NWU set to host 2021 Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup
The 2021 Women’s International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey Junior World Cup is set to be held in Potchefstroom, the FIH announced on Monday, 18 February.
It is also the first time that this tournament will take place on the African continent.
The dates of the ninth staging of the tournament will be determined later. However, the FIH confirmed that the tournament will be played towards the end of 2021.
This tournament is unique as it gives the best u/21 players from across the world the chance to showcase their raw skills, and make a name for themselves for the future senior team and/or higher honours.
Christa Ramasimong (20), a second-year BEd student and captain of the u/21 South Africa side, said “I am very excited, especially as it is at my current home, Potchefstroom. I also believe with the people in South Africa home ground advantage counts a lot and it can lead to a very good tournament for the South African ladies.”
Ramasimong also played in the Summer Series at the University of Stellenbosch in January 2020.
Current SA u/21 coach Lenise Marais said, “It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase our u/21 age group, and hopefully, it will spark more public interest in South African hockey.”
Sixteen nations will compete in the 2021 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.
The teams are categorised in five confederations: Africa will get two spots, including the hosts, South Africa; Asia will have three spots, Oceania two spots, Pan America three spots and Europe, six spots. Since the European Continental Championships ended in 2019, six nations have already qualified for the European spots. They are Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Russia and England.
The rest of the continental qualifiers are scheduled throughout 2020, such as the Asia tournament in April, the Africa tournament in June and the Pan American tournament in December. The date for the Oceania tournament is yet to be announced.
In the history of the women’s tournament, the Netherlands has been the most successful team with three wins, while the current defending champions, Argentina, as well as South Korea, won twice. West Germany won the inaugural tournament that was held in 1989 in Ottawa, Canada.
As hosts, the South African side will want to impress, as they did in the past. South Africa competed six times, finishing 6th in 1997 and 2001.
South Africa, as the host country, has already qualified for the 2021 tournament.
Current u/21 coach Lenise Marais is keen to prepare her squad for the first-ever U21 World Cup on African soil.
“We would like the entire group (SA u/21) to be in the best physical condition possible. That coupled with technical and tactical proficiency will lay a solid foundation for the levels of performance required, since the goal for the tournament will be to play a brand of hockey that we can be proud of,” Marais said.
Anzel van Rensburg, 21, an art history honours student, said, “I will definitely go watch the hockey, since World Cups, in general, are not often played in South Africa – never mind in Potchefstroom.”
Ramasimong agrees. “For the NWU hockey it will be out of this world as people from across the world will be in our city, and people from all over South Africa will come to watch the hockey. So I am really happy that we can showcase our facilities to the rest of the world.”
Van Rensburg is just as enthusiastic. “This will just help to improve the NWU’s image even more as internationals get to see what facilities we have.”