Hockey World League on Wits turf
- Wits University
Wits University is proud to have been selected as the site for the upcoming 2017 Hockey World League Semi-Finals.
Twenty of the world’s best men’s and women’s national teams will take part in the Hockey World League qualifiers from 8 - 23 July 2017 taking place at the Wits Hockey Turf located on the Wits Parktown Education Campus.
Australia, Germany, Belgium, New Zealand, Ireland and Spain are the top-10 men’s sides coming to Johannesburg, while England, Argentina, the USA and Germany are the leading nations taking part in the women’s tournament.
Wits University was awarded the honour to host the international tournament due its world-class facilities. The Wits Hockey Turf which was built in 2013, is one of a few hockey turfs in South Africa that meets the stringent requirements of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the organisers of the Hockey World Cup.
“We are delighted to contribute to the beautiful game of hockey and that our facilities are able to attract international events to South Africa”, says Adrian Carter, Head of Wits Sports.
In addition to the impressive infrastructure, Wits University also boasts an illustrious hockey history when it comes to sporting talent.
Current Wits students who have been called to represent South Africa are Toni Marks, Rusten Abrahams, Luche Klaasen and Zimi Shange. Another Witsie Petro Stoffberg plays for Namibia’s national women’s team, while several Witsies have played for South Africa’s under-21 squad.
The coaching staff at Wits consists of former national hockey players and Olympians (Pietie Coetzee-Turner, Ricky West, Fiona Butler and Tsoanelo Pholo). The ever-soaring Wits female hockey team is coached by SA’s former leading player and world record holder for the most goals scored in internationals, Coetzee-Turner, who represented the country at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
To keep up to date with all the latest news relating to the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, visit www.fih.ch, www.sahockey.co.za and follow FIH via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram #HWL2017. Tickets can be purchased online.
Did you know?
- The site of the Johannesburg semi-finals is also home to the Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine that was accredited in 2008 as Africa’s first FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence. It has since also been accredited as a FIMS (International Sports Medicine Federation) Collaborating Centre of Sports Medicine.
- Also on this site, less than 100 feet away is the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital strategically located near the Wits Medical Clinic and the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in order to facilitate the sharing of specialised skills and knowledge.
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