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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
THE Hockey Association of Zimbabwe are looking at expanding their development series in a move expected to further improve the quality of the sport.
HAZ recently hosted a development series at St John’s Astro Turf in Harare.
It was the second time they hosted the event and just like last year it featured Zambian opposition.
The programme targeted development of hockey between the two countries and HAZ representative Tendayi Maredza said they are now aiming to make it a tri-nation series.
“So actually next year we intend on inviting Namibia. Obviously we took our Under-16s and Under-18s to Namibia in July. So we have now asked them to also come for the series next year.
“So next year we are looking to host Namibia and Zambia in a tri-nation series similar to this but now we will have Namibia coming through,” said Maredza.
Zimbabwe sent their Under-16s and Under-18s boys and girls to Namibia for a Test Series last month as they push for development from the junior level.
The three-day development series at St John’s Astro Turf attracted Under-13, Under-15, Under-16, Under-18, men and women select sides and the two countries senior men and women teams from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“I think the biggest highlight is having those juniors watch their national teams play also. I think it motivates them,” Maredza said.
Tongai Mukwewa, who is the men’s national team coach said there is need to continue with such initiatives.
“It’s an essential milestone that we have just sort of come across and I think we need to keep doing this. More of this because it helps our teams prepare long term.
“For a player to wait until he is 21 to play an international, by the time he plays international he is already behind all the other players. The countries around us they start playing internationals from Under-14, so this is a positive development for Zim hockey.
“And it assists also us as a coaching board to say what are the weaknesses that we are identifying that are starting at a low level and then being filtered all the way to the top.
“So this will assist in preparing us to have a structured coaching programme which starts from the grassroots all the way up to the national team.”
One of the senior women’s side captains Nicolle Grant also applauded the move.
“It was actually really encouraging to see especially even the little ones, the Under-13s and the youngest that we had this weekend. It was just really encouraging to see the growth of hockey,” said Grant.
Zambia men’s coach Elvis Bwalya said such events can go a long way in taking the sport to the next level.
“We need to just make it big. We need to invite other teams so that it grows big especially from the southern part, so that we put ourselves on the map because most of our guys from the East and West (Africa) they are already there on the rankings.
“But with the Southern region we are lagging behind. But should we organise such events like this, nations meet each other yearly, I think there will be a lot of improvement form our countries’ side,” Bwalya said.
This year’s series provided both Zimbabwe and Zambia’s national teams with a platform to gauge their teams as part of their build-up for the Olympic Qualifiers to take place from October 29 to November 5 in South Africa.
Online Reporter