Canada’s men to begin 2016 in South Africa for training and friendly matches

(Photo: Yan Huckendubler)

Canada’s men’s field hockey team will begin 2016 with a training stint in South Africa from January 13th – February 1st in Cape Town.

The South African tour is intended to allow the men to immediately begin training and preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Twenty-two athletes from the of 25-man senior Men’s National Team roster will travel to Cape Town, where they will take part in a combination of daily on and off-field training, friendly matches, and team meetings.

The men will arrive in Cape Town on January 13th and immediately begin training before playing their first friendly match on the 14th against Ireland at Hartleyvale Stadium.

The warm-weather training tour will last more than two weeks and consist of up to ten friendly matches.

In addition to the Irish, who are ranked 12th in the world, it is expected Canada, no.14, will face Spain (no.11) and Belgium (no.5). All three teams, like Canada, have qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil next August.

The tour begins an intense year of preparation for the Olympics, during which the Canadians will consistently play the top teams in the world prior to Rio.

Men’s National Team – 2015 South Africa Tour Roster