Olivia Souter - Field Hockey

My name is Olivia Souter, and I am an 18-year-old field hockey goalkeeper. I was selected for my first South Australian state team at the age of 11 and have since represented South Australia across multiple age groups, including U12, U13, U15, U16, U18, and U21.

Growing up, I played a wide range of sports such as tennis, netball, swimming, basketball, cricket, AFL, and water polo, which helped develop my overall athleticism and love for competition. I began to specialise in hockey in Year 11, after being selected in my first Australian U16 team, also marking the beginning of my involvement with SASI. I was also selected in the Australian U18 Futures Squad in 2024/25 and 2025/26, and I am currently working towards selection in the Australian U21 Jillaroos squad.

I believe that sport plays a vital role in the physical, social, and mental development of young people, and my own experiences have reinforced this belief.

I recently returned to Adelaide after spending the final three months of 2025 training in Belgium at one of Europe’s most professional hockey clubs. This opportunity allowed me to gain some international experience, challenge myself in a new high-performance environment, and work towards my long-term goals of becoming a Hockeyroo and representing Australia at the Olympics. It also allowed me to see some new parts of the world, and was an incredibly rewarding experience that contributed to my development both as an athlete and as a person.

Questions

The best thing about being a SASI Athlete:

As a young aspiring athlete with (hopefully) a long journey ahead of me, being surrounded by so many successful and experienced athletes in a world-class environment is incredibly inspiring. It allows me to learn from their discipline, professionalism, and daily habits, while also reinforcing that I am on the right path in my development as an athlete.

My favourite food to fuel me as an Athlete:

Yoghurt bowl.

My favourite movie:

Little Women 2019.

My favourite colours:

Pink.

My sporting hero and why:

Jocelyn Bartram: as an internationally recognised goalkeeper and long term member of the Hockeyroos, Jocelyn has inspired me since I was a young goalkeeper because of her hard work and dedication to the sport. Having had the pleasure of training with her once before, her focus and diligence are characteristics that I strive for as an athlete, and seeing her behind the scenes videos on social media inspire me to work hard both on and off the field. I think she has showcased great mental strength and toughness having recently come back from various injuries and also balancing being a Hockeyroo with studying medicine, which inspires me focus on studying alongside my hockey.

My favourite possession:

My dog or the plaque I received for making my first Australian team.

The sporting activity I most like performing:

Being in the gym.

If I wasn’t doing my current sport I would like to be:

Travelling the world.

The most important things in life:

Enjoying what you do, and spending time with people that you love and support you!

My ambassador activity tip:

Take up every opportunity you can and make the most of them. Also always have a strong belief in yourself that you can achieve all of the goals that you set!

My favourite way to keep active:

Running.

The sport I like watching the most:

Tennis (if not hockey).

What sporting success looks like:

Achieving the personal goals you set for yourself and pushing yourself as hard as you can.