The South African Hockey Association has confirmed the coaching and management teams that will lead the national Under-21 Men’s and Women’s programmes through the qualification campaign for the 2027 FIH Hockey Junior World Cups.
The appointments mark the beginning of a new cycle for South African Hockey, with both teams required to secure qualification for the Junior World Cups through the 2027 Junior Africa Cup.
The process of identifying players for the two national programmes will begin at the 2026 Under-21 Interprovincial Tournament in Gqeberha, where the newly appointed coaching teams will assess the leading young talent from across the country.
SA Hockey Head of High Performance, Reggie Smith, welcomed the appointments and highlighted the importance of the upcoming cycle.
“The Under-21 IPT will provide the new coaching teams with an important opportunity to identify players and begin building squads capable of qualifying through the Junior Africa Cup and representing South Africa strongly at the 2027 Junior World Cups,” said Smith.
South African Under-21 Women
The South African Under-21 Women will be led by Head Coach Stacey-Lee Gedult, supported by Assistant Coach Omari Geyer and Second Assistant Coach Louise de Jager.
Lerato Tlale has been appointed Team Manager, while Marguerite van Wyk will serve as Video Analyst.
SA U21 Women’s Coaching and Management Team
Head Coach – Stacey-Lee Gedult
Assistant Coach – Omari Geyer
Second Assistant Coach – Louise de Jager
Team Manager – Lerato Tlale
Video Analyst – Marguerite van Wyk
South African Under-21 Men
Bevan Bennett has been appointed Head Coach of the South African Under-21 Men and will be supported by Assistant Coach Justin Collins and Second Assistant Coach Owen Mvimbi.
Anwell Botha will serve as Team Manager, with Robin Jones appointed as Performance Analyst.
SA U21 Men’s Coaching and Management Team
Head Coach – Bevan Bennett
Assistant Coach – Justin Collins
Second Assistant Coach – Owen Mvimbi
Team Manager – Anwell Botha
Performance Analyst – Robin Jones
The appointed teams will oversee the identification, preparation and development of players as South Africa builds towards the 2027 Junior Africa Cup.
Securing qualification for the Junior World Cups will be the immediate competitive objective, while both programmes will also focus on creating strong high-performance environments and preparing players for the demands of international hockey.
SA Hockey congratulates all those appointed and wishes both programmes every success as they begin the journey towards continental qualification and the 2027 FIH Hockey Junior World Cups.
