Handura building a new legacy at Ella du Plessis 

Experienced hockey coach Erwin Handura is building a new legacy at Ella du Plessis High School, which is already starting to bear fruit.

At the recent Magy Mengo Schools Hockey Development tournament, they won a gold and a silver medal in the under-15 category, barely three weeks after he had revived hockey at the school.

Their under-15 boys’ team went unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning all 10 their matches and winning the gold medal in the uner-15 third league, while their under-15 girls’ team won the silver medal in the under-15 league after losing by a single goal to Pro-Ed Academy in the final.

Handura previously coached the national women’s hockey team, and last year clinched the Men’s Outdoor Premier League title with School of Excellence Hockey Club (SoEHC) for the first time.

He is also in charge of the Standard Bank Development Programme that was initated a few years ago in partnership with SoEHC, and says the programme is now starting to deliver results.

“We have a great bunch of junior players that came through the Standard Bank Junior Hockey Initiative, which is run and administered by School of Excellence. These players started playing hockey at primary school level in the regions at the age of nine, and now they’re in Grade 8 in their first year of high school.

“We brought in children from Okahandja, Gobabis, Tsumeb and Mariental and put them in the Ella du Plessis hostel with the aim to further nurture their talents and skills to become future stars,” he says.

“Our aim is to create a winning culture at Ella du Plessis and teach pupils to be responsible and serious about their studies. Ella is already a force to be reckoned with in athletics, netball and football. We use sport as a tool to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the boys and girls at the school.

“We teach pupils to take responsibility for training, studies and to apply self-discipline in all areas of their lives. We look forward to a great sporting year at Ella du Plessis High School this year,” Handura says.

Hockey was only recently incorporated as a sport code at Ella du Plessis after an absence of more than 20 years, he says.

“I graduated at Ella in 1991 when I used to compete as a middle-distance runner, while I was also the 5 000m record holder. Apart from athletics I was also in their football first team, playing with Ricardo Mannetti, Tollie van Wyk and Matt Camm, who all ended up playing for Namibia,” he says.

“Two years ago when Ella had their 60th anniversary celebrations, I was part of the organising committee and realised the school needs some guidance with athletics, so I went back to my old school to help as athletics coach.”

“Then last year, I had all these hockey children coming from the regions, and we wanted to make sure they continue playing hockey, so I approached the school and asked if we can revive hockey and put the kids in the hostel and arrange for them to receive schooling at Ella.

“The principal agreed and then we managed to put some of them in the hostel. There are also some day students, so that’s how we revived hockey at the school,” he says.

Handura says the Standard Bank development programme, which was introduced in 2021, is starting to bear fruit.

“The results can now be seen. Their investment is now becoming a reality, so I want to thank Standard Bank for the long-term initiative it has undertaken with School of Excellence,” he says.

“Apart from the players at Ella, some of the most talented children have also joined Windhoek High School, while Windhoek Gymnasium has offered others scholarships.

“I want thank them for their support and for looking after the Namibian youth, because these children are very good players.”

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