Kenya's quest to qualify for the inaugural Imternational Hockey Federation (FIH) Youth Hockey5s World Cup gathered momentum on Tuesday, August 4, after the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) named the final squads for national Under-18 boys' and girls' teams for the inaugural Africa Youth Hockey5s Cup, which throws off on August 6-8 at the refurbished Dashmesh Hockey Stadium at Sikh Union Club along Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
The continental tournament presents a golden opportunity for Kenya, with the top two teams in both the boys' and girls' competitions earning Africa's qualification slots for the first-ever FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup.
The selected squads have been camping at Sikh Union Club in recent weeks as they put the finishing touches on their preparations for the historic championship.
The boys' team will be captained by St. Anthony's Boys Kitale student Kelvin Onyango and coached by Kevin Lugalia from the same school. Also named in the squad are Reagan Meshack, Caleb Korir, Peter Wachira, Daniel Omondi, Kerry Lusweti, Godfrey Fedha, Peter Awot, goalkeeper Okoth Carl Jeremy and Jack Owino. Derrick Livoi and goalkeeper Ricardo Wisdom will serve as standby players.
On the girls' side, St. Joseph's Girls Kitale's Shanel Hilda has been entrusted with the captain's armband. She will lead a squad comprising Audrey Greener, Laura Kadogo, Mitchell Oguk, Mitchell Khakukol, Virginia Morara, Valary Joy, Marina McRae, and goalkeepers Claire Ndegwa and Ruth Atieno. Ziara Achieng and Gloria Okenyuri have been retained as standby players.Barbara Simiyu takes charge of the girls' side.
Both teams will operate under the guidance of head coach Griffin Okombe.
The Africa Youth Hockey5s Cup doubles up as the qualification tournament for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup, where 12 teams in each gender will compete. Every continental federation has been allocated two qualification places, making a top-two finish the target for the Kenyan sides.
Only players born between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 are eligible to feature in the competition, in accordance with International Hockey Federation (FIH) regulations.
Hockey5s is a condensed and high-intensity version of the traditional game, featuring five players per side, including a goalkeeper. Played on a smaller field with shorter matches and rapid restarts, the format is designed to encourage attacking play while offering an exciting pathway for young players.
Kenya enters the tournament with valuable experience in the format after the men's national team competed at the inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Muscat, Oman, in January 2024. The team reached the quarter-finals despite being grouped with Australia, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago, before finishing seventh overall following a 7-5 classification victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
Backed by home support and buoyed by that achievement, Kenya's Under-18 boys' and girls' teams will now be hoping to seize home advantage and secure their places at the inaugural Youth Hockey5s World Cup with strong performances in Nairobi.
