SA Under-21 captain Dylan Swanepoel believes that a competitive tournament like Varsity Hockey is exactly what the sport needs.
The Maties star was first called up to the national squad at the age of 19, and is expected to be one of the top players on show when action gets underway at Wits this weekend.
Swanepoel will meet up with his teammates after attending a national squad training camp in Pretoria, and he is expecting a high standard with a number of quality players on show.
“We are very excited, a lot of the guys haven’t had the opportunity to play on tv, it is usually just internationals so it is a great incentive for young hockey players,” he said.
Swanepoel is already an established senior member of the Maties side despite his young age, and he said that the squad is feeling confident that they can make a big impression in Varsity Hockey.
“I have been part of the leadership group for a while, so I am comfortable with the role. We know what it takes, and although there are some quality sides involved like Tuks and UJ we definitely won’t go in feeling like underdogs,” he said.
Although his focus is currently on Varsity Hockey, the Management Science student plans to play professionally in Europe once he gets his degree at the end of next year.
His hockey goals before then include going to the World Cup in Holland at the end of the month and then pushing for a spot in the Olympic squad.
