Hockey to reach North next year
• By Michael Uugwanga
THE Standard Bank school hockey league will reach the northern parts of the country come February next year, said national coordinator and senior women indoor hockey coach Erwin Handura.
Handura said this in an exclusive interview with Confidente Sport this week, following a successful Standard Bank school league that was held in the central parts of the country, notably in Windhoek, Okahandja, Rehoboth, Mariental and Gobabis.
“We are going to start with the northern parts in February next year.
Our aim this year, since it is our first pilot we targeted 24 primary schools, next year is to cover 38 extra schools, meaning we are talking about 62 primary schools next year. We have trained coaches and learners are well trained.
In three years time we want to cover at least 100 primary schools countrywide.
“Remember that we only launched the Standard Bank Junior hockey initiative on 7 September and we are already coming to an end of the first edition, which just tells you that we have done a lot,” said Handura.
He also said that on November 27 there will be a national championship that will be staged at the Windhoek High School, which will bring together the best 10 boys’ and best 10 girls’ hockey teams.
“Next week Monday we are going to host a regional tournament of which we are going to select the best 10 boys and best 10 girls from each league, of which they will then go and play at the national championship,” said Handura.
People’s Primary School in Katutura currently has the best outdoor hockey teams for both boys and girls, with the girls’ team consisting of one of the country’s emerging talented players in Kertu Bambi who is already being compared to legendary senior indoor hockey captain Margreth Mengo.
Hockey is one of the fastest growing sport codes in the country, thanks to the women senior indoor hockey team’s dominant on the continent, after winning back-to-back the Africa Cup in April this year in South Africa, having also won the cup in 2017 in Swakopmund.