{"id":65593,"date":"2025-02-25T13:06:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=65593"},"modified":"2025-02-25T13:06:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:06:35","slug":"its-all-systems-go-for-the-balling-hockey-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=65593","title":{"rendered":"It’s all systems go for the Balling Hockey Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The Wykeham Collegiate will be in action at the Balling Hockey Festival, where they’ll be aiming to get their season off to a strong start. Photo: Brad Morgan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All roads lead to Bethlehem<\/strong>, where one of the most anticipated events on the hockey calendar, the 11th edition of the Balling Hockey Festival<\/strong>, kicks off on Thursday. The showpiece runs until Sunday, 2 March.<\/p>\n

Matches will be contested at the BVHS Astro<\/strong> and New Horizon College<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith each passing year, the festival grows in both scale and competitiveness, drawing some of the best school teams from across the region,\u201d festival director, Emile Odendaal<\/strong>, said ahead of the event.<\/p>\n

This year, 16 schools will be in action across four days. Parents and spectators can expect a higher level of hockey, Odendaal reckoned. What began as a friendly competition has evolved into a fiercely contested festival where the level of play has reached new heights.<\/p>\n

“Elite athletes, dedicated coaching staff, and state-of-the-art facilities have set the competition down a path of continuous improvement, making it more exciting for fans, players, and schools,” Odendaal explained.<\/p>\n

St Anne’s<\/strong> Diocesan College<\/strong> will kick off the proceedings when they tackle Voortrekker<\/strong> on Thursday at 16:00. That match will be followed by a tussle between The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC)<\/strong> and Union High<\/strong> at 17:00. Both ties will be played at Voortrekker.<\/p>\n

Perennial powerhouses Oranje,<\/strong>\u00a0Eunice,<\/strong> and St Mary’s DSG (Kloof)<\/strong> will take to the Astro on Friday morning. However, they will not be the only sides that bear watching. St Anne’s made waves last year and played their way to a Fairtree Super 12 <\/strong><\/a>invitation. TWC could also give their opposition a good run for their money.<\/p>\n

The Pietermaritzburg school recently brought Odendaal, the festival director, on board as their head coach. The experienced gaffer is keen to help his new side take the next step from being a solid outfit to being one of the best in the region and the country.<\/p>\n

TWC has developed a reputation for putting in workmanlike performances at festivals and tournaments without quite making it to the top spot. They’re aiming to change that narrative.<\/p>\n

“This year marks a new chapter for Wykeham as they bring in a fresh face to their coaching staff, Emile Odendaal. The school has made a strategic move to recruit the highly experienced and well-regarded coach, who is determined to elevate the school’s performance to the next level,\u201d a statement from TWC read.<\/p>\n

Odendaal is known for having turned several underperforming teams into top teams in the past. TWC is hoping he helps transform their fortunes, too. The Balling Festival is the first step they are taking with Odendaal. It will be a challenging starting point.<\/p>\n

“The festival is more than just a sporting event. It\u2019s an opportunity for the next generation of athletes to showcase their skills, make lifelong friendships, and engage in healthy competition. With top-tier schools and rising stars, the 11th edition of the festival is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet,” Odendaal said.<\/p>\n

FIXTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, 27 February<\/strong><\/p>\n

16:00 \u2013 17:00 St Anne’s vs Voortrekker
\n17:00 \u2013 18:00 TWC vs Union<\/p>\n

Friday, 28 February<\/strong><\/p>\n

07:30 \u2013 Witteberg vs Union
\n08:25 \u2013 St Anne’s vs Sasolburg
\n09:20 \u2013 Eunice vs TWC
\n10:15 \u2013 Oranje 1 vs Menlopark
\n11:10 \u2013 Oranje 2 vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
\n12:05 \u2013 Goudveld vs St John’s DSG
\n13:00 \u2013 Noordheuwel vs Voortrekker
\n13:55 \u2013 Oranje 1 vs St Anne’s
\n14:50 \u2013 St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Menlopark
\n15:45 \u2013 Monument vs TWC
\n16:40 \u2013 Our Lady of Fatima vs Voortrekker
\n17:35 \u2013 Eunice vs St John’s DSG<\/p>\n

Saturday, 1 March<\/strong><\/p>\n

06:30 – St Anne’s vs Goudveld
\n07:25 \u2013 Sasolburg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
\n08:20 \u2013 Oranje 1 vs St John’s
\n09:15 \u2013 Eunice vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof
\n10:10 \u2013 Our Lady of Fatima vs Monument
\n11:05 \u2013 TWC vs Goudveld
\n12:00 \u2013 Voortrekker vs Menlopark
\n12:00 – Orange 2 vs Union (New Horizon)
\n12:55 \u2013 Noordheuwel vs Witteberg
\n12:00 \u2013 Oranje 2 vs Union
\n13:50 \u2013 Eunice vs Our Lady of Fatima
\n14:25 \u2013 Goudveld vs Sasolburg (New Horizon)
\n14:45 \u2013 St John’s DSG vs Menlopark
\n15:40 \u2013 Monument vs Oranje 1
\n16:35 \u2013 BVHS vs TWC
\n16:50 \u2013 Witteberg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg (New Horizon)
\n17:30 \u2013 Noordheuwel vs St Mary’s Kloof<\/p>\n

Sunday, 2 March<\/strong><\/p>\n

06:30 – Union vs St Dominic\u2019s Boksburg
\n06:30 \u2013 Oranje 2 vs Witteberg (New Horizon)
\n08:10 \u2013 Our Lady of Fatima vs Oranje 1
\n09:05 \u2013 Sasolburg vs Monument
\n10:00 \u2013 St Dominic’s vs St John\u2019s
\n10:55 \u2013 Eunice vs Noordheuwel
\n11:50 \u2013 TWC vs Menlopark
\n12:45 \u2013 Oranje 1 vs St Mary’s Kloof
\n14:25 \u2013 Oranje 2 vs Goudveld<\/p>\n

Two age group events – u14 and u16 – will be run concurrently with the u19 competition with most matches being played at New Horizon College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All roads lead to Bethlehem, where one of the most anticipated events on the hockey calendar, the 11th edition of the Balling Hockey Festival, kicks off on Thursday. The showpiece runs until Sunday, 2 March. Matches will be contested at the BVHS Astro and New Horizon College. \u201cWith each passing year, the festival grows in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":40314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}