The national ladies hockey team will depart for Kampala, Uganda by bus today ready for a week-long Africa Hockey Club Championships scheduled to kick off on Saturday.
Assistant coach Mnonda Magani told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam that they are well prepared for the prestigious tournament and thanked the support from the Tanzania Hockey Association (THA) and well-wishers from Italy.
“We couldn’t manage to set a residential camp, but we had good preparations and the players are ready for the big show,” he said.
This is the second outing for the ladies after their maiden Africa Hockey Cup of Nations tournament in Nairobi, Kenya last November.
Magani said that there will be no changes in the team that went to Nairobi, saying the only players missing out will be Monica Elias and Joyce Luhangija.
“The duo will be out of the team for personal reasons,” he said. He said eight nations will battle it out for the ladies top honours, including Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Tanzania who will field a team each, while Kenya and hosts Uganda will enter two teams each.
Magani said that for the second time Tanzania has to do it without the men’s team as they failed to get sponsors. “Financial constraints have prevented Tanzania to send a men’s team to Kampala,” he said.
Players making the trip under national coach, Italian Valentina Quaranta, who is assisted by Magani, are Flora Msilinge, Winfreda Gowele, Margaret Mpangamye, Mariam Mohamed, Eudia Mkuchu, Leah Shan, Eva Mwakapalila, Salome Chilimbe, Khadija Seleman, Mariam Ngomaitara, Kidawa Abdallah, Mary Sempindu and Happy Ngoko.
Mnonda said Italian non-governmental organizations Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti (COPE) and Tulime Onlus, Italy Hockey Federation, Lion Club Savona, individual Italian players, Quaranta’s Italian friends and well-wishers from Italy once again made it possible for the team to compete in Uganda. Quaranta has volunteered to coach the team.
Source Tanzania Daily News