985 Four Nations Tournament – Holland and England – Captain
1985 Test Series - Germany and England – Captain
1986 Six Nations International Tournament – Australia- Captain
1986 World Cup – Amsterdam – Captain
1987 Champions Trophy Amsterdam – SILVER medal
1987 Four Nations Tournament – Korea
1988 Bicentennial Tournament – Six Nations -Perth
1988 European Tour
1988 Olympic Games – Seoul 1988 – GOLD medal (Australia at the 1988 Summer Olympics)

=International hockey - selector and manager=

From 1993 to 2000, Pisani was a National Women's Senior Selector for the Hockeyroos Australia women's national field hockey team. She was the Head Selector during the peak of their success when the team won two Olympic gold medals in Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament and Field hockey at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament under coach Ric Charlesworth.

She was a National Youth Selector since 2012 – a role where she worked alongside fellow South Australian Craig Victory.{{cite web |url= http://www.hockey.org.au/News/PgrID/5970/PageID/4/junior-world-cup-jillaroos-announced-47/ |title= Hockey Australia - Junior World Cup Jillaroos Announced |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

In 2014, she was the Team Manager for the Women's Australia A development tour to China and Japan August 2014.{{cite web |url= http://www.hockey.org.au/News/womens-development-tour-82945/ |title= Hockey Australia - Women's development tour |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

Recognition

She was recognised on the South Australian Sports Institute Hockey Honour Roll for her 1988 Olympic gold medal.{{cite web |url= http://www.sasi.sa.gov.au/sports/hockey/ |title= SASI Hockey Honour Roll |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

As part of the Queen's birthday honours in June 1989, Pisani was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the sport of hockey.{{cite web |url= http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/index.cfm/ |title= Australian Government site - Sandra Pisani - Medal of the Order of Australia |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

In the mid 1990s, she was a Board Member of Hockey SA. In 1995, she was a Council Delegate for the Australian Women's Hockey Association Inc.{{cite web |url= https://secure.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/105294/Womens_Hockey_Australia_Annual_Report_1995.pdf/ |title= Australian Women's Hockey Association Inc - Council Delegates |accessdate= 2 November 2014}}

In June 2000, she was awarded the Australian Sports Medal with the citation "1988 Olympic Team Member – Convenor of Selection Committee".

In 2003, she was given the Team Sport Australia Award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards as a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |url= https://sahof.org.au/award-winner/1988-womens-hockey-team-hockeyroos/|title= 1988 Women's Hockey Team|accessdate= 27 September 2020}} This was the first Olympic Gold ever won by an Australian hockey Team, the gold medal being considered the highest achievement in Hockey. It was the start of a remarkable era of success for Women's hockey in Australia.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

She was inducted to the South Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 2015.{{cite web |url= http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/sas-newest-hall-of-fame-inductees-recognised/news-story/c33e2c96ce499c094492a8853dc75e34/ |title= SA's newest Hall of Fame inductees recognised|accessdate= 9 January 2017| website=Adelaide Now}}{{cite web |url= http://sportsa.org.au/sport-awards/hall-of-fame-and-legends/ |title= KPMG South Australian Sport Hall of Fame and Legends|accessdate= 9 January 2017}}

She was twice a finalist in the Caltex SA Sports Star of the Year Award.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}