South Africa: SA Hockey U21 Men Named for 2023 Sultan of Johor Cup

South African Hockey has announced the 18-man squad to compete in the 11^th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.

The 2023 Sultan of Johor Cup will see 8 teams fight it out for glory event gets underway here from Oct 27-Nov 4 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium. 7 of the 8 teams competing at the Sultan of Johor Cup will be returning to Malaysia for the FIH Junior World Cup in December, including South Africa’s group D opponents Germany.

The South African U21 Hockey Men finished 5^th in the 2022 tournament, missing out on the bronze medal match by one point. Having impressed on their debut at the tournament the African champions earned another invite for this year’s event. It offers coach Guy Elliott a great opportunity to give players one final attempt at making the final Junior World Cup team and further opportunity to develop the team together.

“We are tremendously excited to be heading back to Malaysia for the Sultan of Johor Cup. The tournament is a great opportunity for us to prepare for the FIH Junior World Cup and for a number of players to get the opportunity to experience these conditions. It’s a great opportunity for a number of players to try and secure a spot in the Junior World Cup as well. We can’t wait for the challenge!”

In June 2023 FIH introduced World Rankings for Junior Hockey based on performance at various tournaments. The Sultan of Johor Cup will not feature ranking points however the strength of the tournament can be further highlighted by the teams participating. Malaysia (8th), India (3rd), Australia (9th), Germany (2nd), Great Britain (England 15th), New Zealand (13th) and Pakistan (12th) will all take part alongside the 10^th ranked South Africans.

SA Hockey U21 Men’s – Sultan of Johor Cup Squad