Elizabeth Opoku named captain of Black Sticks
Multiple sports award winner, Elizabeth Opoku, has been named captain of the senior national women hockey team, Black Sticks Ladies.
The three-time Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) award winner will lead the team for her first assignment in South Africa as they seek qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Opoku, who plays for the Ghana Revenue Authority’s female hockey team, Royal Ladies, will lead a team of 18 players selected from the Greater Accra Hockey League.
They will face Namibia, Kenya, and Zambia in Pool B of the qualifiers from October 29 to November 5.
The team comprises of Boye Abigail and Ampem Darkoa Mavis as goalkeepers andSulemanaAdizatu, Berko Mavis Boatemaa, AcquahJuwaila andMaanyembimBrenya as defenders.
The likes of Amoako Cecilia, Coffie Ernestina, Afriyie Lydia, Owusuwaa Margaret and OkineRafiatuDede will play as midfielders withOpoku Elizabeth, Sarfoa Martha, Narkuor Vivian, Antwi Doris, Konadu Jennifer, CopsonHageit, Ackon Mercy, and AddaeGifty as strikers.
Ghana will played her first game against Namibia on Sunday, October 29 and take on Kenya on Monday, October 30.
They played again today against Kenya for the last group game.
Speaking ahead of departure, the new skipper of the team, Opoku, said “I will not make any promises, but we’ll approach every match with all seriousness. We are hoping for a favourable tournament, that is why we are not putting any pressure on ourselves.
“There are no minnows in
hockey now so we cannot be complacent. We are positive but won’t make any promises until our first push-off.”
She led her team to win gold at the 2021 Hockey Africa Cup for Club Championship and won silver at the just ended Hockey Africa Cup of Nations to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
In 2009, she was awarded as the Best Player in the Schools and Colleges Sports Federation and won the Promising Star Player award in the 2010 Chairman’s Invitational Cup and other top awards.
