In retrospect, organizing the MoU SAHA-KNHB project funded by the Ministry of VWS was definitely worthwhile. As Chairman Charles Smith stated: 'with these courses we have created around 100 happy coaches who are able to empower the community.' The organizational challenges encountered both 'en route to' and 'along the way' were to be expected, although they were also rather frustrating. Even though the MoU is aimed at making the project advantageous to both organizations, the two partners are not on an equal footing. KNHB/VWS gave, and SAHA received; that was the general arrangement. Given these circumstances, the KNHB had difficulty accepting that:

• SAHA took 3 years to take on the project. During the previous years, the KNHB had consistently indicated that the MoU grant was available, but SAHA did not respond to this information. Nobody within SAHA wanted (or had the courage to?) assume responsibility. Each month the KNHB liaison was referred to a new staff member. In the end, a New Zealander residing in South Africa took over and helped implement the project.
• The SAHA association office offered zero support, did not issue certificates and provided no follow-up whatsoever to the MoU courses. Presumably, this was because of the absence of an established coaching structure.
• Financial difficulties led SAHA to dismiss the project coordinator from his 'regular' high-performance office with the South-African hockey association. In the process, SAHA simply abandoned the organization of the 3rd year of the MoU project, without stipulating who would be responsible. The KNHB project coordinator then urged SAHA to have the person who had coordinated years 1 and 2 continue the project. While this intervention was not truly appreciated, it salvaged the project in the end.