A total of 36 junior hockey players from nine different regions across Namibia are in Windhoek preparing for the boys and girls Junior Hockey Series tournament, which will be hosted in Zimbabwe from August 8 to 11. 

These players, selected by the Standard Bank Junior Hockey Initiative project under the guidance of Erwin Handura, are training at the Gymnasium Private School Hockey Field.

The initiative, sponsored by Standard Bank since 2021, involves 36 boys and girls from various primary schools attending a training camp in Windhoek. 

The under-13 team, chosen from different regions, will compete against teams from Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The group, consisting of 18 boys and 18 girls, is staying at the Ella Du Plessis Secondary School and traveling daily for training at the Gymnasium Private School Hockey Field. 

Their intensive training sessions, take place twice daily, started on Monday, June 17, and will conclude on Friday, June 21.

Erwin Handura, the driving force behind the Standard Bank Junior Hockey Initiative, explained the training sessions' purpose and highlighted the participation of children from various towns forming part of the under-13 team. 

Some kids from different towns expressed their delight at being part of the training camp and why they chose Hockey as a sport.

Handura revealed that under-16 and under-18 teams would also compete in the same tournament in Zimbabwe during the same period, from August 8 to 11.