12 YEAR OLDS BY

GROW THE GAME

GROWTH is the principle that underscores everything that Hockey NSW does. As would be readily obvious, growing the sport means more players; more volunteers; more facilities; bigger events and more cohesive community experience for pre-existing members. The relationship between growth and the core business of Hockey NSW is just as clear, which is why we recently launched our new strategic intent, entitled 2020 By 2020.

12 YEAR OLDS GROW THE GAME

This strategic intent, while not all-encompassing, says much of the direction of our organisation. With a goal to increase our junior participation numbers to 20,000 players between the ages of 5 – 18 by 2020, Hockey NSW is stating clearly where our focus lies and how we intend to get there.

2020 By 2020 is naturally made up of many different initiatives, with each requiring support from Associations & Clubs across the State. Growth of this calibre requires a many-pronged approach and Hockey NSW has already begun moving toward this goal, in theory and in practice. The key variable here is the buy-in required at every level of the community and whether an administrator, executive, volunteer or player – the members of Hockey NSW’s current community must mobilise and ensure this thinking pervades all they do.

What follows is a brief run-down of some of the current and key initiatives being used by Hockey NSW to work towards its goal. With a growth of 7000 players in the aforementioned age group on the cards in 2017, familiarising yourself with these initiatives and understanding how you can be a part of them is of great importance.

National Participation PlanThe recent release of the Hockey Australia Participation Plan has been cohesively integrated into the individual initiatives of Hockey NSW. “Hockey NSW are delighted with the launch of the National Participation Plan by Hockey Australia,” said David Thompson, Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to getting more children playing this great game. Locally, our strategic intent is to have 2,020 12-year-olds playing the game by 2020, to mandate small sided games and use of the Joey Ball for all players under 11, and place an absolute focus on primary schools utilising the Federal Government funded Sporting Schools Program and the relaunch of the national participation program of HookIn2Hockey.”

HookIn2HockeyHookIn2Hockey is Hockey Australia’s national junior program designed for players 10 and under. It familiarises these young age groups with the basics of the game with a firm focus on fun. This course in fundamentals is an accessible and cost-effective version of the game and can be run by any Association or Club with great ease. To that end, Hockey NSW has been actively encouraging administrators around the State to launch programs of their own and driving the process by way of our Regional Coaching Coordinators (RCCs).

Kookaburra 8s & Small-sided GamesAcross the sporting landscape in Australia, it’s a foregone conclusion that modified-format games represent the future. Hockey NSW’s Kookaburra 8s is our first foray into a field where hockey will become a mainstay, utilising a half-field format with eight players a-side in the ages of 9 – 12. Our most recent Kookaburra 8s Carnivals, run at nine locations across NSW, were a success, attracting new players to the sport and rekindling passion among existing and former players.

Joey BallThe safety of players has been shown to be the key consideration of many parents when selecting sport and the Joey Ball, developed in collaboration with major sponsor Kookaburra, is the first ball in hockey that addresses these concerns while not sacrificing the dynamics of the ball you know and love. With a dozen being given to every team that attended our recent Kookaburra 8s Carnivals, Hockey NSW is taking pains to ensure that this new technology is accessible and used widely across the State – the balls are available in the large majority of Just Hockey stores across NSW now.

Sporting SchoolsSporting Schools is the Federal Government’s multimillion-dollar initiative designed to get more kids active and participating in the sport across the country. As many players in the community would know, school sport represents a significant opportunity for kids to acquaint themselves and fall in love with our sport in a comfortable environment. Our Regional Coaching Coordinators would be more than happy to help facilitate a contact between your Club and your local school, and individuals can encourage their educational organisations to apply for funding. Sporting Schools represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for hockey to infiltrate the vital school system and should be capitalised upon as such.

If you’d like to talk about how you can grow hockey in your area, contact us at hockey@hockeynsw.com.au