SA Schools Hockey. – Driving the game forward at the base of the sport, SA Schools Hockey (SASHOC) is delighted to be able to look back on another amazing year which saw significant growth and development of youth hockey across the country.

Ensuring significant opportunities were provided in all provinces, the federation hosted 17 regional schools tournaments around South Africa.

In addition, six national tournaments were held. A series of matches between the SA U-18 and SA U-21 teams were also held.

At the SASHOC U-13 Nationals 32 provincial sides participated. It was hosted by Southern Free State Hockey in Bloemfontein. A total of 48 teams competed at the U-16 and U-18 Nationals, also held in Bloemfontein.

National champions

Western Province were the star performers this season, with the coastal region dominating at national level.

At the six SASHOC Nationals that were held, Western Province were victorious in four of them. It was – U13 boys, U16 girls and boys, and U18 boys.

The KZN Coastal team won gold at the SASHOC Nationals in the U13 girls division, and hosts Southern Free State emerged triumphant in the U18 girls tournament.

International success

Closing out the season, the South African U17 teams represented the country with pride. They delivered impressive performances throughout the Mirnawan Cup tournament in Malaysia.

The national U-17 boys’ team were exceptional. In a nail-biting final, they lost in a narrow 4-3 defeat to India, finishing second overall.

The SA girls’ team also did well to finish fourth. After beating India 2-1 in a thrilling contest earlier in the tournament, they were edged 2-0 by the same team in another tightly-contested battle in the third-fourth place playoff.

Youth participation

Perhaps most impressive, in terms of statistics, was the numbers of players who participated in official schools hockey matches and tournaments during the 2023 campaign.

A total of 1 948 youth players took part in the SASHOC Nationals across all age groups, while 3 482 individuals turned out at SASHOC regional tournaments.

“It has been another spectacular year for South African schools hockey and we are pleased to have continued building the sport at grassroots level, while offering multiple opportunities at various levels for the nation’s talented young players,” said SASHOC president Wendell Domingo.

“We are proud to have so many youth hockey players participating in the sport across all levels of the game. SASHOC would like to congratulate all the teams that won national and regional tournaments, as well as all players who represented our country overseas.

“We are also immensely grateful to all our partners and sponsors who made it possible this year for the sport to continue thriving at schools level.”

About SASHOC

An affiliate member of the South African Hockey Association (SAHA), the South African Schools Hockey Association (SASHOC) is a regulatory board which promotes, upholds, supports, controls and maintains rules for all schoolgirls and schoolboys playing hockey in South Africa. Laying the foundation in hockey development at schools level in South Africa and ensuring that there is opportunity to maintain the growth of the game, will ensure that Hockey will continue to grow from strength to strength. SASHOC also firmly believes that transformation plays an important role in our organization achieving its goals.