Richard “Ric” Charlesworth is an Australian sports consultant, a former hockey player and the greatest sporting coach of Australia. Whether leading the world in hockey, captaining Western Australia in cricket or winning a seat in federal parliament, he excelled in each and every field he participated in, with his sheer brilliance. He played domestic cricket and county cricket at an early stage in his sporting career and later served as the high performance manager for the New Zealand Cricket Team. He is a tactical genius in football as well which is apparent through his mentoring roles in Australian Football League circles. His involvement in politics lasted a decade and his work as an administrative member of Western Australian Institute of Sport Board was a clear insight of his multi-talented personality. But his most effective role was, undoubtedly, the one of being an exceptional coach of Australian national hockey teams, both men and women. Under his guidance, both teams emerged victorious in many international tournaments including the Hockey World Cup and the Hockey Champions Trophy. He is the first person to have played in and coached a Gold medal winning World Cup team in hockey.
