A look at Twinkle Hockey Club's rapid rise and daring bid to disrupt existing order at KHU
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Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 24.06.25. | 15:42
This article will look at the club's journey, achievements, their unique approach in hockey, as well as their future plans
Twinkle Hockey Club (THC) is a fledgling outfit that has quickly found its footing in the Kenyan hockey landscape and disrupted the status quo of the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU).
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Founded in 2023, Twinkle is a women's field hockey club that has made a name for itself as one of the most contemporary clubs in the country, demonstrating high-end professionalism and organisation in its activities.
Despite their budding age, the club seems to have the blueprint for greatness. From hosting major international events to a holistic development of their players, one can only marvel at this hockey gem.
This article will look at the club's journey, achievements, their unique approach in hockey, as well as their future plans.
The club was founded by Desmond Boi, who serves as the president, to nurture young talents from the grassroots, prepare them for the elite leagues and to introduce a professional but sustainable club model in Kenya.
“We want a paradigm shift in Kenyan hockey. We are nurturing a club that can train people from the basics of hockey until they become stars.
We believe in doing things differently and we believe in results, relationships and relentless optimism to achieve our targets,” said Boi in a recent event
The club has a clear pathway that includes the Development Stage, which covers players aged 12-14 years and equips them with basic skills and coordination.
The second category is the Emergency Stage, comprising players aged 14-16 years with a focus on skill consolidation, increased game awareness, physical literacy and competitive exposure in schools.
Players then graduate to the Performance Stage, where they receive advanced training, tactical understanding, strength and conditioning and then proceed to the Elite Level, either within or in other clubs.
The Elite Performance Stage includes high-performance training, strategic execution, and leadership, which is composed of girls between the ages of 18-25.
Twinkle currently plies their trade in the Premier League Women - the highest level of the Kenya Hockey Union’s League and largely hosts its matches at City Park Hockey Stadium in Nairobi.
Achievements
In their two years of existence, Twinkle has made substantive achievements both on and off the field of pay.
On the pitch, the club finished third in the Women's Super League - Kenya's second tier of hockey and second in their second season, earning promotion to the Premier League, where they currently play.
The club has embraced a professionalism training routine by hiring professional coaches and twinkles in their unique high-quality uniforms, with the club also owning a clubhouse that hosts players with all their hospitality needs fully catered for.
For their troubles, Twinkle had two players, captain Previn Mukhongo and defender Mitchelle Sawanga, representing Kenya in the 2025 Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek, Namibia, in April.
Challenges
However, the journey has been far from smooth. The club has faced numerous challenges, largely due to finances, as hockey is an expensive sport.
Kitting the players is an expensive affair, with a full goalkeeper kit costing upwards of Ksh300,000.
The travelling logistics to honour matches have also taken a toll on the club, as well as the challenges of adolescence that affect most of the girls.
“It had not been easy taking care of the girls. From sporting needs to hygiene, physiological and mental needs, but we have had partners who have helped us to shoulder part of the burden,” said Hellen Chemutai, Team Manager
One such partnership was a Gala Night which the club hosted on Friday, 20 June, with the media to seek partnerships not only to cover their games but also their corporate events.
Social Responsibility
Twinkle has also taken its space in the community and made a mark on their social responsibility agenda.
The club has also hosted the Annual International Nyota Hockey Festival- a tournament that brings together both local and international clubs to not only play hockey but also take up social responsibility.
In 2023, they managed to raise millions through the tournament, where half of the total amount was directed to support Breast and Prostate Cancer Awareness.
“We realised that many people in the sporting industry suffer silently from the effects of cancer, which is largely not an active topic in the sporting industry and filled in the gap,” said Boi.
Upcoming Events
With that success, Twinkle has organised the 2025 Annual International Nyota Hockey Festival, which is set for Friday, 3 to Sunday, 5 October.
The floodlight tournament is aimed at continuing the awareness of breast and prostate cancer, as well as enjoying hockey.
“The tournament will celebrate resilience, youth ambition, gender equity and the power of sports to transform society.
It is a bold and spirited initiative that continues to position Kenya not just as a participant but as a continental influencer in the sport of hockey,” remarked Boi at the dinner with the media.
Preceding the tournament will be a Nyota Festival Fundraising Cocktail that will take place on 2 October -the eve of the tournament at a Nairobi hotel.
The fundraiser is aimed at supporting the club to acquire a team bus that will ease their transport to events and offset the core costs of the festival.
With all these activities happening in just two years of Twinkle Hockey Club's existence, the club is truly transforming and announcing its arrival as a model of Kenyan hockey. The sky can only be the limit.
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