Clive Thabo Dube
Sports Reporter
HOCKEY in Zimbabwe will this year infiltrate the school system with a primary focus on capturing potential players as it looks to gear up its grassroots programs.
Zimbabwe has a golden heritage of hockey dating back to the 1980’s but despite it being one of the successful sports codes in the country, hockey has failed to reach out to the young generation. The grassroots development with the notion ‘catch them young/ build from the ground up’ requires financial muscle which considering the economic crisis in the country, the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) won’t have it easy.
The infiltration of schools is a move by the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe to improve the visibility, grow the sport in the country and make the game accessible to the youths. The development strategy is going hand in hand with the coaching programme.
“Hockey is the second biggest sport in Zimbabwe in terms of numbers at club and national level but now it has to reach schools for it to grow even further. We have been helping coaches to get their certificates so that they can go and introduce hockey in schools. This will however be a long process which will require a huge sum of finances but it is our plan this year to introduce hockey in these areas.” Said Tendayi Maredza, the Zimbabwe U21 junior coach.
For the sport to gain more exposure, a strong grassroots development strategy is vital for talent identification at an early age. The process will allow individuals to hone their skills which will further nourish their skills.
The Hockey Association of Zimbabwe media officer, Cliff Farai Kaseke said the robust initiative is a necessary move which will see to it the much needed exposure of hockey in the isolated areas.
“High density suburbs and remote areas will be targeted this year as part of our grassroots program to further develop the sport.” Said Cliff Kaseke.
The development is also set to be crucial for the junior national teams, both the male and female side who will feature at the Junior World Cup Championships slated for March this year in Egypt.
Zimbabwe hockey still has a long way to solidify its presence on the global stage of hockey due to limited facilities, finances, resources and equipment. However, Maredza has high hopes for the national team to strive at the qualifiers and go on to play at the World Cup in Malaysia from 5 to 16 December 2023.