Guide for Parents & Guardians
We’re committed to creating a fun, friendly, and safe environment so Junior players of all ages can have fun, enjoy hockey and develop their skills, free from negativity and pressure.
Come and try us out – your first session is free!
Our approach to Juniors
We’re a super-friendly club and we pride ourselves on getting new junior players settled quickly and onto the important business of enjoying their time with us! We organise our junior players into age groups of under 8, under 10 and under 12. We have a 50/50 mix of boys and girls with a range of abilities.
We’re very focussed on making our Junior sessions as fun as possible as this is what works for them. If our Juniors enjoy their time with us, they progress quicker and keep coming back. We recognise that young people develop at different speeds and work hard to meet the individual needs of players.
Our experienced coaches and friendly supportive environment helps our Juniors develop their hockey skills and knowledge of the game but also to build confidence, communication skills and teamwork. Through hockey our Juniors learn to work effectively with other players, how to win and lose and the importance of determination and resilience.
What can you expect?
If you’d like to try a session…
Before you come along let us know so that we know to expect you. Message Mark Watts-Jones on mwjmail@gmail.com or 07973 963539. Your first session is free. You’ll need your own gumshield and you can borrow shinpads and a stick if you need one.
Arriving at your first session
At your first session you’ll be met at the gate to the pitch and introduced to Beverley and our coaches.
All new players have someone designated to look after them. In Cubs and Juniors it’s our coaches; in Badgers they’re allocated a buddy.
New players join straight in. We allocate them to their age group (under 8, 10 or 12) and get them joining in with everyone else. This way no-one feels out of place.
What happens at training?
We start with a physical warmup of stretching and movement.
We then practice our hockey skills and we may do some drills that develop our skills and match play. After that we usually play some small-sided matches before finishing with warm-down stretches.
Several times a season we invite parents, guardians and siblings onto the pitch to do the same drills and to play some games together.
FAQs
Location
Our Juniors train on Sunday mornings – Cubs (6+) and Juniors (8-11) from 9am to 10am; Badgers (12+) from 9.45am to 11am.
- 2022 – Sun 4th Sept to Sun 4th Dec
- 2023 – Sun 8th Jan to Sun 2nd April
- Trudi Durband at.td@talktalk.net – 07525 499670
- Andy Osborne aosborne@acumen-bcp.co.uk – 07970 681505
You can also read our Safeguarding and Protecting Young People in Hockey policy.
If you’d like to know anything else please don’t hesitate to message Mark on 07973 963539 or mwjmail@gmail.com.
Our Club culture
We play the right way
We ask all of our players, Junior and Senior, to play in the ‘right’ way – to be positive, friendly & to support each other.
Our aim is a positive environment in which players of all ages can enjoy hockey, develop their skills, and play competitively to the best of their ability, free from negativity and pressure.
We do want to be competitive but not at all costs. We ask our players to play fairly and to always treat umpires, opponents, coaches and teammates with respect.
Our commitments to each other
From the Club to Parents & Guardians
Parents & Guardians can expect of us:
- To place the well-being, safety and enjoyment of each Junior player above everything.
- Create a fun, safe, and inclusive environment for all players.
- Coaches to have recognised coaching qualifications and all coaches/adult volunteers to be DBS checked.
- Trained first-aiders at every session.
- Effective communication
From Parents & Guardians to the Club
What the Club asks of Parents & Guardians:
- Enjoy the game and celebrate the effort and good play from both sides.
- Always, be positive and encouraging. When players make mistakes, offer them encouragement, not criticism.
- Respect the Umpire and their decisions and encourage players to do the same.
- Never engage in, or tolerate offensive, insulting or abusive language or behaviour.
- Allow the coaches to coach and avoid touchline coaching.
- Turn up on time to training and matches.
- Collect Juniors from training and/or matches on time.
- Pay the training, match or membership fees on time.
Welfare & Safeguarding
The safety, well-being and happiness of our Junior players is our primary concern.
- Trudi Durband at.td@talktalk.net 07525 499670
- Andy Osborne aosborne@acumen-bcp.co.uk 07970 681505