Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Indoor hockey teams hard at work… as women set to camp in Netherlands

Home National Indoor hockey teams hard at work… as women set to camp in Netherlands
Indoor hockey teams hard at work… as women set to camp in Netherlands

 Namibia’s women’s national indoor team will jet out next Friday for a training camp in the Netherlands ahead of their participation in the Indoor Hockey World Cup, set for Pretoria, South Africa, from 5 to 11 February. 

Coach Erwin Handura said European teams have been dominating hockey for the longest time, and Namibia have to train hard to be on par with them. 

“That’s one reason why we will set up a training camp in Europe – the Netherlands to be specific. We will play with various teams in that country to intensify our training ahead of the tournament,” he told New Era Sport. 

Since resuming training on Tuesday after the Christmas break, players are working hard on their fitness level, he said. 

“We have been training twice a day. The whole squad is in camp, and we are trying to focus on the preparations for this tournament. This weekend, we will have friendlies just to gauge ourselves ahead of the much-anticipated tournament.” 

Namibia’s women’s team qualified directly for the Indoor World Cup as continental champions. 

They are in Pool B alongside Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Canada. 

Their first match is against Kazakhstan on 5 February. 

The World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in Liege, Belgium, in February 2022, but it was cancelled due to Covid. 

This year’s edition will be the sixth and the first time the tournament will be held outside of Europe. 

Despite having qualified, Germany, who won the women’s competition in 2018, decided not to defend their title this year. 

The German men’s team also withdrew from the competition, which was won by Austria in 2018. 

Namibia’s men’s team has also been training for some time now, and coach Trevor Cormack believes they are in good shape. 

“We started with training last year and went on a break during Christmas. We returned this week, and I can say that the team looks good.” 

Friendly matches are also lined up for the guys in Pretoria. 

“We will have friendly matches against Australia and Argentina to test ourselves. I believe the fitness level of the team is good, and we have a few things to touch on before the tournament starts,” he said. 

The men will also play their first match on 5 February against the Netherlands. 

The other Pool A contenders are Austria, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Belgium. 

Namibia’s men did not qualify for the world cup but, together with the United States of America, they received a call-up after Australia and New Zealand withdrew due to Covid concerns. 

However, these two nations are now back in the fold. 

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na