Time for hockey to write new chapter

Uganda’s national sides start the Bi-nation FIH (International Hockey Federation) Series against Kenya today at the Sikh Union Club in Nairobi with an aim to re-write history.

The last time Uganda’s men came here in 2007 for the Africa Olympic qualifiers, they lost 5-0 to the Kenyans. There has never been a national team engagement since and some will feel a generation of players was wasted.  Striker Thomas Opio is the only surviving member of that squad and while he has been lethal in club hockey for the last 14 years, his international experience might just be as rich as the youngest players in the squad like Maxwell Mugisha and second assistant captain Stuart Kavuma.

Though coaches Sandra Namusoke (female side) and Vincent Kasasa (male) will differ in approach today, they both agree that in the end, their sides that arrived in Nairobi last evening need to perform to make the sport recognizable at home and grow opportunities.

“Only positive results will sell and endear hockey to the nation,” Kasasa said. The men’s side will train this morning before their first game late in the afternoon. “We must win the first two games if we want to take something out the Series.” 

Although Namusoke wants her side to acclimatize to the conditions, she put her team’s goals even more clearly; “Winning is the only reason why we are here. Everyone on the team knows that. It is an internal demand. We want to gauge where the two months of hard work have put us. We want to know what we are getting right and what is missing.”
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