Juniors

Our Juniors players are placed in teams according to current school year (Year 5 - Year 12). Click on the links below to navigate directly to that section.

• Calendar
• Overview
• Teams
• Development Programs
• Download the 2023 Junior Handbook (click here) 

Calendar

2024 Pre-Season Calendar

For further information please contact our Junior Coordinator, Ken Matthews (juniorcoordinator@whitfordhockey.asn.au)

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Overview

Children in school years 5 to 12 play in formal competition during the winter season against other clubs in the domestic competition that is coordinated by Hockey WA. Teams are organised by school year as follows:

• Boys and Girls Years 5/6
• Boys and Girls Years 7/8
• Boys and Girls Years 9/10
• Boys and Girls Years 11/12

Training is conducted by team, with each provided with a coach and manager for the duration of the season. Here's what a typical winter season looks like:

Pre-Season

Pre-season for our juniors commences in early Febrary and is focussed on getting players in shape for the season ahead. This usually takes multiple forms including; fitness (including running on the beach or playing beach hockey) and group training sessions.

Junior Grading & Team Selections

The season starts in term 1 with 2-3 grading sessions which typically includes drills and small games at the Warwick turf. The purpose of these sessions is to gain an understanding of the playing level of all of our players to guide team selections. The Player Development Coordinator with the support of the Club's Technical Director will run the age group grading sessions with the help of coaches and parents. The Club's philosophy around grading is based on fairness and transparency, and the process has built within it several checks and balances to ensure that these important objectives are achieved. These include a rigourous peer challenge system and review by independent senior coaches.

The grading results are an important (but not exclusive) determinant of team selections.

Training

Teams will be allocated a coach who will then be accountable for determining the training times for their team. Teams that play in turf grades will have the opportunity to train on the Warwick turf at least once per week.

Winter Competitions

The Club will generally nominate teams to compete within the Hockey WA winter competitions. Each age group consists of teams according to the level of play and may include A teams (the highest level), A Promotion, A Reserve, B or C teams. The season usually starts in April and consists of 14 regular competition games and two weeks of finals, with the exception of J5/6s who do not play finals. 

Numbers permitting, new players are welcome at any time during the season. The season formally closes with a wind up for all players where we all get a chance to recognise the outstanding performances of the season and hang out with our friends!

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Teams

These are the junior teams for the 2024 season

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Development Programs

The Club takes great pride in our Junior Development Programs. Here is an overview of what we offer.

In Schools Program (Primary School)

The Club is very active in the community, where we run structured hockey sessions free of charge in our local primary schools. If you are interested in getting your school more involved in hockey speak to one of our committee members and/or to your sports teacher to let them know that Whitford Hockey Club can help!

Early Development Program (Pre-Juniors)

The Club offers a more structured training session for all of our Pre-Junior players on the Warwick Turf every Friday afternoon. There is no cost to join.

Junior Development Program (Juniors)

Our flagship development program, the Club offers an 18 week program for our more promising juniors where they are exposed to additional training and development opportunities with qualified, specialist coaches. This program is by invitation only and is run by the Player Development Coordinator. The grading process is a key (but not exclusive) input to determining player invitations.

Holiday Clinics

The Club hosts junior holiday clinics each April and July at the Warwick turf and is open to all members and age groups. These clinics involve a separate registration process (and fee).

Goalkeeper Training

The Club offers specialised training opportunities for our young goalkeepers (usually run in conjunction with the Junior Development Squad).

Junior Umpiring

Not to be forgotten, the Club has a vibrant and active Junior Umpiring Program where we provide formal training and a pathway to obtaining formal accreditations.

State Programs

We also encourage our players who would like to further develop their skills to try out for the State Schools Sports Hockey Teams as well as HWA academy groups and state teams. Information regarding these will be available throughout the season via Facebook, HWA and State Schools Sports. Contact the Player Development Coordinator or the Junior Coordinator for more information.

Ground Controllers

If your child is interested in earning some pocket change then they can become a Ground Controller at Warwick Hockey Centre. The Ground Controllers are responsible for ensuring that the Synthetic Turf (not the grass) is ready for play and to manage the scoreboard during games. There are also some additional tasks this year relating to managing our COVID-19 protocols e.g. sanitising the dugouts in between matches. This is open to Club members in Year 9 and above. If you're interested you can contact Louise Richardson our Business Manager at manager@whitfordhockey.asn.au.

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