POYNTON, Emma
(1981 - )
[Top] Emma Poynton
[Middle Top] With coaches Matt Armstrong (left) and Tommy Powell, 2014-15 AWIHL Melbourne Ice Women, Melbourne, 2015.
[Middle Bottom] Melbourne Ice players, Nicole Cliff, Emma Poynton and Jodie Walker, Icehouse, Melbourne, c2013-14. Photo by Dennis Manktelow.
[Bottom] Instructor, IPC-Agitos Foundation Development Camp, Ostersund, Sweden, 2019. By Stuart Lieberman for World Para Ice Hockey.
CAREER SUMMARY
Birth
28 May 1981
Melbourne VIC Australia
Clubs
IHV Melbourne Ice Wolves, AWIHL Melbourne Ice Women, AIHL Melbourne Ice, IHV-T2W Melbourne Dragons, IHA Aussie Ice Roos, AIHL Melbourne Mustangs, IHV Monarchs, OiHAN Melbourne Nite Owls
McKowen Trophies
2014 [1]
Goodall Cups
2023 [1]
World Championships
GM 2014, 15, 16, 17 [4] Ice Hockey
Official/delegate 2018, 2022, 2024 [3] Para Ice Hockey
Paralympics
2022 [1] Para Ice Hockey
IIHF Level 2 Coach
President AIHL Melbourne Ice
BORN 28 MAY 1981, in Melbourne, Australia, Emma Poynton was a driving force behind the Melbourne Ice Wolves in 2010 with Aaron Elson, and Nick and Phil Bakatsoulas, all graduates of the O’Brien Icehouse Hockey Academy. The athlete had been a competitive track sprinter who won the Women’s 400m at the Stawell Gift before taking up ice hockey as an adult. She went on to play in the national league, however, she is better known for her coaching, management, and medical roles.
A trainer with the AWIHL Melbourne Ice in 2012 and 2014, Poynton played for the club for four seasons between 2014 and 2017, making the playoffs twice. She also played for the Melbourne Dragons teams in the Tier 2 Women’s League. Building on her experience as both a player and trainer, she was appointed General Manager of the national women’s team at four IIHF World Championships from 2014 to 2017, earning a Division 2B Gold medal in 2016.
In 2017, Paralympics Australia invited the trainer to attend World Para Ice Hockey’s women’s development camp in Chuncheon, South Korea. In 2018, Poynton became an international delegate for World Para Ice Hockey and managed the men’s national para ice hockey team (Aussie Ice Roos) on their debut at the World Championships. She continued to represent Australia at the 2020 European Championships and the 2022 and 2024 C-Pool World Championships. She coached at the 2021 Development Camp in Ostrava and officiated at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games and the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Women's World Challenge in Green Bay, USA.
Most recently, Poynton served as the head coach for the state women's team (Boxall), the U18 state team manager (Tange), and acted as the technical delegate and skills development camp coach for the International Paralympic Committee, World Para Ice Hockey, where she previously held the position of General Manager.
Since 2022, Poynton has been a trainer with the AIHL Melbourne Mustangs, earning their Outstanding Service Award in 2023. She currently holds the role of Head of Medical and Sports Integrity Officer at the Club, which includes managing the off-ice medical team of strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, sport trainers and doctors.
Poynton is a coach qualified at IIHF Level 2 who continues to participate in recreational hockey, most recently playing for the Chargers in the Rec League at Ice HQ Reservoir. She was the Head of Medical for the 2025 Youth Pan-Pacific Series.
Among her notable career achievements are officiating at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games and contributing to the successes of various teams, including the Australian National Women’s Team’s IIHF gold medal, the Melbourne Ice Women’s AWIHL Championship in 2014, the Victorian women’s team national championship in 2022, and the Melbourne Mustangs AIHL Championship in 2023.
The health professional holds a Master of Health Specialisation (Podiatric Medicine) from the University of South Australia and a Bachelor of Podiatry from Latrobe University. Her clinical practice specialises in biomechanics, sports medicine and injury management with a strong interest in winter sports (skiing, ice hockey and ice skating), football and running.
In 2025, Poynton worked as the Sports Podiatrist for the AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW Western Bulldogs, and served as the Australian Open Grand Slam Tennis Podiatrist. Additionally, she collaborated with health professionals at Alphington Sports Medicine and LifeCare Prahran Sports Medicine.
Above all, Emma Poynton has been responsible for the health and wellbeing of many top Australian ice hockey players and athletes for over twenty years. In 2022, she was awarded the Otto Wolf Perpetual Trophy for outstanding service to the Victorian ice hockey association.
Trainer
2012, 2014 AWIHL Melbourne Ice
2022 - present AIHL Melbourne Mustangs
Asst Coach
2022, 2023 Boxall Women 17+
Coach
2024, 2025 Boxall Women 17+
2021 Para Ice Hockey Development Camp
2016 White Dragons Women’s Tier 2 Show Case
Heartland Hockey (Minnesota USA)
Official/ Delegate
2023 World Para Ice Hockey Women's World Challenge
2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games
2022, 2024 C-Pool Paralympic World Championships
2020 European Paralympic Championships
Manager
2024, 2025 World Para Ice Hockey
2024, 2025 U18 (Tange)
2023 Men’s 17+ (Brown)
2018, 2019 Aust Men’s Para Ice Hockey Team
2017 Melbourne Dragons Women’s Tier 2 Show Case
2014-17 National Women’s Team
Medical coordinator
2025 Youth Pan-Pacific Series
2024, 2025 AIHL Melbourne Mustangs
President
2012-2014 Melbourne Ice
Monarchs IHC Vice-President
2022 Otto Wolf Perpetual Trophy
1. AWIHL players who don’t have Permanent Residency are imports, including New Zealanders. In 2015, 3 imports were allowed per roster. In 2016, the rules permitted four imports per team, with only two playing per game.
2. The Melbourne Ice Women drew criticism for playing overseas goaltenders. A Canadian played three-quarters of games in net in 2015 when the Club easily defeated the Sydney Sirens 6-0 in the Final. The Adrenaline also played a Canadian, with both imports topping the leaderboard. A local took over the following year, and import goaltenders were no longer permitted to play in support of the National Women’s Team. Teams must ensure each tender receives no less than one-quarter of the regular season game time.
3. The Chuncheon Dev Camp was called Actualizing the Dream Project–Road to PyeongChang 2018.
Ross Carpenter, 'Poynton, Emma (1981 - )', Legends of Australian Ice, Melbourne, Australia, http://icelegendsaustralia.com/bio_poynton.html, accessed online .
Women need to see women playing, Poynton. Australian coach and World Para Ice Hockey Technical Advisor on a mission to grow the female side of the sport. World Para Hockey, 15 Mar 2021. https://www.paralympic.org/news/women-need-see-women-playing-poynton
With Team Australia
1st Women's World Para Hockey Championships, Dolny, Kubin, 2025.
With Team Australia
1st Women's World Para Ice Hockey World Championships, Dolny, Kubin, 2025.
With Team Australia
World Para Ice Hockey C-Pool World Championships, Bangkok, 2024.
With Team Australia
World Para Ice Hockey C-Pool World Championships, Bangkok, 2024.
With Team Australia
World Para Ice Hockey Skills Development Camp, Dolny, Kubin, Slovakia, 2024.
With Team Australia
World Para Ice Hockey Skills Development Camp, Dolny, Kubin, Slovakia, 2024.
World Para Ice Hockey
Women's World Challenge, Skien, Norway, 2024
With Team Victoria
Boxall Trophy National, O'Brien Icehouse, Melbourne, 2024.
With the Melbourne Mustangs
2023 AIHL Goodall Cup Champions. Photo by Phil Taylor
With Team Victoria
Brown Trophy Champions, Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, 2023
With Team Victoria
Brown Trophy Champions, Nobbies Beach, Newcastle, 2023
Otto Wolf Perpetual Trophy
Ice Hockey Victoria, 2022
World Para Ice Hockey
C-Pool World Championships Opening Ceremony, Bangkok, 2022
With Team Victoria
Victorian Women’s State Ice Hockey Team, Boxall Trophy Nationals, 2022
Official/delegate
2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games
With the Melbourne Chargers
A-Team with Georgia Moore, Lyndsay Buchanan, Laurie Pigot, O'Brien Icehouse, Melbourne, 2019.
With Australian Captain Jarred Liddicoat
Aust Men’s Para Ice Hockey Team, World Para Ice Hockey World Champs C-Pool tournament MVP, Vierumaki, 2018.
With the Australian National Women's Team
Korea vs Australia, Kwandong Hockey Center, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 5 Apr 2017
With the Melbourne Dragons
Tier 2 Women's Ice Hockey League, Bronze medal, 2017.
#15 with the Melbourne Ice Women
With coaches Matt Armstrong (left) and Tommy Powell, 2014-15 AWIHL, Melbourne, 2015.
With Team Australia
Australian National Women's Ice Hockey Team, 2016
With the Australian National Women's Team
From left: Emma Poynton, John Botterill, Kate Tihema, Venice, 2014, after the World Women’s Championship in Asiago.
With Melbourne Ice Women
2013-14 AWIHL Champions, Melbourne, 2014.