Twinkle hope to shine bright in Kenyan hockey

Kenya Hockey Union women's Super League side Twinkle Hockey Club Sunday unveiled the team's management and a van at a colourful ceremony in Nairobi.

Charity Miller is the head coach and will be assisted by Western Jaguars players Emmanuel Wiswa and Denis Mwanzo.

Former Kenyatta University coach Simon Mwangi has been handed the reins of the Chief Executive Officer of the club and will be responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the team as well as pursuit of its long-term vision.

The team is debuting in second tier this season and are second on the standings  with 11 points from six matches, four points behind leaders Sliders. Club president Desmond Boi said they want to to create their own stars rather than signing top class players as they seek promotion to the top-tier.

He said he doesn’t want the already established players despite having the financial muscles to get top cream players.

“We don’t want the ready-made players. Our team consists of passionate players, college students with the exception of three who  have just completed their high school studies. Our players come from different backgrounds and share a common goal of excellence on and off the field.

We are committed to promoting the growth of women's hockey in our union and community. We want hockey in Kenya to be run like Arsenal is run. We have invested in these players. We look forward to a team that can channel players to other teams…players that are grounded in hockey," said Boi.

He said they will create more avenues of getting more money  and at the same time empower the players.

"We have arrangements with top companies in the country where our players will get internships after they are done with their education and that's why I said, we are not only committed to on pitch affairs but also off the field. This van can also be rented by other teams in the country and that's another way of sourcing for finances ," he concluded.

Asked about his expectations, Wiswa said, "It is an exciting experience but at the same time I'm humbled. I haven't done this before and I really want to see how I can contain the pressure off the  field. I know it's totally a different ball game but I want to learn and hopefully become a better coach in future."