Brisbane Blaze Appoints Head Coaches for 2025 Hockey One Season

Hockey Queensland is pleased to announce that Olympic gold medallist Angie Lambert OAM OLY will step into the role of Head Coach for the Brisbane Blaze Women in the 2025 Hockey One League season, whilst Darren ‘Chook’ Fowler will return as the Men's Head Coach.

Angie brings a wealth of international experience as both a player and coach, and we are excited about the opportunity to refresh and evolve the program under her leadership.

Angie will be supported by outgoing Head Coach Nikki Taylor, who has accepted the Assistant Coach role as part of this collaborative transition. 

Nikki’s contribution to the Brisbane Blaze cannot be overstated. 

As the only coach to lead a team to all four Hockey One finals and deliver two League championships, she has set a powerful benchmark of excellence and leadership. 

Her legacy at the Blaze is one of remarkable consistency, competitive spirit and success.

 This decision reflects not a change in confidence, but an opportunity for new perspectives while retaining the excellence and team culture that Nikki has built. 

“We are immensely grateful for her continued commitment to the program and the players, and we know the partnership between Nikki and Angie will continue to drive success for the Brisbane Blaze Women,” said Hockey Queensland CEO Alison Lyons. 

Angie Lambert brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the position, and her time as the QAS High Performance Women’s Coach has cemented her strong relationship with the squad. 

Over the past two years, she has been instrumental in developing Queensland’s future talent through the QAS/AIS Gen 32 Coaching Scholarship. 

Her deep technical knowledge and athlete-first coaching approach made her the standout candidate to lead our women's team.

“I am excited to be trusted with the 2025 Blaze squad and to build on the success of Nikki and Lee in previous Hockey One seasons to continue to challenge our players against top quality opposition throughout the country. 

I am confident the group will have a wonderful blend of talented youth and experienced players and I look forward to working with the players and support staff,” stated Angie Lambert. 

Darren ‘Chook’ Fowler will continue his role as the Head Coach for the Men's team. Under his guidance, the Men’s Blaze team brought home Bronze Medals in 2022 and 2024.

QAS High Performance Men’s Coach Matt Wells OAM will also return in an Assistant Coach role.

Chook is looking forward to the season ahead stating, “It’s an honour to continue leading the Brisbane Blaze Men’s Team into the 2025 season.

This group has a proud and long standing culture, and I’m deeply mindful of that legacy. 

I’m excited to keep challenging this group to grow and improve—both on and off the field. 

With the passionate support of our Blaze fans behind us, we’re looking forward to what lies ahead.”

The 2025 Fixture and 2025 Initial Blaze Squads will be named over the next two weeks.