With the FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup only two weeks away, excitement is building for the tournament to finally start in the heart of Potchefstroom.
The tournament is scheduled to take place at the North-West University’s Astro complex from 1 to 12 April. This will also be the first time the Junior Womens’ Hockey World Cup will take place on African soil.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH), The South African Hockey Association (SAHA) and North-West University (NWU) will host the u.21 round robin 16-team tournament. Naturally, hosts South Africa will be in the spotlight as they aim to use home ground knowledge to their advantage.
The SA u.21 head coach, Lenise Marais, is confident and excited for the tournament to finally start, especially after the initial postponement due to the Covid-19 omicron variant in December 2021.
“We will assemble our squad and head to Potchefstroom for pre-tournament preparation this coming Tuesday (22 March). We have played a few games in Potch and are used to the facilities. As a nation, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the players in my team to play in a World Cup in their home country,” said Marais.
South Africa is in pool B of the competition, where they will face off against England, Ireland and Ukraine. Each match will test the South Africans, especially the opening match against England on 1 April.
“England is traditionally a quality hockey nation and has been improving over the past decade. It is going to be a good challenge to start the tournament against a top team to hit the ground running,” stated Marais. Ireland could also provide stiff competition and Ukraine might spring a surprise or two. The battle for the runner-up spot might go down to the match between Ireland and South Africa.
“We are looking at putting in three top performances to give ourselves a chance at a progression from the pool stage,” added Marais.
Pools:
- Pool A: Canada, USA, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands
- Pool B: South Africa, England, Ireland, Ukraine
- Pool C: Argentina, Austria, Republic of Korea, Uruguay
- Pool D: Germany, India, Malaysia, Wales.
