When it comes to hockey, Celia Seerane can genuinely claim to have done it all.

The 33-year-old and Tuks hockey player has 173 caps playing for the women's national hockey team, scored 20 goals, was South Africa's female player of the year in 2017, and is an Olympian.

The hunger to play on remains the same. Seerane aims to help the Proteas qualify for next year's Paris Olympic Games. After that, her competitive playing days will, in all probability, end. She will still be involved in hockey as a coach.

"I firmly believe that young people should participate in sports, as the life skills taught on the field are massive. My focus then will be to help young players fulfil their potential on the  AstroTurf.

"My coaching perspective differs from others in that, as a coach, I don't believe in trying to control every player's decision and motion. It is unhealthy because it leads to players not thinking for themselves.

"From personal experience, I know how important it is to be able to make your own decisions during a game. A coach's role is to guide players to play to their strengths. So my work is done during training and not during any match."

Hockey was not always Seerane's first love. She relished playing football with her brother and his friends when she was younger.

''Then the day came that the boys did not really want to 'tackle' me anymore because I am a girl. It boiled down to them not wanting to rough up a girl. It upset me, as I did not want to be treated differently. But that was how it was.

"One day at school, there was talk about hockey. I did not know anything about hockey, so I went to talk to the coach. He explained the basics and said, 'Here is a stick. Let's play.' The transition from football to hockey was relatively easy."

"While at NWU, I played varsity football and hockey. But there came a time when I had to choose. It was not a difficult decision. What I enjoyed about football was playing the games. I, however, got bored during training. With hockey, it was totally the opposite. I wanted to learn and improve all the time. And I still do."

On the Astroturf to Seerane, it is about winning the ball and putting the opposition under pressure.

"I love attacking at times. I can be creative, like creating a two-versus-one scenario. I am also not scared to hit on my reverse stick. Scoring a goal is always special, especially if it is done by rushing in and shooting at the goal. I like it to score with sneaky little shots."

Because she is not a student anymore, Seerane plays for the women's second team.

"It is special to play with the younger players. It is important to me to pass some of my experience on to them. Hopefully, that will help them avoid making the same mistakes I made as a youngster."