UJ captain Bernadette Coston is hoping to inspire her young side to raise their game in front of their home crowd when Varsity Hockey resumes next week.
Coston’s experience on the international stage as a regular for South Africa will be invaluable as UJ look to assert their authority over coastal sides NMMU, UCT and Maties in Johannesburg.
All but three of the UJ squad represented Gauteng at the inter-provincial Under-21 tournament in Durban this week, so her guidance will be crucial if they are to impress at home.
She told varsitysportssa: “We have quite a young team, so Varsity Hockey is great experience for them. They will be quite tired from the tournament in Durban but most teams will be in the same boat.
“We have a great support programme at UJ with sports science students and biokineticists there to help them recover, so we should be ready,” said Coston.
The UJ captain may be an international star who is a role model for the younger players in the squad, but she values the input of her teammates and encourages them to get involved.
“I am the captain, but I try to get all of them to participate and give their opinions. I try my best to be there for them and our aim is to have fun as a team,” she explained.
UJ’s crunch clash with Maties on Monday, May 13 will be broadcast live on Supersport 5, and Coston revealed that she has already given her teammates some advice on how to handle the pressure of playing in front of the camera.
“I had a chat with them before the tournament in Potchefstroom, in the beginning it can be quite hectic because if you make a mistake then everyone sees it but once the match gets going you hardly notice it because you are just focused on playing,” she said.
Coston expects Varsity Hockey to have a positive impact on the inexperienced UJ side.
“The tournament is great for the girls as the standard is higher than our local league and it exposes hockey more as well,” she said.
The UJ skipper said that Varsity Hockey has also been a great help as she prepares for Round Three of the World League later this year.
“It is good preparation as it gives me some extra games on top of my training programme. We (South Africa) are aiming for a top four spot in the World League so that we can qualify for the World Cup in Holland next year,” she explained.
