Black Sticks gear up for FIH World League Round 2

The national women’s hockey team, the Black Sticks are in high spirits ahead of their participation in the second round of the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) World League Series scheduled for New Delhi, India from March 7-15^th.

The team, which started camping in January, have moved into the second and final phase of their preparations at the national hockey pitch. They played out a 1:1 drawn game against an-all male side over the weekend in preparation for the competition.

It will be recalled that Ghana participated in the first round of the World League Tournament, which was hosted by Kenya in September last year and were able to progress to the second round.

The FIH Hockey World League Round 2 is an international field hockey competition which is held over two years, also serves as the qualifier for the Hockey World Cup (men and women's) and the Olympic Games.

Ghana will be in the tournament together with hosts India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Singapore and Thailand.

According to the Secretary General of the Ghana Hockey Association (GHA), Kenaz Mensah, a contingent of 24 including 18 players, four officials, an officiating official and a medical officer will leave Accra on 2 March for the tournament.

Meanwhile, the GHA is continuing its efforts to secure the needed funds to make the trip a certainty by reaching out to corporate Ghana.

GHA has been one of the most vibrant sports associations in the country for decades now. It received a massive boost in its developmental efforts after being selected by England Hockey and UK Sports to implement a hockey development project as part of England’s legacy project for hosting the 2018 World Cup for Women.

The female national hockey team was chosen by England Hockey from a list of African teams after their consistent performances in the last few years.