Africa Olympic Qualify… Getting ready!

Posted on October 3, 2015 by hockeytanzania

In 2016 there will be the Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio and hockey is one of the Olympic Sports. Now is time to decide which countries will be represented by their National Teams in the world most prestigious sport competition. The Nations that will represent Africa, will be chosen within the champions, for the men side and the women side, of the Africa Olympic Qualify. The tournament was planned to be played in Egypt, but then has been shifted to South Africa because of politic problems in the country. The new location will be Johannesburg, the tournament will be played from the 23rd October to the 1st of November. 20 National Teams are expect to take part to the biggest hockey event in Africa of 2015: till now 11 men teams and 9 women teams have confirmed their participation. Tanzania will be there with both men and women team.

Nick together with Mnonda Magani, Merika Kahola and the team during a training section on September 2015

team picture of Tanzania Men Team!

The men team is coached by the experienced Dutch Coach Nick Isbouts, who after coming to Tanzania the first time for the Hockey Volunteer Camp last January, decided to help for the development of Hockey in Tanzania by volunteering as coach of the men team. He is assisted by local coaches Mnonda Magani and Merika Kahola.

Nick while interviewdby national television

Tanzania men team training section

Tanzania Men team training Section

On the ladies side, the team is coached by Ignas Luena and Valentina Quaranta. The tournament will be tough, Tanzania will have to play against nations that are much more experienced, but already we have won our first match, which was raise the funds enough to pay the trip and the accommodation in South Africa.

Tanzania Women Hockey Coaches, Ignasi Luena and Valentina Quaranta

Starting training….

Short corner training…

Short Corner…

Together with one of our main supporters, Raelene Trimper from Australia!!! (in the middle). On the left Suzanne, our friend from Holland! On the back, Nick Isbouts, coach of the Tanzania men team, and collegue!

We have got the fantastic, amazing support from private donors from all around the world: friends, hockey players and other supporters from Italy (Hockeylove), Tanzania, Australia (Raelene Trimper) Netherlands (Nick Isbouts, Ivo Caminada, Rijswijksche Hockey Club and other friends) …just to name some of them.

Thank you to all the supporters of Hockeylove network, from Italy

Moreover, we want to thank very much our main local sponsor, the NMB, which has supported the teams in their trip to Johannesburg and also have provided us the uniforms.

On the 19th of October both teams will fly from Dar Es Salaam to Johannesburg with the African low cost company Fastjet, which also has supported us with a good discount on the tickets. Asante sana also to all the staff of Fastjet to be supportive, from the head office in London to the local staff here in Dar. Special thank you also to all the staff Pledgesports for organizing the online fund raising campaign and of course a big thank you to all the people who have made a donation through the website. On the 19th of October we will take off, direction Johannesburg… For the players will be the first time in their life to fly, you all will be with us! Less than 4 weeks to go. Johannesburg we are coming!!!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE AN EFFORT TO REALIZE THIS DREAM!.

READ MORE ABOUT OTHER HOCKEY NEWS ON THE Hockey Tanzania Newsletter July-August 2015

After University back to school!

Posted on July 12, 2015 by hockeytanzania

It was one year ago when we went to the University of Dar Es Salaam with the idea of starting a team there. Nobody knew, at that time, how hockey looks like. The students of Physical Education and Sport Science studied hockey on their books but never played it. So, when me and Emanuel arrived there with 15 sticks and some balls for the first training, there was a mix of curiosity and diffidence for this new sport. But, after trying for a couple of times, those brave students who started to come to trainings, discover that they like it a lot!

one of the first training at the university, may 2014

So, in few months, a team was already built up. Mainly composed by guys and few girls, the team played its first tournament last August at the Phoenix Hockey Tournament in Tanga, receiving the award for the best disciplined team.

University Hockey Team together with the Women Hockey team TWENDE

Then, in January 2015 all the players of the third academic year, participated together with other young hockey players, to the first coaching course organized during the Hockey Volunteer Camp, meant to train new young players in order to be the hockey teachers of the future in Tanzania.

certificate delivery at the Hockey Coaching Course, basic level. January 2014, University of Dar es Salaam, during the hockey volunteer camp.

All the players of the University Hockey team are students of Physical Education and Sport Science, so they will be sport teachers in schools. Training them as coaches will help to spread hockey in those schools where they will go to teach. Like Frank, one of the players, did already. Being sport teacher in Lindi Secondary School, after start to play himself, he decided to introduce hockey in his school and in other schools in Lindi. Being an example for the others, we hope that many of them will do the same in when they will get an employment as sport teachers in primary and secondary schools.

with Frank and his players of Lindi Secondary School

After the final exam that took place in the last two weeks, the students from the third year have graduated and have already left Dar Es Salaam going back home, and they will start to look for job as teachers.

The University Hockey team will go on, the students of the second year will continue to play and new students will join the team in the next future.

Former captain Sam during handover to the new captain Felix

together with Felix (on the left, new captain) and Sam (on the right, former captain)

To all the players of the third year, our best wishes for a great carrier as teachers, and of course as hockey trainers! Tupo pamoja!

Valentina

From Tanzania to Rio…

Posted on July 12, 2015 by hockeytanzania

While in different part of the world there have been played Semi-Final of the World League and the best teams have already conquered the right to play at the next Olympic Games, in Tanzania th players of the men and women national team are training every day with the dream to play the Africa Olympic Qualify tournament that will be played in Egypt from the 17^th to the 16^th of October 2015. All the African nations will gather to Ismailia, city on the Suez Canal, and will fight for a one place and dream the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Mentre in questi mesi si stanno giocando in giro per il mondo i tornei di qualificazioni ai mondiali per assegnare i primi posti alle Olimpiadi, in Tanzania i giocatori e i giocatrici della nazionale maschile e femminile si stanno allenando ogni giorno per raggiungere l’obiettivo di giocare il loro torneo di qualificazione alle olimpiadi che si giocherà in Egitto dal 17 al 26 Ottobre 2015. Tutte le nazionali africane si ritroveranno a Ismailia, cittadina sul Canale di Suez, e si contenderanno un posto per sognare le Olimpiadi di Rio de Janeiro del 2016.

The tournament is going to be really competitive, there will be teams which have a long hockey history and experience like Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and of course South Africa. Tanzanian players are aware of this, but there are doing their best to be ready for the tournament.

Il torneo si preannuncia molto competitivo, con la presenza di nazioni che hanno una grande storia ed esperienza come l’Egitto, il Kenya il Ghana e ovviamente il Sud Africa. Di questi i giocatori e giocatrici tanzaniani ne sono consapevoli, per questo si stanno impegnando duramente per arrivare al torneo in forma.

men team while training section at Magereza pitch in Dar Es Salaam

warming up at women training

Then, there is a big news! We are really lucky to get on our way to meet with one special person, who not only is an expert hockey coach, but he also has a big heart. After coming here in Tanzania last January for a couple of weeks to do volunteering in our hockey project, he decided to come back to help us in making this dream of the Olympic Qualify, come true. Nick Isbouts, well-known Dutch coach with a lot of experience and passion for hockey, accepted to volunteering again being the coach of the Tanzanian men national team. Nick came in Tanzania in June for a couple of weeks training the men team in collaboration with the two local coaches Magan and Merica, who are training the team every day while Nick is in Holland.

Nick while explaining to his players some tactics and skills

In più, c’è una grandissima novità. Abbiamo avuto la fortuna di incontrare lungo il nostro cammino una persona che non solo è un grande esperto di hockey, ma ha anche un grande cuore e ha deciso, dopo essere venuto in Tanzania lo scorso gennaio per fare due settimane di volontariato hockeystico, di tornare e darci una mano per rendere questo sogno realizzabile. Nick Isbout, allenatore rinomato in Olanda, ha accettato di allenare, in maniera totalmente volontaristica, la nazionale maschile mettendo al servizio la sua grandissima esperienza e passione per l’hockey. Nick è venuto in Tanzania lo scorso giugno per due settimane di allenamenti con la squadra maschile, è affiancato dai due allenatori locali tanzaniani, Mnonda e Merica con i quali ha sviluppato un programma di allenamenti intesi di preparazione al torneo.

training section of women national hockey team

For the women team, the coaches will be again Ignasi and Valentina, with the help of Nick specially for the athletic preparation. Nick will come back in August for another period of training with the men team and then, we hope, we will leave all to Cairo.

training section at the gym for the ladies team!

Per la squadra femminile, la coppia di allenatori Ignasi e Valentina è riconfermata, con un aiuto di Nick sulla preparazione atletica. Nick ritornerà in Tanzania ad agosto per un altro periodo di allenamenti con la maschile e poi, si spera, si partirà tutti per il Cario.

Yes, we hope. Because for Tanzania the challenge of the Africa Olympic Qualify is double. Before even to talk about the challenges that we will face on the pitch against the other teams, the biggest challenge for us is to get in Egypt. That means that the participation of the Tanzanian National Teams depends on if we manage to get enough funds to go there. Unfortunately, the Tanzanian Government doesn’t support at all the National teams, so we have to find the funds by our own from sponsors. The battle is though, but we are fighting with all our energy and we don’t give up in order to give to Tanzanian players the chance to dream the Olympic Games. And it’s for this reason that the job starts at 6 am in the morning on the pitch with the training, and keep going also out of the pitch, looking for companies or people who are willing to help us to reach this dream.

Già, si spera. Si perché per la Tanzania la sfida del torneo in Egitto sarà doppia. Prima della sfida sul campo, il grandissimo lavoro è quello di trovare i fondi sufficienti per arrivare a giocare il torneo. La partecipazione o meno delle nazionali tanzaniane al più prestigioso torneo in Africa, dipende da se riusciamo a raccogliere i soldi a sufficienza per arrivare in Egitto.
Purtroppo, non ricevendo nessun tipo di sostegno dal Governo Tanzaniano, dobbiamo trovare i soldi da sponsor interessati a sostenerci. La battaglia è dura, ma noi stiamo combattendo con tutte le nostre forze e non molliamo, per dare ai giocatori e giocatrici tanzaniani la possibilità di sognare le Olimpiadi. Ed è per questo che il lavoro inizia al mattino presto alle 6, sul campo da hockey, e continua anche fuori dal campo alla ricerca di aziende, compagnie e persone che siano interessate a rendere questo sogno possibile.