Staff Reporter

WINDHOEK – Hockey will soon be introduced as a sports code at schools in Khorixas after a successful training clinic was recently held at the town of Outjo. 
Bank Windhoek, in collaboration with the Namibian Hockey Union (NHU), hosted the hockey-coaching clinics in Outjo where a total of 65 learners and 13 coaches from six primary schools from Outjo and Khorixas participated.
The event was attended by learners from the Outjo Primary School, Jack Francis Primary and Maarssen Primary School, their teachers as well as those from three Khorixas primary schools, namely Versteende Woud, T.H.F !Gaeb and Welwitschia Primary school.
The teachers received training in coaching while the learners were taught the rules and the practical details of hockey as a sports code. Bank Windhoek sponsored hockey equipment to the participating schools.
“The way forward for the Khorixas coaches is to introduce hockey at their respective schools and play a junior league, while the three Outjo schools will continue to coach their teams in preparation for the junior league to be played on Wednesdays just after the athletics season,” said NHU executive member responsible for development, Erwin Handura.
With hockey’s inclusion in the 2019 edition of the Namibia Youth Games scheduled to take place in December, the Kunene region will consist of players from Khorixas and Outjo. 
“These schools were urged to prepare their players for the Namibia School Sports Union’s (NSSU) national trials during the second term,” said Handura.
Bank Windhoek’s head of corporate affairs, Hayley Allen said: “Increasing participation in sport can generate a variety of socio-economic benefits. It can make a profound and positive impact on individuals, communities and the wider society. Based on this, Bank Windhoek has committed to contribute to the socio-economic development of Namibia, especially in the area of education, job creation, entrepreneurship, health, sport, culture and welfare. These coaching clinics are the bank’s way of investing in and adding value to the communities where it is active.” 
Together, Bank Windhoek and the NHU have hosted hockey-coaching clinics since 2015 in the following regions: Kavango-West, Zambezi, Hardap, //Kharas, Khomas, Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Kunene. 
“This amounts to 10 coaching clinics where 51 coaches and 577 learners were trained. Bank Windhoek has sponsored a total of 480 hockey sticks and 200 hockey balls to various schools covering a distance of 6 230 km. We would like to thank Bank Windhoek for making this possible,” concluded Handura.