Players and staff of the Namibia women’s senior hockey team were on Tuesday rewarded for their breathtaking exploits during 2021, which saw them winning last year’s Africa Indoor Hockey Cup and also automatically qualifying for this year’s Indoor Hockey World Cup.

The Namibia Hockey Union (NHU) on Tuesday held its award ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in the capital, where 12 players and six members of the technical team were rewarded for their hard work and dedication in steering the national team to great heights.

Those achievements at the continental level saw the team scooping the prestigious Team of the Year accolade at last year’s Namibia Annual Sports Award (NASA) ceremony. That category was sponsored by Debmarine to the tune of N$100 000.

Each of the players walked away with N$6 000, while the technical team members, including head coach Erwin Handura, each pocketed N$4 000. 

Speaking at the occasion, NHU president Reagon Graig said it was important for the union to reward the players for the hard work, as it forms part of their strategic objective to remain transparent and player-orientated at all times.

“The players won this award and as a governing body, we did our best to ensure there is appropriate governance and opportunities for all our athletes. In this instance, they won the award and they should reap the rewards of their hard work. The team really give their all. Most of these players use their own fuel to come to training, which they do for the love of the sport. We are an amateur sport and these athletes don’t have any form of financial rewards, that’s why we decided to reward them for their hard work,” said Graig.

Meanwhile, Handura said players need motivation and these cash rewards will give them more reasons to work extra hard. 

“Our ladies have done all they could to achieve the desired results last year. We hope heading forward, we can improve and continue doing what we are good at.”

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na