Badgers

Badgers allows young players to develop their hockey skills and play competitive matches in a friendly supportive environment. Our Badgers team plays matches against other local teams where they can hone the skills they acquire in training. When they’re ready they move up into our Senior teams!

Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club Badgers
Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club Badgers
Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club Badgers training
Evesham & Badsey Juniors
Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club End of Season Awards
Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club Badgers (2)
Evesham & Badsey Hockey Club Badgers

What is Badgers?

Competitive 11-a-side hockey

Learning environment

Mixed girls &
boys

Support from adult players

Badgers rules

Rules

Badgers Hockey generally conforms to the International Hockey Federation's Rules of Hockey.

Age of players

Junior players must be aged under 16 at the start of the playing season and not play regularly for a Senior team.

Mixture of girls and boys

Badgers teams are expected to be a mix of girls and boys, although no specific targets are set.

Both sides contribute to a friendly, competitive match

One-sided matches do little to encourage and develop players. If both coaches agree teams may be adjusted to equalise the match e.g. by removing players.

Gumshields & shinpads

At Evesham & Badsey Badgers wearing gumshields and shinpads is mandatory during all training and matches. This is solely for safety reasons. Without a gumshield Badgers are not permitted to play.  

Adult players

Maximum of two adult players

A maximum of two adult players can play to coach, guide and educate. This can include an adult goalkeeper, although this is not actively encouraged. 

Adult players are to coach, guide & educate

Adult players should not take many restarts of the game after the ball has gone over the back line, or take free hits, or push out at penalty corners.

Goals

A goal may only be scored by the Junior players of the attacking team. Adults scores will not count and adults should not engage in the circle.

Penalty corners

The intention is that there should be only be adult outfield players coaching at penalty corners.

READ FULL RULES >

Badgers FAQs

Who do we play against? 

We play in the Badgers Conference South against Worcester Potters, Worcester Pippins, Stourport, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Kings Heath. We play matches home and away. Please try and support away matches as well as home. 

Availability for matches & team selection

We use our Club mobile app, Spond, to manage all training and matches where you’ll find dates, times and locations. The full season of matches are published in advance. Please ‘Accept’ or ‘Decline’ as soon as you can as this helps us help you! 

Depending on how many players are available and the opposition we select a team. We try to pick everyone when they’re available but where there are more players available than required we may ask individual players to miss the week. We also need to build a team so players who are available every week home and away will usually be selected. 
 
The earlier that everyone responds with availability, the earlier the team can be selected. We always aim to advise the team by Friday morning before a Saturday game. If you need to know earlier feel free to message Mark.
   
Club kit 
We play in red jerseys and socks at home and white jerseys and socks away. If you don’t have Club jerseys a red or white t-shirt is fine.  
If you’d like to order a set of playing jerseys then please request a squad number from Beverley Osborne BEFORE placing an order. Our Club kit page tells you about how to order and provides links to Birdseye Sports in Evesham who run our online shop. 


Playing 

Pre-match – please arrive at the match venue 30 minutes before push back. Before every game we warm up together, hit some balls and have a pre-match briefing.

Post-match – After our matches we usually go for teas, both home and away. Our home teas are in Strawberry Field, Evesham. We have some snacks and a drink and nominate our Player of the Match. This is an important part of hockey and we encourage Badgers and parents to join us for post-match bonding.  

Club culture

Badgers is a learning environment, helping our young people to learn how to play hockey – but we’re also helping them to experience winning and losing and to understand the importance of determination, resilience and communication. Perhaps most importantly we hope they’ll recognise the importance of sportmanship, teamwork and supporting each other.   
 
As such our Club culture defines some simple rules that we expect everyone to follow – Players, Coaches and parents:
  1. Friendly & welcoming 
  2. Have fun & enjoy playing!
  3. Positive & supportive
  4. Play fair & respect others

Social media

We remind all players and parents that you represent our Club and should not bring us into disrepute. Please use a common-sense approach to posting on social media – don’t post about the opposition, umpires or your teammates.    

Safeguarding

If any players or Parents/Guardians have any safeguarding issues they can contact our Club’s Welfare Officers, in confidence, at any time:
 
 

Bullying  

We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying. If you have any concerns regarding bullying or any form of negative behaviour then please speak to Badgers Manager Mark, any of our Junior coaches, or one of our Club Welfare Officers.
 

Parental responsibilities 

Your attendance, support and encouragement for our teams is always welcome but please always stay positive – we’re super-keen on creating a supportive environment where our Badgers and teams can learn, free from outside pressure. Making mistakes is part of the learning process and is to be encouraged.

In particular please be careful offering advice to our players – it’s very confusing when coaches say one thing and parents another!

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