HOCKEY ASSOCIATION READY FOR JUNIOR OLYMPICS QUALIFIERS

MBABANE – The newly-formed Swaziland Hockey Association is ready to set the ball rolling.

Wednesday marked the official introduction of the sport to parents at OlympAfrica Sports Development Centre in Lobamba following a green light from the Swaziland National Sport and Recreation Council (SNSRC) in the past month.

Even though the association was taking it one step at a time by grooming future stars, one of the founders, Tinavo Mushavi, said seasoned juniors could get to compete with the continent’s best in the Olympic Qualifiers in Algeria in June.

“For now, we are targeting juniors players from the Under-9 category upwards. We’re in no rush to compete internationally as we want to establish ourselves first.

“We’ve identified training centres like Simunye and Lobamba. These places will later be turned into clubs. High schools will also produce players for clubs. By the next four years, we’re hoping to have a senior national team,” said Mushavi, who is also Vice-Chairman of the association.
Meanwhile, during the parents’ meet and greet session, Mushavi, who is also national team player for Zimbabwe, said a lot people showed interest in hockey.

To kick-start the programme for the year, Mushavi said there were lined-up training sessions at Lobamba for next Saturday. Festivals are also in the pipeline across different venues.

“We want to invest in development first. We also wish to take the junior national team players to a high performance centre,” said Mushavi.

The sport is mainly practised at private schools for now, but the launch of the association will see it nationalised.
An eight-member executive committee led by sports enthusiast, Laura Makhanya, is in charge.

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