Government, sponsors and sports well-wishers have been asked to help the Tanzania Hockey Association (THA) develop the game by constructing a modern stadium.
The national ladies hockey team assistant coach, Mnonda Magani, said that in Dar es Salaam on Monday that lack of a suitable stadium is one of the major setbacks hindering development of the game.
Magani was commenting on reporters that the team helped Tanzania earn the historic International Hockey Federation (FIH) world ranking. THA Secretary Kaushik Doshi told this paper at the weekend that the ladies are placed 46th in the latest FIH world rankings and rank fourth in Africa. Magani, who is also the Dar es Salaam Regional Hockey Association (DRHA) secretary and Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) coach, said that it is time the government and other stakeholders came forward and supported the game.
He said that they are facing many challenges, but lack of a modern ground is a major stumbling block in their efforts to develop the game. “I ask the government to open its eyes and direct its attention to the game.
We need at least a modern national hockey stadium,” he said. Magani added that the current achievement shows that if Tanzanians will put more effort on the team and the game they can expect wonders.
He noted that hockey, like many other sports in the country, does not attract maximum support from the government and sponsors. It is still far from being a popular sport in the country but Magani hopes that if they get little support they can hoist high the Tanzania flag. “It’s quite clear that this team can bring honours to our nation in the international arenas if we get support,” he said.
“But for the current achievement we thank SBS Tanzania Ltd through their Pepsi brand — the only Tanzanian company that helped the team in its maiden appearance at the Africa Hockey Cup of Nations in Nairobi, Kenya last November.
“We would also like to thank Italian non-governmental organisations Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti (COPE), Tulime Onlus, Italy Hockey Federation, Lion Club Savona, individual Italian players, national ladies team head coach Italian Valentina Quaranta’s Italian friends and well-wishers from Italy who made it possible for the team to compete in Nairobi and the Africa Hockey Club Championship in Kampala, Uganda last month.”
Source Tanzania Daily News