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All the news for Thursday 29 August 2019

South African IPT (Men) - Day 4

Results, Fixtures and Pool standings From the South African IPT Men's A and B sections. Live streaming via https://www.facebook.com/ShoOTTSA

2019 Senior IPT - Men's A-Section
Bloemfontein

Results

28 Aug 2019     NG v WPP (Pool A)         3 - 4
28 Aug 2019     KZNC v WP (Pool A)     2 - 2
28 Aug 2019     SG v SAU21 (Pool B)     1 - 0
28 Aug 2019     SGW v EP (Pool B)         2 - 3

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Aug 2019 10:15     NG v SGW
29 Aug 2019 13:45     EP v WP
29 Aug 2019 15:30     KZNC v SAU21
29 Aug 2019 19:00     SG v WPP

Final Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

2019 Senior IPT - Men's B-Section
Bloemfontein

Results

28 Aug 2019     NW v SACD (Pool A)     2 - 6
28 Aug 2019     NC v MPU (Pool A)         1 - 1
28 Aug 2019     KZNM v KZNI (Pool B)     3 - 1
28 Aug 2019     FS v SGN (Pool B)         3 - 0

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Aug 2019 08:30     SACD v KZNI (Position 1 - 8)
29 Aug 2019 10:15     KZNM v NC (Position 1 - 8)
29 Aug 2019 12:00     NW v SGN (Position 1 - 8)
29 Aug 2019 13:45     FS v MPU (Position 1 - 8)

FInal Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

South African Hockey Match Centre

South African IPT (Womenen) - Day 4

Results, Fixtures and Pool standings From the South African IPT Women's A and B sections. Live streaming via https://www.facebook.com/ShoOTTSA

2019 Senior IPT - Women's A Section
Bloemfontein

Results

28 Aug 2019     NG v EP (Pool A)         4 - 0
28 Aug 2019     WP v KZNC (Pool B)     3 - 2
28 Aug 2019     SG v SAU21 (Pool A)     4 - 1
28 Aug 2019      NW v FSA (Pool B)         2 - 1

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Aug 2019 08:30     SG v KZNC
29 Aug 2019 12:00     WP v SAU21
29 Aug 2019 17:15     FSA v EP
29 Aug 2019 17:45     NG v NW

Final Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

2019 Senior IPT - Women's B-Section
Bloemfontein

Results

28 Aug 2019     KZN MYN v SACD (Pool B)     4 - 3
28 Aug 2019     SGN v NWB (Pool B)         1 - 0
28 Aug 2019     NGD v MPUM (Pool A)         1 - 0
28 Aug 2019     WPP v KZN MYN (Pool B)     0 - 0
28 Aug 2019     BORDER v FSB (Pool A)         1 - 7

Fixtures (GMT +2)

29 Aug 2019 09:00     SACD v SGN (Pool B)
29 Aug 2019 10:45     SGW v MPUM (Pool A)
29 Aug 2019 12:30     KZN MYN v NWB (Pool B)
29 Aug 2019 14:15     NGD v FSB (Pool A)
29 Aug 2019 16:00     WPP v SACD (Pool B)

Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

South African Hockey Match Centre

2019 Hockey IPT enters knockout round

MORGAN PIEK


Owen Mvimbi and Jared Campbell - Morgan Piek

The 2019 senior men’s and women’s hockey IPT in Bloemfontein has reached the business end and effectively a new competition, with the knockout round starting on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, as been the case throughout the tournament there were a couple of big upsets.

In the men’s A Section, Western Province Peninsula stunned the much more fancied Northern Blues with a 4-3 win at the University of the Free State Astros.

In other results in A Section, KwaZulu-Natal Raiders and Western Province played to a 2-2 draw, Southern Gauteng beat South Africa U21 1-0, and Eastern Province beat Southern Gauteng Witsies 3-2.

Both Northerns and South Gauteng did enjoy throughout the tournament to top their respective pools heading into the quarter-finals.

In the women’s A Section, North West, claimed the bragging right with a big upset when they shocked the hosts, Free State, with a 2-1 win.

It was the Free State’s first defeat of the tournament, however, their wins over Western Province and KZN Raiders ensured that they topped Pool B.

In the other women's A section matches, South Gauteng beat South Africa U21 4-1, Western Province beat KwaZulu-Natal Raiders 3-2 and Northerns beat Eastern Province 4-0.

This means that Free State will face Eastern Province in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.

In the men’s B Section, Free State, remained unbeaten in the pool stages with a 3-0 win over Southern Gauteng Nuggets. This sees them playing against Mpumalanga at St Michaels in the quarter-finals. This match is scheduled to start at 13:45.

A Section quarter-finals (men):

10:15 - Northerns vs. South Gauteng Witsies
13:45 Eastern Province vs. Western Province
15:30 KwaZulu-Natal Raiders vs. South Africa U21
19:00 South Gauteng vs. Western Province Peninsula

A Section quarter-finals (women):

8:30 South Gauteng vs. KZN Raiders
12:00 Western Province vs. South Africa U21
17:15 Free State vs. Eastern Province
17:45 Northerns vs. North West

OFM

All or nothing in race to Tokyo 2020



The giants of Oceania hockey will come together in a two-horse race to win the coveted ticket to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Australia men and women will take on New Zealand in a three match series at the Kalka Shades Stadium in Rockhampton, Queensland from 5-8 September.

Also being played at the same time will be the men’s and women’s Intercontinental Hockey 5s, where Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tonga will face each other in a round robin contest. This competition starts on 4 September and finishes on the 8th.

Oceania Hockey is putting on two competitions that demonstrate a great example of international hockey provision across a diverse range of standards. Australia men and women are ranked first and second respectively in the FIH World Rankings, while Papua New Guinea are the highest ranked of the men’s teams competing in the Intercontinental Hockey 5s with a world ranking of 54. The highest ranked women’s team participating in the Hockey 5s is the Solomon Islands, with a world ranking of 58. The lowest ranked teams are Tonga men at 71 and Tonga women at 65.

The battle between the two top 10 teams will be a ferocious one. While an Olympic ticket is the main prize, there is also a huge amount of pride at stake for these two nations. History is on the side of Australia. The Kookaburras have won every edition of the Oceania Cup since it began in 1999. New Zealand women will be looking to regain the titles that they last won in 2011.

On current form, Australia continue to have the upper hand. The men’s team recently reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings with a victory at the FIH Pro League Grand Final and they have showed immense consistency of form in recent months.

The Grand Final of the FIH Pro League really did showcase the Kookaburras at their brilliant best. They faced a confident Belgium team but raced to a 3-0 lead through goals from Trent Mitton, Flynn Ogilvie and Blake Govers. New Zealand will need to be at their best to nullify the Australian strike force, particularly the threat posed by Govers.

The women have the honour of being the only side to beat the Netherlands this year, a feat they achieved in the FIH Pro League back in February. They were unable to repeat the feat at the Grand Final but they did take the Netherlands to shoot out after the scores were locked at 2-2 at full time.

In Mariah Williams, Kaitlin Nobbs and Savannah Fitzpatrick they have a new generation of stars coming through, while the senior players such as goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and penalty corner specialist Jodie Kenny, provide the maturity necessary to keep the team focused.

New Zealand, by contrast, have had a difficult time in the past few months. The men’s team finished last in the FIH Pro League, with no wins from their 14 games and just four drawn matches – all of which they lost on shoot-out. they currently sit at eighth in the FIH World Rankings, seven places behind their Oceania neighbours.

That said, New Zealand are a team packed full of talented and experienced athletes. They put in some battling performances in the FIH Pro League, such as the 3-4 loss to Netherlands and the 4-4 draw with Belgium. With strikers such as Kane Russell and Stephen Jenness, they just need to get together under head coach Darren Smith and turn experience and athleticism into winning performances. There are signs this is happening. At the recent Ready Steady Tokyo test series in Japan, New Zealand won three of their four matches, just falling short against India in the final. The wins over Malaysia, India and Japan in the pool matches were a good indication that the Blacksticks are returning to form. 

Olivia Merry was the FIH Pro League’s top scorer with 15 goals. Her captain, Stacey Michelsen was arguably one of the most influential players in the Pro League. The squad has a number of really talented players – such as Liz Thomson, Shiloh Gloyn and Samantha Charlton. The 5-1 demolition of Great Britain back in February and the 3-1 victory over Australia, in Sydney, provide perfect examples of what the team can achieve. Under new head coach Graham Shaw, New Zealand, who are currently ranked six in the world, will be itching to get back to the sort of form that saw them beat Australia to Commonwealth gold in 2018.

There might only be two teams in this particular race to Tokyo, but be prepared for battle to go down to the wire.

FIH site

Vantage Black Sticks sides named to contest Oceania Cup



The Vantage Black Sticks men’s and women’s squads have been named for the upcoming Oceania Cup in Rockhampton today (Thursday, August 29). The Oceania Cup takes place between September 5-8.

Vantage Black Sticks Men

On the men’s side, head coach Darren Smith has named a strong squad with breadth of experience to face world ranked No. 1 Australia. Blair Tarrant returns as captain for the New Zealand men. Other big names included in the squad are Stephen Jenness, Hugo Inglis and Kane Russell.

The Vantage Black Sticks men have just come off a strong Ready, Steady, Tokyo Olympic test series in Japan last week taking down Malaysia, Japan and world ranked No. 5 India in round robin play.

*Simon Child was not considered for selection as he continues his progress from injury

Vantage Black Sticks Women

Head coach of the Vantage Black Sticks women, Graham Shaw, has named a mix of experience and younger talent, including captain Stacey Michelsen, Sam Charlton and FIH Pro League goal-scoring machine Olivia Merry, to go head-to-head against the world ranked No. 2 Hockeyroos in Rockhampton.

The Oceania Cup serves as an Olympic Qualifying tournament with the winner earning direct qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. A best of 3 games format in both the women’s and men’s competition will determine which of the 2 Oceania hockey giants Australia or New Zealand qualify for Tokyo.

Oceania Cup Schedule
Thursday, September 5
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 8:00 pm NZT

Saturday, September 7
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 8:00 pm NZT

Sunday, September 8
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 8:15 pm NZT

The Oceania Hockey Federation has also announced that they will be livestreaming the games for free on their Facebook page.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Alexander Cox Resigns from Head Coach position with Irish Men’s



Hockey Ireland has today accepted the resignation of senior men’s head coach Alexander Cox. Cox has been a member of the Hockey Ireland coaching set up since August 2018.

He has previously held the roles of assistant coach with both the Dutch men’s and women’s national teams, winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics with the latter. He has been the head coach of Kampong men’s team since 2012 and continues in that role. While there, he has led the side to the top of the Hoofdklasse for 2 years in a row, as well as winning the Euro Hockey League title in 2016.

Speaking about the decision, Cox said “After taking some time to reflect on the past year, and the goals we have both achieved and failed to achieve, I have come to the decision that it is best for me to step back from this role with the Irish men’s squad.

“It was a hard decision to make, and I’m grateful to Hockey Ireland for the opportunity it has afforded me. I have proudly sang the Irish hockey anthem before every game we played. I would like to thank the players for their commitment over the past year and I hope they go on to do well in the future.

“It has been a tough few weeks, but credit to the players and staff as they have given it their all at every stage. We just didn’t manage to pull together the result we felt we are capable of. At this time, I feel it is best for me to step back as coach so the team can have a fresh start towards the important Olympic qualifier”.

Performance Director Adam Grainger said “Although disappointed with this news, we are happy we were able to benefit from an experienced coach of Alex’s calibre.

“We’d like to thank Alex for his time and for helping Ireland to secure an Olympic qualifier this autumn through the FIH Series Finals last June. Hockey Ireland are currently exploring a number of options as the squad continues to focus on their Olympic qualifier later this year.”

Irish Hockey Association media release

Alexander Cox steps down as coach to Ireland men’s hockey team

Defeat to Wales last Saturday led to relegation to second tier in Europe

Stephen Findlater


Alexander Cox has stepped down as coach to the Ireland men’s hockey team. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho
 
In the wake of Ireland’s chastening 4-0 defeat to Wales last Saturday, Alexander Cox admitted he would have to look in the mirror to see if the Irish men’s head coach role was still for him.

Three days later, he called time on his year in charge, saying the Green Machine need a “fresh start” for late October’s Olympic qualifiers, adding he feels it “is best for me to step back”.

The Dutchman endured a sharp baptism with a first-round exit from last December’s World Cup behind lowly-ranked China soon after he started the role.

Cox took on the role on an interim basis, combining it with his club role at SV Kampong. He replaced Craig Fulton who successfully switched to Belgium as an assistant coach and with whom he already has a World Cup and European gold medal.

Given the upheaval, the side got a pass for that low-key exit. This summer, however, saw Ireland lose to lower-ranked sides in world-ranking matches for the first time in a decade, falling to Egypt, France and, ultimately, to Wales to be relegated to the second tier in Europe.

After that defeat, an emotional Cox said he was considering his position, questioning if he was the right man to lead the Olympic pursuit.

“This tournament, obviously I wasn’t the right one. You have to be honest. As a coach, I am responsible and I failed to lead the group to better success. If I don’t see a future for myself, then its better not to stay on.”

And so, four days on, with his club role at Kampong kicking back into gear for the new season, he confirmed what many suspected.

“After taking some time to reflect on the past year, and the goals we have both achieved and failed to achieve, I have come to the decision that it is best for me to step back from this role.

“It has been a tough few weeks, but credit to the players and staff as they have given it their all at every stage. We just didn’t manage to pull together the result we felt we are capable of. At this time, I feel it is best for me to step back as coach so the team can have a fresh start towards the important Olympic qualifier.”

It gives Hockey Ireland a short timeframe once again to find a new coach to look after the side ahead of those Olympic qualifiers. The side will drop to 13th in the world when the new rankings come out in September, meaning they will play away from home in those head-to-head dates with one of Germany, England, Spain, New Zealand or Canada the destination.

On the women’s side, their performances in Europe will be enough to see them remain in eighth spot in the world rankings. Their Olympic qualifier will be at home against one of Belgium, Korea, USA or Canada.

The Irish Times

Alexander Cox: Ireland men's hockey head coach resigns


Alexander Cox was head coach of the Ireland men's team for one year

Alexander Cox has resigned as head coach of the Ireland men's hockey team following their relegation from Division A to the second tier at the EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp.

Ireland's 4-0 defeat by Wales on Saturday meant they finished eighth overall, with the 2020 Olympic qualifiers coming up later this year.

Cox said after the championships that he had "failed as a coach".

"We didn't perform how we should have performed in this tournament," he said.

Hockey Ireland issued a statement on Wednesday indicating that they had accepted the resignation of Cox, who had been part of the organisation's coaching set-up since August 2018 and been in charge of the senior men's team for one year.

Speaking about the decision, Cox said: "After taking some time to reflect on the past year, and the goals we have both achieved and failed to achieve, I have come to the decision that it is best for me to step back from this role with the Irish men's squad.

"It was a hard decision to make, and I'm grateful to Hockey Ireland for the opportunity it has afforded me. I would like to thank the players for their commitment over the past year and I hope they go on to do well in the future.

"It has been a tough few weeks, but credit to the players and staff as they have given it their all at every stage. We just didn't manage to pull together the result we felt we are capable of.

"At this time, I feel it is best for me to step back as coach so the team can have a fresh start towards the important Olympic qualifier."

'Exploring options for Olympic qualifier'

Performance director Adam Grainger said: "Although disappointed with this news, we are happy we were able to benefit from an experienced coach of Alex's calibre.

"We'd like to thank Alex for his time and for helping Ireland to secure an Olympic qualifier this autumn through the FIH Series Finals last June. Hockey Ireland are currently exploring a number of options as the squad continues to focus on their Olympic qualifier later this year."

Cox previously held the roles of assistant coach with both the Dutch men's and women's national teams, winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics with the latter.

He has been the head coach of Kampong men's team since 2012 and continues in that role.

While there, he has led the side to the top of the Hoofdklasse two years in a row, as well as winning the Euro Hockey League title in 2016.

BBC Sport

U-21 women’s hockey team end with loss


Action from the sixth match of the friendly series between Bangladesh U-21 women's team and Sports Authority of India in Dhaka Wednesday BHF

Bangladesh U-21 women’s hockey team lost 0-6 in the sixth and final match of the friendly series against Sports Authority of India at Maulana Bhasani National Stadium in Dhaka Wednesday.

With this defeat, the youngsters have lost all of the six matches against the visitor.

This series was part of Bangladesh’s a preparation for the Women’s Junior AHF Cup, which will take place in Singapore from September 9-15.

Despite losing all of the games, and conceding 32 goals while scoring only four, Bangladesh women’s hockey got good recognition and exposure in the series, as it was the first time they took part in such a series.

Dhaka Tribune

Dhaka to host Junior Asia Cup Hockey 2020


BHF general secretary AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed revealed the information during a press conference Wednesday after returning home from attending the Hockey Olympics Test Event in Japan, ahead of the 2022 Olympics BHF

Bangladesh Hockey Federation announced to buy the title sponsorship of the next edition of the Junior Asia Cup 2020, scheduled to be held in Dhaka from June 4-14.

The event will be named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation.

BHF general secretary AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed revealed the information during a press conference Wednesday after returning home from attending the Hockey Olympics Test Event in Japan, ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

Dhaka will also host the Asian Champions Trophy 2020, slated for October 15-25, with Hero Motocorp as the title sponsor.

Ahead of the Junior Asia Cup, the U-21 hockey team will be sent to India to play 16 practice matches in four states of the neighboring country.

Oman and Pakistan youth teams are also expected to visit Dhaka to play friendly matches.

BHF also informed that they have asked the AHF to provide them a high-profile coach and five turfs.

Dhaka Tribune

Dhyan Chand: The hockey wizard who had the world on his stick

With three Olympic gold medals to his name Dhyan Chand was the poster boy of Indian hockey for decades.

By Naveen Peter


A file photo of the Indian hockey team members, including Dhyan Chand (bottom right)

Talk about hockey in India and there will always be a mention of Dhyan Chand, the man who mesmerised everyone with his silky stick-work that saw him earn the nickname ‘hockey wizard.’

Born on August 29, 1905, in Allahabad to Sharadha Singh and Sameshwar Singh - a soldier in the British Indian Army, Dhyan Singh was drawn towards hockey at a very early age. Like his father, he too enrolled himself in the army at the age of 16 and continued to play his favourite sport there.

His time in the force saw him play various army hockey competitions and regimental games between 1922 and 1926. The youngster would take to the game like fish to water, and develop into a fine craftsman for his side.

Dhyan would be so engrossed in the game that he would practise playing hockey during the night after his duty hours under the moonlight, a reason that earned him the name, Dhyan Chand (‘Chand’ means moon in Hindi).

The regimental rein

His progress through the ranks saw him make the Indian Army team for a tour to New Zealand in 1926.

The Indian side was firing on all cylinders in New Zealand, where they won 18 matches, drew two and just lost a solitary tie during the tour.

Their performance was lauded by many and Dhyan Chand in particular received a lot of praise for his show on his first international assignment. On return, he was named a Lance Naik in the Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army.

His quality and performance didn’t go unnoticed for long as Chand would soon make it to the Indian team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

With the sport included in the Olympic fold for the first time, the newly formed Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was eager to send the best possible team for the Games in the Netherlands. For that, the IHF called for an inter-provincial tournament to decide on the squad for the Olympics.

Five teams -- Punjab, Bengal, Rajputana, United Provinces (UP) and Central Provinces -- participated in the inaugural Nationals. And with the army sides choosing to skip the competition, Dhyan Chand was allowed to turn up for UP.

The magician ensured that he made the most of the opportunity to not only make a case for himself in the Indian side but also entertained the selectors and the spectators with his quality ball control and darting runs that had the opposition defence in trouble time and again.

The Olympic dream

His splendid performance at the inter-provincial tournament as the centre-forward and his partnership with George Marthins, the inside-right, meant Dhyan Chand was in India’s first-ever hockey squad for the Olympic Games.

Though they had to face some financial troubles before reaching Amsterdam, once in the Dutch city, the Indian team was in their groove as they made the competition their own with some fantastic hockey.

Leading the charge was their centre-forward, Dhyan Chand, who top-scored with 14 goals in his five matches en route to a gold medal in their debut appearance.

The growing legend

The coming years would see Dhyan Chand’s legend grow manifold as the man from Allahabad took his game a notch higher and helped India defend their Olympic gold at the 1932 Los Angeles Games.

This time though, the win was a little more special as Dhyan had his brother Roop Singh along in the team that took the gold in LA.

While the previous two editions saw Dhyan lead the Indian team with his emphatic performances on the field, at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, he was named the skipper of the side.

The added responsibility only spurred him to greater exploits. The Indian team scored a total of 38 goals in the competition as they bagged another Olympic gold, conceding just once in the final.

Later years and legacy

Returning from their triumph in Berlin, Chand joined his regiment and confined himself to army hockey. Though the sport in India continued to scale greater heights with the likes of Balbir Singh Sr leading the charge as India went on an all-conquering era, Dhyan Chand's contribution remains unparalleled.

Chand retired from his army service in 1956 and was conferred the Padma Bhushan - the third-highest civilian award in India - the same year. He would take up coaching soon and was later named the chief coach of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala.

He might not be with us anymore, but the legend of Dhyan Chand lives on in India.

The nation celebrates its National Sports Day on his birthday (August 29), and he is the only hockey player to have a commemorative postage stamp and the First-Day Cover in his honour.

The national stadium in New Delhi is also named after him and the legend of Dhyan Chand continues to serve as an inspiration to many hockey players.

The Olympic Channel 

It may sound dramatic but Back to Hockey and Oxford Hawks HC have changed my life


Jan Davies - Oxford Hawks - BTH

‘It may sound dramatic but Back to Hockey and Oxford Hawks HC have changed my life. They helped me to regain my fitness and have massively increased my self-confidence.’

Jan’s story inspired us at England Hockey, as well as others within the Hockey Family community. Her story isn’t too far away from other club members across the country.

Like many, Jan played hockey at school in the early 80’s on grass and loved it, but staying active after finishing school was different and she fell into other sports and activities.

The hockey bug was still in the family when she introduced her daughter to the sport. Jan watched every single match and loved it. She wanted to play but felt she was too old to ever set foot on the pitch again.

In 2010, Jan received a cancer diagnosis leading to having surgery and treatments. Jan’s fitness suffered as a part of this, but it wasn’t just her fitness. She lost confidence and gained a bit of weight because it was hard for her to exercise.

In 2013, Jan’s daughter left for university, this left a hockey sized gap in Jan’s life, what would she do on a Saturday, how would she get her hockey fix?

Determined to regain her fitness, despite feeling very apprehensive and knowing the sport had changed since she last played, Jan went along to a Back to Hockey session at Oxford Hawks HC.

“The club welcomed me with open arms and the coaches were so encouraging. I was able to gradually improve my skills and fitness in a fun environment without realising it. It was also a great social group and I met some wonderful new friends.” Said Jan.

One evening at training, Jan was asked if she would like to play in a team. Although apprehensive at the thought, she said yes. Fast forward six years and Jan is now co-captain of a team that she loves and part of a wonderful network of people she has met at Oxford Hawks HC.

We asked Jan what her daughter thinks of her hockey playing mum:

“She is really, really proud! She knows how much joy and confidence it has given me. We’ve also played on the same team a couple of times, which is just amazing.”

England Hockey Board Media release

Nacsport announce video analysis sponsorship for SA U21 Hockey



In another exciting announcement for the South African Hockey Association, Nacsport have been announced as the video analysis sponsor for both the SA U21 Men’s and Women’s teams for the Junior World Cup 2021 Cycle.

Nacsport have a history of working with the biggest brands in sport across the globe including Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, the Irish RFU, the Scottish Rugby Union, Gloucester Rugby, and the Spanish National Men’s Hockey team to name a few. In terms of the sponsorship, Nacsport will provide video analysis for both the SA U21 sides through the next three years. Nacsport have already been used by national coaching staff Ashlin Freddy, Devon van der Merwe, and Lenise Marais.

Head coach of the SA U21 Men’s team, Neville Rothmann shared his delight at the announcement. “Nacsport offer a world-renowned product. They have been used by the best around the world and we are honoured to be on board with such a quality product. In the modern game video analysis is a critical part of the coaching process and to be able to develop to our objectives this is going to be a massively effective help in that regard!”

“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with SA U21 Hockey,” said Chris Freddy, CEO of Video Analysis Africa. “Both U21 teams will be working with our high-performance analysts who’ll be using our top-of-the-range Nacsport Elite software. Our involvement with SA U21 Hockey is part of a longer-term shared vision to improve the match performance of our top hockey players, as they progress from the junior into the senior ranks. The end game is a situation where coaches collaborate more with each other, and player performances are monitored far more closely, to create an environment of performance excellence throughout each player’s hockey career.”

The SA U21 sides are currently in action at the SA Hockey IPT in Bloemfontein.

SA Hockey Association media release

SA Hockey Association pays tribute to the late Alan Jacobs



The South African Hockey Association are saddened to hear of the passing of Alan Jacobs. Alan was a commanding hockey player who was known for his tenacity but almost more vitally for his leadership. It is no coincidence that he passed those on to his son Bruce who ultimately led South Africa to the Beijing Olympics.

Alan’s hockey career started at Mocambo Hockey Club before he later became a founder member of Blackburn Hockey Club, which dominated hockey in the Western Province. Alan captained both his club and province for many years. In 1982 he was selected as vice- captain of the SACOS Hockey team and eventually as captain of the 1988 SACOS hockey team.

Post-unification, Alan was one of the key drivers behind the establishment of the successful Central Hockey Club. Hockey was part and parcel of the Jacobs family. The entire family would support the KC March hockey festivals throughout the country.

As Gary Dolley has said: “Alan was a real role-model to many of us and we salute his contribution to the development of non-racial hockey. A huge thanks to his family for sharing Alan with us. It was indeed an honour and privilege to have played with and against this legend”

Tribute from Charles Smith

I am privileged to have known Alan Jacobs since the nineteen eighties through our involvement with hockey. I am convinced that there are many people that can regale and do justice about Alan's playing career. As years came and went on, I learnt more about his leadership qualities. He became an iconic leader of hockey teams, be it at club, provincial and a national level. Alan was a respected person, His tough leadership qualities with leading from the front had little if any to compare with.

I am fortunate to have remained a friend with Alan, Lilly, Bruce and Jonathan after his retirement. That relationship is of great value to me and certainly too many others. Alan remained a person that you wanted in your life. A confident man. A person you could test your viewpoint against and above all very good human being that enriched our lives. A quiet and reserved giant. The big one has now gone silent, but his memory will live on. A relationship with Alan had tangible benefits. He was always available if you needed conversation, guidance or even social company.

My enduring memory of Alan, the leader, will always be of a person that could listen to the views of others. His memory and spirit will live on with many of us for the rest of our lives. Alan, you may be quiet now, but you left us with a legacy that enriches, that act as guidance and will provide us with many an answer to pertinent questions that confronts us in this life.

Thank you, Lilly, Bruce and Jonathan, for letting us have Alan for so many years. Our friendship with you will continue. We share your grief today and trust that the good Lord will comfort you. Alan will remain the guy with the friendly disposition, the big presence, the wonderful personality and the caring spirit.

Charles Smith

SA Hockey Association media release