The National male and female hockey squads have stepped up preparation for next month’s inaugural PAHF Caribbean Hockey Cup in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago next month and the female squad could be named by early next week.
The female players will be involved in a trial match tomorrow and the sixteen players and two standbys will be announced following the match, coach Philip Fernandes told Stabroek News.
Guyana will be represented by male and female teams at the regional tournament sanctioned by the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) from November 7-11 and will also involve Barbados, Jamaica and host Trinidad and Tobago.
Fernandes, who is also President of the Guyana Hockey Board, disclosed that 30 female players are currently training but the squad will be reduced to 16 players with two standbys after the session.
He said that the players were very receptive to the training but added that the unseeded Guyana team would be facing stiff opposition especially from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago who are ranked highly in the Pan American region.
“I have seen great improvement in the squad, they did attend an international tournament last year in Venezuela where they won a silver medal but, next month’s tournament will be a real test against two of the top teams in the region,” Fernandes revealed.
The selection panel comprises former national players Gavin Hope, Gregory Sills, Ivor Thompson and the coach.
Fernandes said the female players have continued training since returning from Venezuela and they have been involved in several fund raising activities.
“We are a bit handicapped in our preparation because all the participating teams have artificial surfaces and they have been utilizing those facilities in their training, while the local squads train at the GCC ground under minimal lighting in the evenings,” the coach disclosed.
Training sessions take place four times a week – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday with Sunday set aside for practice matches.
Fernandes said that raising funds is another critical issue facing the teams’ preparation.
“We have received a commitment from the National Sports Commission (NSC) and we have also approached corporate Guyana in an effort to raise funds to send the team to the tournmament, we have planned another fund-raiser for November 3, a Halloween Party,” he added.
Fernandes said most of the players have been exposed to international competition and they should give a good account of themselves in the Twin Island Republic.
Thirty-three players are on the men’s squad and according to Fernandes it is a blend of youth and experience.
The men’s squad will be named later this month after a few more trial matches, the Hockey Board president revealed
Guyana’s women will meet Barbados in the opening match of the tournament on November 7 at 08:00h followed by Trinidad and Tobago against Jamaica at 10:00h.
Guyana’s men will go into action against their Barbadian counterparts at 15:00h followed by another male game between the host and Jamaica.
Meanwhile, The Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) in conjunction with the Trinidad & Tobago Hockey Board will run the 2007 PAHF Special Coaching Course. The Course will cover both development coaching information and the high performance aspect of the game and will run simultaneously with the tournament.
The coaches for the Course are FIH Coach Bill Gaudette from USA, Rodolfo Mendoza of Argentina, and David Francois of Trinidad and Tobago.
