Namibia to use series to build towards qualifiers

Limba Mupetami

Namibia will use their five-Test indoor hockey series against South Africa as an important building block towards the 2026 Nkosi tournament and the 2028 World Cup qualifiers, with coach Shayne Cormack saying the team is still in the early stages of rebuilding.

“We have just regrouped as a squad four weeks ago and are still in the early stages of our preparation,” Cormack said. She said the series will also give younger players exposure to international hockey, while senior players returning to the squad after the 2025 World Cup look to regain their form.

“We will use the opportunity to give our new, younger players experience and exposure at international level, and we have a few senior players that have re-joined the squad after the World Cup in 2025 who will need the run to regain their form,” she said.

Cormack said the five matches will allow the team to assess its progress and identify areas that require attention in the next phase of preparation.

“The Test series is a very valuable opportunity to assess where we are and what we will need to focus on in the next phase of our preparation,” she said.

She added that the lack of financial backing makes it difficult to secure international matches, making the relationship between Namibia and South Africa important for the development of indoor hockey on the continent.

“We do not have financial backing at this point, so upcoming internationals are challenging to secure. Thus, the relationship between Namibia and SA is very important to both nations to help keep Africa indoor hockey competitive for our future endeavours,” she further added. According to her, Namibia’s strengths are the players’ commitment, combined with a blend of exciting young talent and experienced players.

“Our strengths are our determination and the commitment and sacrifices each player makes to remain a part of the journey. We have exciting new talent and a mix of good experience.”

However, she identified a lack of experience and match preparation as areas of concern at this stage.

“Our weaknesses will be lack of experience and lack of game preparation at this point,” she said.

Cormack concluded that the team’s focus will be on showing steady improvement throughout the series rather than simply chasing results.

“Evolving as a team, giving competitive performances and seeing growth with each match will deem this series a success for our goals going forward,” she said.

Namibia currently has a squad of 20 players, of which 13 will feature in the five-Test series against South Africa.

The first test is scheduled for tomorrow at 19h00, followed by two matches on Saturday at 12h00 and 19h30, and two on Sunday at 11h00 and 17h00

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na

Namibia squad

Petro Stofberg

Amber Dercksen

Tamara Grögli

Ottilie Hinda

Sunelle Pretorius

Azaylee Philander

Anri Jacobs

Leila Grögli

Gilaina Hermanus

Jahntwa Kruger

Marika Neethling

Abigail Rowles.

The post Namibia to use series to build towards qualifiers appeared first on New Era.