ZIMBABWE Under-21 men’s hockey team coach Prince Mwale has expressed satisfaction with the team’s preparations ahead of the Junior Africa Cup which will be played from Sunday to March 16 in Ismaila, Egypt.
Zimbabwe will be represented in both the men and women’s categories and faces South Africa, Kenya and the hosts, Egypt.
The junior continental competition will also serve as a direct qualifier for the 2023 Junior World Cup which will be hosted in Santiago, Chile.
In the build-up to the tour, the Zimbabwe men’s team took part in a fundraising tournament in Bulawayo recently, where they competed against Hippo Valley and Matabeleland men’s select.
In addition to using the tournament to raise funds for the team, it was also an opportunity for the team to get some valuable game time.
“The players are looking fit for the competition,” Mwale said in an interview with NewsDay Sport.
“We have been working more on team chemistry and understanding each other. We haven't changed our squad from the previously announced and we hope the players will remain committed till we start the competition.
“Though Nigeria and Ghana have pulled out, we still have competition from the remaining teams we are still expecting a challenging tournament and we should keep our heads up and keep going.”
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He also thanked the sponsors who have come on board to support the teams even though they were yet to meet their target.
“We haven’t reached our target but we have had a few promises from some corporates that want to sponsor the teams. We are also still expecting money that we have been promised by the government,” he said.
Local teams will kick-off their campaigns with tough opening matches against South Africa on Sunday.
