KHU mulls over league changes

Telkom coach Jos Openda (left) and captain Tracy Karanja lead Kenyan hockey queens in celebrations after they were presented with the trophy for winning the women’s 2017-18 Premier League on February 18, 2018 at City Park Stadium. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Next season’s Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s Premier League could be divided into two if team managers adopt the proposals by the league committee.
  • The league committee is considering having a Super League as well as the Premier League for the 2018 season.
  • The league committee is set to meet club managers this weekend where the issue will be discussed and if passed, it will be adopted for the new season due in two months’ time.

Next season’s Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s Premier League could be divided into two if team managers adopt the proposals by the league committee.

The league committee is considering having a Super League as well as the Premier League for the 2018 season.

The league committee is set to meet club managers this weekend where the issue will be discussed and if passed, it will be adopted for the new season due in two months’ time.

The Premier League will be the top league followed by the Super League and lastly the National League. The women’s game will continue to have just one league- the Premier League.

According to KHU Secretary General Wycliffe Ongori, teams will be spilt based on their last season performance and the regions the regions they come from. The move, he said, was meant to make the top league competitive and also have it end on time.

“Really when you look at the log for this season and the previous one, you can see the gap as far as the points are concerned between the first and last teams,” Ongori, who was elected during last month’s National elections, said.

“All this is to make the league competitive and for the betterment of the sport in Kenya.”

If adopted, the men’s game will now have three leagues including the second tier men’s national league.

Under the new arrangement, the two bottom placed teams in the Premier League will drop to the Super League and the top two in the Super League joining the Premier League.

The same will happen to teams that finish top and bottom in the Super League and National League.

Kenya Police reclaimed the title they won last in 2013 finishing with 77 points with Butali Sugar Warriors placed second with 70 points and Greensharks completing the top three with 52 points.

On the wrong end of the table, debutantes Technical University of Kenya (TUK) finished last with 11 points behind Kenyatta University (KU) Titans 26 and KCAU 31 points.

TUK and KU Titans were relegated to the men’s National League with Wazalendo Masters and Multimedia University (MMU) set to take their place in the top flight league.

Wazalendo Masters beat MMU 2-1 in the men’s National League play-off final over the weekend to be crowned division one champions.

Unbeaten Telkom retained the women’s title winning an unprecedented 20th title to cement their place in the history books.