Paarl Gim girls enter a new era under Danelle van Zyl
A new identity, fresh ideas, young energetic players, and a drive to succeed will be at the forefront of the Paarl Gimnasium first girls’ hockey team’s challenge in 2025.
After an outstanding season in 2024, Gim will return to the Astro aiming to, once more, assert themselves as a dominant force in schoolgirls’ hockey in South Africa.
Last year, Gim recorded some superb wins under the leadership of head coach Ian Naudé.
During his tenure, they played an unconventional brand of hockey, which saw them scoring bucketloads of goals for fun while they remained a stubborn and resilient defensive unit.
They finished the season unbeaten in the Western Cape after edging out Rhenish 3-2 in a clash of the province’s top sides, before beating their rivals, Paarl Girls’ High, 4-0 in their annual derby.
Beyond the borders of the Western Cape, up against an elite 32-team field, Paarl Gim finished in fourth place at the prestigious St Mary’s Waverley Festival before going on to emphatically win the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament.
They ended their season with a fifth-place finish at the Fairtree Super 12 tournament, hosted by C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje, in Bloemfontein.
With Danelle van Zyl taking over the coaching reins from Ian Naudé, Gim will be making a fresh start in 2025. She brings a wealth of experience to the team, and is very familiar with Gim’s hockey programme, having been a part of it since 2015.
“It’s a nice challenge for me. I’ve always loved taking on difficult tasks, so I’m super excited to take over the team,” she told SuperSport Schools Plus.
She might have taken charge of the first team earlier, but that was not on the cards in 2024 after she gave birth to a daughter. The year before, she coached the u16A side.
A tough task awaits Van Zyl. It’s not a full rebuild, but Paarl Gim said goodbye to many players at the end of last season.
“We lost seven matrics from last year, but there are young players, coming up from the u16s, who were quite strong,” she said, somewhat understating their case.
“Our u16As were the top-ranked team in the country, so we’re excited to see what they can do and produce.
“It’s an exciting time. The players have nice potential. It’s going to be a young first team, but we’re excited.”
Gim’s u16A team from 2024 was indeed impressive and played some exciting hockey. They finished second at the u16 Top Schools Tournament and dominated their opponents in and around the Western Cape throughout the season.
Coach Van Zyl explained what hockey enthusiasts following the team can expect from the young side: “The thing about Gim is that the girls never give up. We work very hard until the final whistle.
“We want to bring intensity to every match we play in. We’ve also got some good goal-scorers that bring a bit of excitement to the team.
“We are looking forward to [producing] hard-working players who are eager to take up opportunities.”
Van Zyl and her squad have begun preparing for the season. Later this month, she’ll cut the group down to just 15 players.
They’ll play their first competitive match at the Springfield Festival in March before shifting their attention to the St Mary’s Waverley Festival a month later.
After that, Gim will take on a series of derby matches against the likes of Rhenish, La Rochelle, HMS Bloemhof, and Paarl Girls’ High.
“We don’t have any easy games,” Van Zyl said of the competition her team will face. “We play the best because we want to be the best in the country.
“I think Rhenish will be very strong this year because they had a young first team last year.
“We also play Oranje. We’ve got a derby with them, and we play Affies. And, at St Mary’s, you always face the strongest teams in the country.
“These will all be tough games, but if we want to be the best, we’ve got to beat the best.”
While vying for the number one status in the country is the dream of many teams, Van Zyl said Gim’s goal this year is not so much about accolades but about building a team culture and camaraderie that will last the players’ lifetime.
“If I’m being realistic, I just want the girls to enjoy their hockey.
“I want them to put in everything and take out more than just hockey from it. I want them to take out life lessons from this season and grow as humans on and off the field.
“Number one in the country isn’t always possible because everyone wants to be there, but that’s something we are working towards, and we could get there if we do the small things right.
“But I just want us to grow as a team and grab each opportunity. That’s the key for me,” she ended.
