The Namibian senior women’s indoor hockey team is geared up to defend the Nkosi Cup title, which they clinched last year at the Wynberg Military Base in Cape Town, South Africa. 

This year’s competition, running from 13 to 17 December, will see Namibia face off against Spar South Africa and Ireland in what promises to be an intense battle.

The Namibian men’s team is also set to compete, taking on defending champions, South Africa, alongside strong contenders Ireland and New Zealand.

The Nkosi Cup, now in its second year, serves as a vital preparation ground for the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, scheduled for February 2025 in Croatia. 

The Namibian and South African teams are using the tournament to sharpen their strategies and solidify their line-ups.

Tunomwaameni Epafras from the Namibia Hockey Union stressed the importance of this event, stating that “it’s a great chance for the Namibian and South African teams to fine-tune their strategies ahead of the World Cup next year”.

Namibian women’s head coach Shayne Cormack described the Nkosi Cup as a key part of their World Cup preparation phase.

“We will have a training camp prior to our departure to Cape Town,” she said. 

“We will use this tournament as preparation for the World Cup. We do want to create a winning culture in our team. We will be striving for good outcomes, but our ultimate goal is to play as many competitive matches as possible to aid us in achieving our objectives at the World Cup.

“We still have a tough preparation phase following this tournament. Our ultimate focus will be the World Cup in February,” she added.

The women’s team is as follows: 

Petro Stofberg, Jaimie Henckert, Sunelle Ludwig (captain), Jahntwa Kruger, Kiana-Che Cormack (vice captain), Azaylee Philander, Jivanka Kruger, Jerrica Bartlett, Taramarie Myburg, Danja Meyer, Amber Dercksen and Marika Neethling.

The men’s team will be coached by Trevor Cormack. 

He said Namibia’s main goal and objective is very focussed on performing at next year’s Indoor World Cup.

“As African champions, we are in full preparation mode, and have a world-class preparation road map and plan.

“We view Nkosi Cup as our first preparation platform for the World Cup. We are not peaking yet, but see this tournament as an opportunity to expose our team to a world-class competition, which we don’t get at home training. We are also not at full player strength yet. We are waiting for a few students based abroad to return after writing exams, but we will be looking for a great performance at the Nkosi Cup,” he said.

The squad is as follows: Richter van Rooyen, Roben Kambinda, Pieter Jacobs (captain), Brynn Cleak, John Paul Britz, David Britz, Nicolaas Neethling, Delron Handura, Cody van der Merwe, Fagan Hansen, Dakota Hansen and Matukaramove Kavikairiua.

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na