Kookaburra

Kookaburra, named after the company founder AG Thompson’s pet Kookaburra ‘Jacky’, a member of the Australian Kingfisher family, is an Australian sports equipment company, specialising in cricket and field hockey equipment (including balls). The company notably manufactures the most widely used brand of ball used in Test Cricket, limited over cricket, and international hockey tournaments. Kookaburra Sport was established in 1890, is a 100% Australian family owned and operated global business, trading under the brand name Kookaburra in both cricket and hockey internationally, with offices in Australia (Head Office), India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Kookaburra predominantly sells its products via existing retailers, as well as cricket and hockey balls to Leagues and Associations in over 50 countries worldwide. For the first 100 years, Kookaburra Sport traded as AG Thompson Pty Ltd, and a number of the Thompson family members are still actively involved in the daily running of the business. Kookaburra Sport employs over 150 employees worldwide as the business continues to grow successfully. The Kookaburra name is synonymous with Australian sport and has established itself as the No. 1 Australian sports brand worldwide. Its association with sport originates from cricket, and by World War 1 the brand was entrenched as one of the leading Australian hand-made cricket ball manufacturers. Today Kookaburra is the official red ball supplier to the main test-playing nations other than India and England, and produces over 500,000 cricket balls per year. It is also the only remaining cricket ball manufacturer to oversee their entire production process in Australia. Kookaburra Hockey balls have been used exclusively in every Olympic Games since 1956 and the World Cup since 1984, with the Kookaburra Dimple Elite being the only ball with full international Hockey Federation (FIH) approval. Kookaburra Hockey offers a contemporary and extensive range of hockey sticks and personal equipment sold worldwide. Kookaburra works extensively with cricket and hockey Sporting Boards throughout the world to support various grass root sporting initiatives and has long been associated with some of the best players to grace an international field including, most famously, Adam Gilchrist (cricket), Dean Jones (cricket), Gordan Greenidge (cricket), Ian Healy (cricket), Jack Russell (cricket), Justin Langer (cricket), Kumar Sangakkara (cricket), Ray Jennings (cricket), Ricky Ponting (Captain of the Australian cricket team), Rodney Marsh (cricket), Mike Hussey (cricket), as well as Liam De Young (Captain of the Kookaburras) and Madonna Blyth (Captain of the Hockeyroos.) Kookaburra Hockey from Whirlwind Sports, Cornwall, UK