Date of Birth: 6 March 2003

Place of Birth: Windhoek, Namibia

Occupation: Student

Thanks for taking time to chat to us, Armin. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into hockey? 

I started playing field hockey when I was nine years of age and then indoor hockey at the age of 10. It always seemed like a fun, competitive sport and that’s how I actually fell in love with it. During that time, I wanted to partake in as much extra-curricular activities as possible and hockey became one of them.

Who would you say are some your biggest role models and how do they influence your style of play?

I would say my biggest role model is Georgina Oliva, the captain of the Spanish field women’s national team. Her vision on the field is extraordinary and she also plays in the same position as myself. She makes the most insane passes to the strikers. I look up to her style of hockey and wish that one day I will be just as good as her.  

Your love and passion for hockey is quite oozing, do you have any hockey-playing relatives?  

No. I decided to play hockey myself and fell in love with the sport. Unfortunately, no relatives of mine are involved in the sport.

You represented the country’s senior national indoor team at the recent FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in South Africa. How would you describe that experience? 

I cannot even put it into words. It was truly an honour to play for my country at the highest level possible. I am grateful for the opportunity and my wish is that every young hockey player who dreams of achieving this will get the opportunity as it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  

You also scored some crucial goals for Namibia at the World Cup. How big of a deal was that for you on such a big stage? 

It felt amazing. It was even more special because I scored the goal in my first official indoor cap. I was happy but my mind could not fully comprehend what had just happened. It only sunk in later.  

Unfortunately, Namibia failed to progress to the final rounds of the World Cup, despite putting up some great performances. What do you think went wrong? 

Our downfall was the fact that we could not score goals. We had plenty short corners that we simply couldn’t put away. We should have invested more time practising combinations. If we were able to put away half of our short corners, our ranking might have ended up in a different result.  

If you have to sum it up, what would you say were some of the biggest takeaways from the World Cup as a player? 

I would say I learned so much from the more experienced players, especially on how to improve one’s own game. The hockey was fantastic to watch and even better to play against the best of the best from across the world. It was a great learning curve.

How do you plan on using the World Cup experience to your advantage, especially in terms of personal growth and career improvements? 

My aim is to eventually play for the first team at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and I think with hard work and dedication, it is possible for me to cut through. Another goal would be to play in another World Cup with our national team; be it indoors or outdoors.  

On a personal level, what has been some of your biggest challenges? 

My biggest challenge is not being able to train with the squad for each respective tournament as much as I would have liked because I’m mostly in Stellenbosch. I have so much more to catch up on when I return for the holiday. To overcome this challenge, I mostly do fitness on my own and play in the university’s league all year round.

What is the one piece of advice that you would like to share with young girls who are currently pursuing a career in hockey, especially those at grassroots level?

Reach out to club and school coaches, and ask them to register you in one of their teams. They are always happy with a player
availing themselves and that could be your biggest opportunity. So, my biggest advice is just for them to continue engaging in hockey activities as much as possible.  

In terms of development, what do you think Namibia needs to do to catch up with the rest of the world? 

Development will be the biggest promoter for female hockey in Namibia. We need coaches willing to broaden their horizons, go for coaching courses and pass this information on.  We need long-term funding from sponsors to send the teams away to major tournaments, preparation, or even just bringing in international coaches for clinics. People willing to donate hockey playing gear to youngsters who cannot afford to buy it themselves, is also another important thing. In addition, we need to organise more competitions for young and experienced players as well.

Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us… perhaps any parting words? 

You are welcome. All I can say is that it is truly an honour to be representing my country on the world stage. My message to other female players who wish to play hockey is to really invest a lot of time on improving your skills and fitness. Work hard and remain committed to the sport.