Author: Victoria Nana Adwoa Kwofie
Ghana’s U-21 Men’s and Women’s hockey teams have begun non-residential training at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Pitch in preparation for the Junior World Cup qualifiers in Namibia. The qualifiers will determine Africa’s representatives for the 2025 Junior World Cup in India later this year.
The two-week training camp kicked off with 25 female and 15 male players on the first day. Players outside the Greater Accra Region are expected to undergo individual training under the supervision of their regional coaches to maintain fitness levels.
During the first session, the players were taken through various drills, including physical conditioning, ball passing, defending, short corners, and attacking strategies.
The administrator of the team, Mr. Frederick Laryea expressed optimism about Ghana’s chances of qualifying:
“From my observation during the justify and the first day of training, we have the talent to qualify Ghana for the World Cup.”
However, he acknowledged the financial challenges affecting the team’s preparations:
“We have players from far and near, but due to financial constraints, we are currently doing non-residential training. We hope to secure the necessary support in the coming days to organize residential camping, which will allow us to monitor the players closely and boost their morale ahead of the qualifiers.”
Mr. Laryea also made a passionate appeal to corporate Ghana and stakeholders:
“We call on corporate Ghana and stakeholders to support the national junior teams. If given the needed support, we will not disappoint but make the country proud by qualifying and bringing home medals.”
The team will train in both morning and evening sessions for the next two weeks.