Aiden Tun from Kimberley in the Northern Cape currently leads the Maties men’s hockey team. Guided by mentors and driven by challenges, Aiden has navigated through provincial teams, university hockey, and national representation, and his sights are firmly set on what is next.
Maties first team hockey men’s captain Aiden Tun found his passion for hockey after being selected for the Northern Cape provincial team in his grade 8 year in 2016 at St. Patrick’s CBC. PHOTO: Casey-Lee Anthony
Maties first team hockey captain Aiden Tun grew up in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Although he played other sports, he realised his potential within hockey after making the Northern Cape provincial team in 2016 in his grade 8 year.
For Aiden, hockey was not always his favourite sport. He much preferred cricket, and soccer. Hockey was third.
Yet, even before hockey became his main focus, those around him could see his sporting potential.
“I actually met Aiden through cricket, he was a very good cricketer, and even though he was in a younger age group, I could already tell he was someone to watch in regards to his sporting talent,” said Jared Goa, former Beaulieu College hockey teammate.
Once he made the provincial team, his mindset shifted, and he put all his focus and energy into the sport. He stopped playing both cricket and soccer. But even though he stopped, he would continue to wonder what opportunities he would have had if he continued with either sport.
A mentor’s influence
After giving up on soccer and cricket, Aiden was dedicated to becoming a great hockey player. He was coached, mentored, and guided by Grand Brooker at St. Patrick’s CBC school in Kimberley, who helped him with honing his hockey skills.
Grant was an instrumental part of Aiden’s growth in the sport as well as his love for it. Grant himself has always been a part of the Kimberley hockey scene, and owns Turfwar Hockey Academy, a junior hockey coaching program.
From attending school, and playing hockey for St. Patrick’s CBC, Aiden was recruited by Alistair Fredericks to attend school and play for Beaulieu College in Johannesburg in grade 9. This would change the course of his hockey career forever.
“That’s probably the opportunity that changed my life, because, you know, it gave me so [many] opportunities to be where I am today,” said Aiden.
Aiden says that Alistair was one of the greatest mentors any boy could have asked for, especially through the transition from living at home with your parents to being completely independent in a new city.
Maties first team hockey men’s captain Aiden Tun, chose to study and play hockey at Stellenbosch University in 2021 to get out of his comfort zone and challenge himself. PHOTO: Casey-Lee Anthony
Out of the comfort zone
“I felt that I didn’t want to get comfortable being in Joburg,” said Aiden, explaining why he decided to start his university career at Stellenbosch University.
Aiden felt that it was time to explore a new place, and to grow as a hockey player and as a man. This brought him to Stellenbosch in 2021.
“I just wanted to sort of take myself out of that zone and into something new,” he said, adding that he always admired the Maties hockey community for having over six teams for both men and women.
Former national men’s hockey player, Melrick Maddocks, said that Aiden’s move to Stellenbosch was something he saw coming but did not expect at the same time.
“Johannesburg seemed like home to him, but because he’s always been one to take on challenges and do something different, […] I think the move has been good for him as an individual,” said Melrick.
To improve his skills, Maties first team men’s captain Aiden Tun would go to the hockey turf in his spare time to practice. PHOTO: Casey-Lee Anthony
Always improving
Aiden knew what to expect from university-level hockey after playing in the South African Premier Hockey League in 2019 and 2020.
However, to fully transition to a higher level of playing, Aiden would go to the hockey turf in his spare time to work on his skills and see what he can improve on.
“[By] watching old clips of myself, seeing areas where I can do […] a few things better. That’s what helped me sort of transition quickly from schooling into the high-performance setups that I’ve been in now,” said Aiden.
Leading by example
Becoming the men’s first team hockey captain for Maties in 2025 was a surreal moment for Aiden.
“When I got announced as the captain, it was so surreal, because of […] the injuries and stuff before that. So, it was […] like from surgery to Maties captain. It was like a very emotional time for me,” said Aiden.
At the end of 2023, Aiden tore his anterior cruciate ligament(ACL), and midway through 2024 he rejoined the hockey pitch.
Jared was not surprised when he heard that Aiden would be captaining the Maties men’s first team hockey.
“It was expected from him. His leadership and determination is something that any team would be lucky to have, but what is even better is the type of person he is and the true friend you would gain just by knowing him,” said Jared.
Aiden’s leadership style is to be able to motivate his teammates with actions and not only words. Aiden believes that anybody can motivate through words, but putting in the work and showing up for the team when they need it is something else.
“How I’m going to motivate you is by showing that I’m willing to play for you, I’m willing to run hard for you, even if I don’t touch the ball, if I’m not involved, I don’t get the credit or anything like that, I […] want to motivate guys by what they see,” said Aiden.
According to Jared, Aiden always had leadership capabilities, and always knew when he had to speak and knew when speaking wasn’t enough.
“His actions would motivate the team to go on and do better,” said Jared.
Ozair Pillai, Maties hockey teammate, said that Aiden would never ask anyone to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself.
“His hard work ethic and presence was evident at every training session, showing what it means to be a leader who constantly pushes standards. The main takeaway for me from Aiden’s leadership is his ability to lead through his actions. He showed me that the best way to lead is to be an example,” said Ozair.
Aidens’ approach to the game is to lead with quiet determination, and to turn pressure into opportunity. It’s that same drive that continues to push him to reach his goals.
A leadership trait of Maties first team men’s captain Aiden Tun, is to lead by example and not only with words. PHOTO: Casey-Lee Anthony
Looking ahead
Having played on a national level for the South African men’s indoor hockey team in 2023, Aidens eyes are set on someday playing at the Olympics.
“I’ve always had a dream, my biggest dream, and the biggest achievement that I could get to, in my eyes, is playing at the Olympics,” said Aiden.
He dreams of someday, hopefully winning the World Cup, and bringing it home, but even if that were not to happen, he’d be content with wherever his hockey journey was to end.
“What I’ve been able to achieve throughout my career so far, if I had to stop playing hockey today, and they could tell me, you can’t play anymore, I would still feel that I was successful in what I did,” said Aiden.
Looking ahead, Maties first team men’s captain Aiden Tun hopes to play overseas hockey or someday represent South Africa at the Olympics. PHOTO: Casey-Lee Anthony