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The Namibia women\u2019s junior hockey team is gearing up for a historic moment \u2014 their debut at the FIH Hockey Women\u2019s Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025. With excitement and determination running high, captain Azaylee Philander and coach Cedric Makati shared their thoughts ahead of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Setting realistic but bold targets<\/p>\n
For Namibia, the World Cup represents both a dream and a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would very much like to come top three in our pool,\u201d said captain Azaylee Philander. \u201cWe have a very strong pool with Germany, India and Ireland, so it would be great if we can come third and then take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coach Cedric Makati echoed her optimism with a focus on immediate goals:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first expectation is to actually win a game in the pool section. We know we have a tough pool, but it\u2019s doable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overcoming logistical hurdles<\/p>\n
Both captain and coach acknowledged that team cohesion has been a key challenge in the lead-up to the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all of the teammates have been here at training,\u201d Philander explained. \u201cThat\u2019s one of our main challenges. But once we get to Chile and start our practice games, we\u2019ll overcome it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Makati echoed the same sentiment but remains confident in the team:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have players in South Africa and Europe. The biggest challenge is making them play in cohesion as one team. But we will get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Respecting the competition<\/p>\n
Namibia finds itself in a tough group alongside India, Germany, and Ireland, but both leaders are approaching it with respect and confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo India, Germany, and Ireland \u2014 we are so honoured to be playing against you,\u201d said Philander. \u201cNamibia is coming with our best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Makati reinforced that sentiment:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know you are training hard. We are doing the same. We are not going to stand back. Let\u2019s give each other hard games and may the best team win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Excitement for Chile<\/p>\n
This will be Namibia\u2019s first-ever appearance in Chile, a milestone moment for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying for your country comes with perks. Coming to Chile will be amazing. Santiago is the perfect place for a Junior World Cup,\u201d said Philander.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor most of the girls, it\u2019s their first big international tournament,\u201d added Makati. \u201cThe first game against India will be tough, but we\u2019ll take it stride by stride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Message to the fans<\/p>\n
\u201cTo everyone watching \u2014 parents, sponsors, family \u2014 thank you for all your support. We wish to make you proud,\u201d said Philander.<\/p>\n
\u201cNamibia, thank you for your support,\u201d Makati concluded. \u201cThe girls will step up their game. For the fans in Chile, come support us, you\u2019ll see what Africa can produce.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FIH Hockey Women\u2019s Junior World Cup 2025 begins in Santiago, Chile, where Namibia will look to make their presence felt on the global stage, one stride at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Namibia women\u2019s junior hockey team is gearing up for a historic moment \u2014 their debut at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102],"class_list":{"0":"post-17867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-namibia","8":"tag-namibia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}