Dale College eager to face top sides at Founders Festival
Dale College’s first-team hockey coach, Andrew Senekal, believes the gruelling and demanding schedule of the Founders Hockey Festival will leave his side in good stead ahead for the 2025 schoolboy hockey season.
The boys from Qonce will make the trip to Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in Pretoria, for the event, which runs from Saturday, 29 March, to Monday, 31 March.
Dale heads into the festival after playing four matches at the Synsport Tony Godding Festival in East London over the past weekend.
There, coach Senekal’s troops recorded three wins against Alexander Road High (3-1), Westering High (5-0), and Curro Waterstone (10-0).
Their sole defeat came in a 3-6 loss against Middelburg Hoërskool.
“We had clear goals and expectations going into the Tony Godding Festival,” Senekal told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“In our first game against Middelburg, the guys weren’t switched on, but we worked on a few things, discussed our problems, and cracked on from there on.
“I thought our set piece was good throughout the weekend. Defensively, we made a few bad tackles here and there, giving away unnecessary short corners, but I’m happy with the progress so far.”
Dale has an exciting group of players for the 2025 season, with a healthy mix of experience and youth. They’re captained by Sibongile Nzima for another season, with Soso Dyani serving as his vice-captain.
Senekal said he’s pleased with what he’s seen from the young players so far.
“Some u16s have joined the team and the guys have stepped up,” he reckoned.
“It’s been good to see the guys perform at this level. We’ve found a very good rhythm with the crop of players we have. There are a couple of selection headaches, but that’s a good headache to have.”
At Founders, Dale will play five tough matches against St David’s Marist Inanda, Parktown Boys’ High, St Stithians College, and the KwaZulu-Natal duo of Northwood School and Kearsney College.
Senekal, a former Dale pupil himself, understands the stiff competition that awaits his team. “Founders is always going to be tough,” he said. “We are playing against some top schools, so we are just encouraging the boys to stay positive and play their game.
“It’s festival hockey, so it’s demanding. The guys need to just give it their all, no matter who we play.
“We’ll just have to take it game by game and reassess after each game. With that said, it’s a festival that will help us prepare for the season,” he concluded.
Dale College Founders Festival Fixtures
Saturday, 29 March
08:35 – Dale College vs St David’s Marist Inanda
13:00 – Dale College vs Northwood School
Sunday, 30 March
11:50 – Dale College vs Kearsney College
16:15 – Dale College vs Parktown Boys’ High
Monday, 31 March
08:35 – Dale College vs St Stithians College
