Hockey Association of Zimbabwe

The Hockey Association of Zimbabwe or HAZ is the governing body of field hockey in Zimbabwe. Its Headquarters are in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is affiliated to IHF International Hockey Federation and AHF African Hockey Federation.

Background

The Hockey Association of Zimbabwe was formed in 1925 and is responsible for the administration of hockey, at all levels, within the country. . On 19 September 2014, Mrs Virginia Ross was made a Honorary Life Member of the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe.

History

Hockey took root in Zimbabwe in 1900, on a dusty piece of African veldt, in the City of Bulawayo. The first games were played between “The Home Born” settlers and the “Colonial Born” settlers – the results are recorded in posterity. The game was further boosted by British Soldiers following the Anglo Boer war in 1902. From this very colonial start, the sport has grown to one of considerable stature in Zimbabwe. Today it truly is a Zimbabwean sport, boasting players from all across the country, from every race, tribe and gender.^[1]

The first clubs were established in 1903, whilst the first interprovincial tournament was played in 1906 in Bulawayo. Ladies hockey was first played in 1906, also in Bulawayo. The first team to visit the country was that of “Cape Town Gardens” who played in Salisbury (now Harare) and then Bulawayo. In 1925 the first international was played, when the “All England” women’s team played the colony in Bulawayo. The Empire women’s tournament was hosted in 1930 in Salisbury, with teams from England, Scotland, Australia, and Rhodesia playing – the first international hockey tournament in the country.

In 1980 the association took on the new name Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ), and within a month of being readmitted to the Federation International de Hockey was invited to participate in the Moscow Olympics. It was here, in the first ever Olympics to include women’s hockey, that the Zimbabwe Women’s Team won the nations first Olympic Gold Medal.

1980 Golden Girls

In 1994 the Government of Zimbabwe, in preparation for the 6th Africa Games, being hosted in Harare and Bulawayo, constructed the world class Magamba and Khumalo Hockey Stadium’s. Crowds in excess of 6,000 watched the men’s final in Harare, whilst over 11,000 spectators cheered the home team in the ladies final in Bulawayo, where the Silver medal was collected. At the same time the two separate men’s and women’s associations merged to form a new Hockey Association of Zimbabwe in 1995.

Affiliation

The Rhodesia Hockey Association, the first national hockey administration, was established in 1925, and was affiliated to the South African Hockey Association. The association affiliated to the Federation International de Hockey (FIH) in 1961, with the first official test match played in Bulawayo on 9th August, 1961 against Kenya. Whilst the home team won that encounter, the visitors drew the series with a win in Salisbury a few days later. Men’s teams participated in the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and qualified for the 1968 Mexico Olympics, they could not actually participate.

The HAZ is affiliated to the:

Federation International de Hockey
Africa Hockey Federation
Zimbabwe Olympic Committee
Zimbabwe Sports and Recreation Commission

Administration

The Headquarters of the HAZ are located at the Magamba Hockey Stadium, Harare. A regional office is located at the Khumalo Hockey Stadium, Bulawayo. A full time Administrator is employed by the HAZ, and an additional administrator works from the Bulawayo office.

Whilst there are eight sports provinces in Zimbabwe, the HAZ presently has five provinces affiliated. These provincial boards manage hockey at the local level, and are as follows –

Manicaland Hockey Board - Mutare (Manicaland Province)
Mashonaland Hockey Board - Harare (Mashonaland West, Central and East Provinces)
Masvingo Hockey Board - Masvingo (Masvingo Province)
Matabeleland Hockey Board - Bulawayo (Matabeleland North and South Provinces)
Midlands Hockey Board - Gweru (Midland Province)

The Zimbabwe Schoolboys and the Zimbabwe Schoolgirls Hockey Associations are also affiliated to the HAZ.