Kalindi Commerford is member of the Australian Hockey team, having made her debut for the Hockeyroos in November 2016. Kalindi grew up on the south coast of NSW in a small town called Mollymook. She started playing hockey at age 5 and has played ever since.Throughout her junior career she would travel 2 hours to Wollongong 2-3 times a week to fulfil club and representative commitments. While her junior career wasn’t overly successful, never gaining selection in any NSW outdoor team, when she was 19 she moved to ACT to give herself more opportunity to play at a higher level. The move paid off and she gained a scholarship with the ACT Academy of Sport and trained in Canberra until moving to Perth. A major turning point in Kalindi’s hockey career came when she rupturing her ACL at the end of 2014. While spending the majority of 2015 in rehab, Kalindi learned how to push herself to be physically and mentally stronger.Off the back of an impressive performance with the Canberra Strikers (now Canberra Chill) at the Australian Hockey League Kalindi was selected to make her national senior debut with the Hockeyroos in November 2016. In that match she became just the 9th Hockeyroo to score on debut. In 2017 Kalindi relocated to Perth and was named in the National Development Squad, followed by selecton to the Hockeyroos squad in 2018.Kalindi has now played close to 50 games and travelled the world with the team. Most notable selections and team performances are; The Vitality World Cup (2018, 4th place), Champions Trophy (2018, silver medal), FIH Pro League (2019, Silver Medal), Oceania Cup (2019, Silver Medal). The Hockeyroos’ performance over the last 3 years has seen the team move from 5th to 2nd in the world.Outside of sport, Kalindi holds a double degree in Bachelor of Communications in Journalism and Bachelor of Laws. She has worked as a paralegal in various firms, most notably Moray & Agnew Canberra, and currently with Fortescue Metals Group. Kalindi has developed an interest in targeting areas of domestic and international law that are outdated or produce unjust or obscure results. Her goal is to build her own organisation that drives policy change behind the scenes and helps people to change their lives. Kalindi’s greatest learning in sport and business so far is “being uncomfortable is the greatest way to achieve change and progress.”
