•The dream remains realistic since they have the backing of their sponsors, Daikyo Motors
•Ochieng', a former international, took Daikyo to a third-place finish at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya beach games in Malindi.
Image: HANDOUT
Daikyo Heroes coach George Ochieng dreams of a shot at continental hockey after leading the coast-based side to the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Premier League this year.
Ochieng', a former international, took Daikyo to a third-place finish at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya beach games in Malindi.
"I do not have a dream bigger than representing Kenya at the Africa Club Championships even though this is our first time at the Premier League," said Ocheing'.
However, they must strengthen. "We have a good team but we are keen on making additions in terms of experienced players who will help the youngsters in our team," he said.
The dream remains realistic since they have the backing of their sponsors, Daikyo Motors. "We do not have deficiencies in terms of facilitation. That's why we are confident about reaching the top. We have done it before, rising up the rankings since the formation of the team in 2020," said Ochieng'.
"The challenge could arise in imparting the technical part of the game since we are still going to depend on our young players in a more competitive environment."
Meanwhile, Ochieng' is worried about the deterioration of hockey.
The national teams are a pale shadow of the teams of the 80s and 90s, he said. This is mostly due to a lack of facilities. "It's sad that most of our young people are into social vices and substance and drug abuse. President William Ruto should prevail upon counties to develop such facilities," he said.
"The Nock Beach Games is a brilliant idea and the organisers should strive to make the event annual and bigger," he said.
On the sand, Mvita grabbed the gold medal after beating Black Tigers 1-0 on penalty strokes, courtesy of James Wekesa. They played to a 5-5 all-draw in regulation time.
Tigers beat Daikyo 4-1, while Mvita saw off Malindi 4-2 in the semifinals. Daikyo squeezed a 4-3 win over Malindi to bag the bronze medal in a tournament played in a mixed (men and women) format.