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Exclusive: Former Black Sticks keeper speaks out over negative team culture - 'This isn't a one off situation'

August 16, 2018

Amelia Gibson ended her seven-year international career over player mistreatment.

Former Black Sticks Women's goalkeeper Amelia Gibson has spoken out about her negative experiences wearing the silver fern, having prematurely called time on her seven-year international career.

After her concerns led to an internal investigation into the Black Sticks environment, 1 NEWS can reveal that Gibson is just one of many players to have ended their international careers over similar issues.

"It was the mistreatment of a player," Gibson told 1 NEWS' Michelle Prendiville. 

"You want to be treated with integrity, you want to be able to play to the best of your ability but if you're in a negative environment it's not possible to perform."

"This isn't a one off situation, this is the environment players are in, and it is really hard for players to come forward - especially current players when if they were like me they could be in fear of their career."

Read more:  Exclusive: Blacks Sticks Women’s coach opened rift with squad after mistakenly emailing criticism of team to players, shortly before being dumped out of World Cup

At the start of 2017, Gibson chose to seek help from a team psychologist, before deciding to look outside New Zealand Hockey, unable to have faith with the support provided by the organisation.

"I wanted absolute trust in who I was talking to and someone who was outside of the environment who would hear my voice.

"In the environment I didn't feel like I had much of a voice."

Hockey Players' Association executive manager Glen Sulzberger says that the players should feel as though they can communicate with the governing body, especially in the wake of the scandal that saw coach Mark Hager create a rift with his own players by mistakenly sending a critical email to his team during the World Cup last month.

Mark Hager created a rift with his players and New Zealand Hockey after mistakenly sending a critical email to his team during the World Cup last month.

"We have good reason to talk to Hockey New Zealand, and they are things that we want to iron out in the environment," he said.

"The way the email found its way into the public domain and consequently the media, there has given cause to a number of other players to feel like they could contribute."

Late this afternoon, Hockey New Zealand acknowledged that they had in fact received a complaint from a third party, however after legal consultation did not deem it worthy of further action.

However, after 1 NEWS' investigation they did say that they will now take another look into the alleged incidents.

1 NEWS spoke to a number of ex-players with the same concerns, however many were too worried about the consequences of appearing on camera.

However, it is understood that many would return to the frame of international selection, should things within the team change.

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