U21 girls take on mighty India

Namibia’s U21 hockey girls will make their debut at the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025, as one of the youngest teams in the competition. Both captain Azaylee Philander and coach Sedtric Makati have been realistic in their expectations before today’s opening match against the powerful India. “We would very much like to end in the top three in our pool. We 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,” Philander told the FIH earlier. Makati echoed her optimism with a focus on immediate goals. “Our first expectation is to actually win a game in the pool section. We know we have a tough pool, but it’s doable.”