The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Men’s First hockey team won the 2016 Southern Gauteng Men’s premier league on Saturday 27 August 2016, making the team the champion for a second consecutive season.

The 2016 season saw the UJ team dominating the league with 18 games played, winning 16 and drawing only two to take a comfortable 50 points standing on the log. After beating Wits University 4-0 in the final, UJ is now at 4 points clear of the second-placed team with a goals tally of 135 goals and only 25 goals scored against.

“Our team always plays really hard in league matches, which provide fantastic preparation for competitions for us. We gain a lot of knowledge in the team this way,” says Elize le Roux, UJ Hockey and Astro Facility Manager.

“After playing in the league, we have debriefs on what worked for the season and what we’d like to focus on in the coming year. Then preparations start for fitness trainings, rehab of injuries, and getting our season dates together.

“We always try and get local recruits involved in basic skills sessions once a week for a month or two in order to introduce them into the system when they join the University,” added le Roux.