Spartans' league participation in limbo over Covid fears

USIU-A Spartans head coach Willis Okeyo is painfully willing to loan out his players as the club’s participation in the 2021 Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Women’s Premier League remains uncertain.

With the delayed new season tentatively set to start in the first week of April, the students are yet to reconvene after long the break triggered by suspension of sporting activities.

Okeyo’s efforts to congregate the team for the preseason which served off at the start of the month have been futile.

The national team midfielder who boasts of international experience having featured for Vfb Stuttgart revealed that he had not been cleared by the university to assemble the team even as kickoff dates beckon.

The youthful gaffer said should he fail to get the nod from the institution which bankrolls the team on time, he will have no choice other than to bite the bullet and send the players on loan until further notice.

“I am still waiting for direction from the university who are our sole sponsors and owners of the team. I cannot proceed to assemble the team without their blessings. We broke camp when the first case of coronavirus was reported in the country but I have been coaching my girls albeit online. I understand they desperately want to play and if push comes to shove then I will let them join other clubs on a condition that I will recall them once the university okays our request to gather again,” he said

Okeyo who doubles up as a creative midfielder at Kenya Police in the meanwhile disclosed the club's ambition of claiming their third title. Police clinched the laurel in 2015 and 2017 but have watched their sworn rivals Butali Warriors toast it twice in succession in the past three years.

The versatile player regretted that the departure of their priced civilian players who were attached to the club before cost them the title twice but he is confident that they will reclaim it this season.

“We didn’t perform well in the past two seasons and it will only be fair enough if we redeem ourselves with the title. Losing our best players was our major undoing in the previous seasons but this time round we haven’t parted company with any and thus we are better placed to challenge for the title,” he added