Female hockey team at Royalhouse Chapel for prayers

In what has become a ritual each time the national U-21 female hockey team is about to embark on a major assignment, the team and its technical handlers were at their adopted church, the Royalhouse Chapel (Ahenfie), yesterday to seek the face of God as they leave today for Monchengladbach, Germany, for the Female Junior Hockey World Cup.

The team was also at the church to show appreciation to God for qualifying for the tournament after an earlier visit prior to the qualifiers in South Africa earlier this year.

An associate reverend, Johnny Appiah Korang, made series of prophetic statements for a good tournament and prayed against injuries and any misfortune that may affect the team.

He said for the team to have come back ‘to show appreciation to God’ for qualification meant that “the Lord was ready to move them a step higher.’

Ghana and South Africa are the two representatives from the continent and Ghana becomes the third African country to participate in the female Junior World Cup after Zimbabwe in 1989 and 2005.

Sixteen countries from six different continents under the International Hockey Federation (FIH) are pooled in four categories of four countries each and only the top two teams will progress to the next stage of the competition.

Ghana, The Netherlands, Korea Republic and the USA are in Pool A; Argentina, Canada, China and South Africa are in Pool B; Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia are in Pool C while Belgium, England, Spain and Germany are in Pool D.

Ghana opens the account against 2009 champions, The Netherlands, on Saturday, at 10 am GMT

By Daniel Kenu/Daily Graphic/Ghana