Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 1 of 6 2016 Junior Hockey Pre-Season Information The 2016 hockey season begins with registration from 10th February 2016 and trials in March/April. This newsletter includes: How and when to register Subs Important dates registration, trials, competition dates Practice information Uniforms, coaching and umpiring workshops REGISTRATION Register in 2016 on-line via the Somerville website using ClubHub. Registration will be available from Wednesday 10 th of February 2016 (give or take late glitches!) through a link on the Somerville website (www. somervillehockey.org.nz, tab Junior Registration). Registrations will close when the grades are full. Returning Somerville 2015 junior players need to register by 17 th February 2016 to ensure a place is guaranteed. When registering, please fill in player details and two parents /guardians details if possible, particularly where players and guardians have different last names, as this helps administration and coaches. At the end of the registration process there are two options for payment: online banking (preferred) or posting a cheque c/- Somerville Juniors PO Box 9746, Newmarket, Auckland City 1149 with a printout of your e- registration and reference number. Turf restrictions mean the number of junior players remains limited to around 205 in 22 teams (as for 2012-2015). Returning 2015 Somerville players are guaranteed a place provided their registration is received by 17 th February with payment. New registered players will be given next priority. New players should register as soon as possible from the 10 th February 2016. If you played for Somerville in 2015 and will not be returning, please advise us by emailing somervillejuniorhockey@gmail.com as this helps manage registrations. Friends keen to join Somerville Hockey but did not play in 2015? If you have friends interested in joining Somerville Hockey, please ask them to register, preferably between 10 th and 17 th February, but make NO payment. (NOTE: paying the registration fee will not guarantee a place). We will be in touch as soon as we can to let them know whether or not we have a place available. In most cases children on the waiting list will be emailed in early March. We usually have plenty of places in Fun Sticks (years 1 & 2). Last year Mini Sticks (years 3 & 4) and Kiwi Sticks (years 5 & 6) were oversubscribed but there were plenty of places in Kwik Sticks (years 7 & 8). It does vary from year to year however. FEES The fee for the 2016 season is $250 per player. Somerville Junior fees provide for practice venue, equipment, a coaching session and Saturday game (turf fees) most weeks for two school terms, and a team photo presented at prize giving. It also covers Somerville playing shirts and shorts for years 1 to 8 players (Funsticks through to Kwik Sticks). Fees also include levies to Auckland Hockey Association (administration, coaching support, representative programmes and AHA facilities) and Hockey NZ.
Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 2 of 6 PRE-SEASON PRACTICES and TRIALS Pre-season practices and trials are held at two venues. School year 1 to year 4 (Fun Sticks and Mini Sticks) will be held at St Kentigern Boys School on Shore Road, Remuera. A Fun Sticks muster will be held on Sunday 13th March. Mini Sticks trials will be held on Sunday 13th and 20th March and possibly also 3rd April. School year 5 to year 8 (Kiwi Sticks and Kwik Sticks) will be held at the Auckland Grammar Turf, Normanby Rd, Mt Eden on Sundays 13th and 20th March and 3rd April. Teams are selected based on players attendance and performance at these sessions so please note on your registration form if players cannot attend any of the identified Sundays. Teams will be finalised and advised by email around mid April. All 2015 Somerville players who register by 17 February will be placed in a team. MID-WEEK PRACTICES Team practices are held once a week through the season, starting the first week of term 2 for most schools. Most teams have one practice before their first competition game on Saturday 7th May. You will be emailed details of your team, practice day and time. Regular attendance at practices is essential for the progress of your child and their team. Please do not register unless you are able to attend most practices Team Day Begins Time & Place Kwik Sticks TBC First week Term 2 starting 2nd May Kiwi Sticks TBC First week Term 2 starting 2nd May Mini Sticks & Fun Sticks TBC First week Term 2 starting 2nd May TBC TBC 4 to 6.45pm, Terry Jarvis Centre, Shore Rd, Remuera SAFETY Players are not allowed to trial, practice or play without a mouth guard and shin pads. SOMERVILLE PARENT and CLUB COACHES The Club benefits enormously from the input of parent coaches please read our 2015 annual report in which we thank and acknowledge the great work of our club and parent coaches (www.somervillehockey.org.nz ). If you are interested in being a Team Coach fantastic! Please volunteer on your child s registration form. AHA provides training for coaches. We also have youth and senior-grade players enjoying coaching. After an introductory year this is paid, generally as offsets against club playing fees. Secondary school students can also receive credits towards Duke of Edinburgh community service. Parent coaches are generally responsible for Saturday morning team coaching and the mid-week practices. Club Coaches assist parents for Fun Sticks (Y1&2) and Mini Sticks (Y3&4). Parent coaches generally take the mid week training session for Kiwi Sticks (Y5&6) and Kwik Sticks (Y7&8). Parent help and involvement is invaluable to the
Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 3 of 6 Club and we will give you the support we can. This includes information, equipment, pre-season coaches meeting and covering the direct costs of AHA training courses. The basic receive and passing techniques have changed in recent years and attendance at one of the courses is highly recommended. AHA Coaching Courses in 2016 AHA provided a variety of coaching courses, we strongly suggest participation, and support by covering course fees. For further info please check www.akhockey.org.nz webpages, or email info@akhockey.org.nz. Somerville also emails updates about courses to people who indicate on the registration form that they are interested in coaching. SOMERVILLE TEAM MANAGERS Our team managers are the engine room and glue of the Club. Managers distribute information (by email and txt) throughout the season, distribute uniforms, check the draw every week (on a Thursday night) and report weekly match scores by text message. Managers often assist coaches during games (especially with substitutions and recording goals for and against, player and plays of the day, and supporter of the day). Some managers initiate and update team information on our website (www.somervillehockey.org.nz). If you would like to be the Manager of your child s team, please indicate this on the registration form. Your support is greatly appreciated. UMPIRES It is very helpful to Coaches in the Kwik Sticks and in the Kiwi Sticks Gold grade if parents or secondary-school siblings umpire the games. At many venues a JUMP umpire (Junior Umpiring Mentor Programme run by Auckland Hockey) will be available for the Kwik Sticks games. The on-field coach is the umpire for Fun and Mini Sticks games. If you are prepared to assist with umpiring please indicate this on the registration form. The club supports training costs for umpires. Information is available on the AHA website www.akhockey.org.nz or Email info@akhockey.org.nz regarding JUMP umpiring opportunities. COMPETITION DATES The first competition match will be on the morning of Saturday 7th May and it is expected there will be matches every Saturday morning until 17th September, EXCEPT 4 June (Queens Birthday), 9, 16 and 23 July (School Holidays). Please schedule skiing/holidays for non-hockey weekends and do not register if you cannot commit to being at nearly every game. Each team usually only has 2 subs (sometimes 1, occasionally 3 in Kwik Sticks grade) and it is common to have no subs available when winter colds hit schools. Hockey games are almost never cancelled as they are played on artificial turf. Most turfs are only flooded temporarily (minutes) and so in heavy rain play may just be delayed for a short time. COMPETITION VENUES Games for Fun Sticks are nearly always held centrally at either Auckland Grammar Turf or at Diocesan School for Girls. Other grades will play across Auckland, but because Somerville commits to managing the Grammar turf from 8.00am to 12.45 each playing Saturday, many teams have had about one third of their games on our home turf.
Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 4 of 6 Other common venues are Lloyd Elsmore Park in Howick, St Cuthberts College, Diocesan School, Avondale College, Mt Roskill Grammar School and Kings Prep School (for Mini and Kiwi Sticks games), Waitakere College, Saint Kentigern School (Shore Road) and Papatoetoe. Nearly all the turfs are water or wet-dressed turfs so games are rarely cancelled due to the weather. Venue locations and maps are on the AHA website. UNIFORMS Team shirts and shorts are provided for Juniors, Fun Sticks through to Kwik Sticks (school years 1 to 8), and these are handed out at the first practice, or at the first game and collected in at the last game of the season. All players buy their own Somerville socks (dark blue with 7 white stripes), available from Just Hockey, Enfield Street, Mt Eden. COACHES and MANAGERS BRIEFING We will be holding briefing sessions for Coaches, Managers and Umpires in the first week of term 2 on Wednesday 4th May at 7.30pm, venue TBC. At the meeting you ll see other helpful managers and coaches (great when needing player cover), learn more about aspects specific to Junior Hockey, your team s grade, and guidelines developed by Somerville to help teams run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible through the season. A summary of relevant dates is below. Best wishes for your hockey this season. Anne MacGill Junior Club Captain Email: somervillejuniorhockey@gmail.com Club Website: www.somervillehockey.org.nz
Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 5 of 6 2016 JUNIOR HOCKEY CALENDAR Kwik Sticks play 11-aside hockey, year 7&8 at school (intermediate) Kiwi Sticks play 7-aside hockey (teams of 9 players), year 5&6 at school Mini Sticks play 6-aside hockey (teams of 8 players) and are year 3&4 students Fun Sticks, learn skills/play 6-aside hockey (teams of 8 players) and are year 1 and 2 students If you have not registered, or have registered but a place has not been confirmed, please do not come to trials. New players will be sent an email when a place in a team can be confirmed, giving you details about trials. PROVISIONAL PRE-SEASON DATES Any changes will be advised at / following registration. TRIALS: DIVISION TURF DATE SCHOOL YEAR TIME Fun Sticks muster St Kents Sunday 13 March Years 1 & 2 9-10am Mini Sticks St Kents Sunday 13 March Year 3 & 4 10-11am Mini Sticks St Kents Sunday 20 March Year 3 & 4 Year 3s 9am Year 4s 10am Mini Sticks St Kents Sunday 3rd April Year 3 & 4 9-11 TBC Kiwi Sticks AGS Sunday 13 March Year 5 & 6 2-3.30pm Kiwi Sticks AGS Sunday 20 March Year 5 & 6 2-3.30pm Kiwi Sticks AGS Sunday 3 April Year 5 & 6 2-3.30pm TBC Kwik Sticks AGS Sunday 13 March Year 7 & 8 3.30-5pm Kwik Sticks AGS Sunday 20 March Year 7 & 8 3.30-5pm Kwik Sticks AGS Sunday 3 April AllYear 7 & 8 3.30-5pm AGS = Auckland Grammar School Turf, Normanby Road, Mt Eden St Kents = St Kentigern Boys School, Shore Road, Remuera
Somerville JUNIOR Hockey 2016 Pre-Season Information Page 6 of 6 SATURDAY COMPETITION First game on Saturday 7th May (first Saturday of term 2 for most schools) No play on Saturday 4 th June 2016 (Queen s birthday weekend), and term 2 winter holiday (9 th, 16 th and 23 rd July 2016) Last game Saturday 17th September Competition game start times on Saturdays (game duration 30min to 60 min) approximate times in 2015. 2016 times to be confirmed by Auckland Hockey: Division Time Kwik Sticks Kiwi Sticks Mini Sticks Fun Sticks 8:00 10 am 10:00 10:45 am 10:45 12:45 am 10:30 12:45 pm COACHES AND MANAGERS BRIEFING 4th May 2016 7.30. Venue TBC.