Last weekend, Swakopmund based Inline hockey club, Coastal Pirates hosted it’s 9th annual business league tournament sponsored by Swakopmund SPAR, to kick off the Inline Hockey season for Namibia. With 29 sponsored teams participating and 57 games, it was a weekend filled with everything a person would expect from such an event: drama, tension, stiff competition and an impeccable level of skill and professionalism being presented on the court. Phil Boudreault, Coastal Pirates coach and head coach for the National Team attending the IIHF InLine Hockey World Championships held in Hungary between 8 – 16 July of this year, was very content with the overall performance of the tournament. "This tournament was very nice, its more friendlier than other tournaments and it gave the opportunity for many young players to play in their first tournament. You can also see that the performance of the players is increasing, it is growing every year."

Following a round robin format, every age group ranging from under 10 through to masters division slugged it out in their respective groups, providing ample entertainment for the crowds. Unlike the regular tournament layout, games were a total of 20 minutes in length, ensuring not only that the timeframe for the tournament would be in check, but also resulting in fast paced games laden with fiery intensity. With two finals ending in penalty shootouts, one can certainly get an understanding of the tension that enveloped the court and definitely off it as well. The final standings for the tournament are as follows: