2018 JUNIOR HANDBOOK " It’s more than just hockey…”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WWHC Mission & Values & Principles
Junior Club Contacts
General Information – Junior Club
Age groups and Junior Competition
Awards & Individual Trophies
Carnivals
Coaching Development Program
Clubrooms & Facilities
Complaints
Equipment
Friend Requests
Grading
Hockey Sticks
Injured Players
Insurance
Mouthguards
Parent Help
Player Development Program
Season 2018
Team Selection
Training
Transportation of Players
Uniforms
Umpire Development Program
Hockey WA Development Programs
Club Policies – please refer to the Wolves website for the following policies
Member Protection Policy
Child Safety Policy
Playing Time Policy
Wolves Junior to Senior Transition Policy
1 Mission & Values
We act honestly , truthfully and with
integrity
We are committed to build and improve
our skills to strive for excellence in all aspects of our club.
We foster a culture of a shared
desire to work together to achieve
our goals.
We treat each other with fairness, dignity and understanding.
Fun, friendship and fair-play.
Statement of Purpose: To foster a sustainable and successful Hockey club
with pathways for participation at all stages while belonging to a unified
community.
Westside Wolves Hockey Club is committed to the following core values and principles as it conducts its day-to-day activities.
We encourage innovation,
development and creative thinking to
achieve our goals, while being role models and
community leaders.
Principles
Act openly and inform all members of aspects of the club at all times.
We treat each other with fairness and
respect. All decisions are made in the best interest and values of
the club.
We continuously look to improve our services to members, to remain
financially sustainable and adapt to change where
necessary.
2 Junior Club Contacts 2018
2018 JUNIOR COMMITTEE / ROLES Role Name Email Mobile
Junior Co-Ordinator Elisabeth Owen [email protected] 0428 338 535
Vice President
Junior Executive Officer Samantha Buckland [email protected] 0478 610 078
Club Treasurer Patrick Verryn [email protected] 0406 045 520
Player Skills Development Co-Ordinator Janine Keating [email protected] 0422 400 384
Umpire Co-Ordinator Kim Lusk [email protected] 0408 474 665
Equipment Co-ordinator Bill & Aileen Meston [email protected] 0409 886 930
Social Co-Ordinator
BBQ Co-Ordinator
AGE CO-ORDINATORS
Minkey Co-Ordinator Phil Curtis [email protected]
0411 422 639
5/6 Boys Jacqui Croon-Hargrave [email protected] 0402 141 926
7/8 Boys Ainsley Andrews [email protected] 04027 074 244
9/10 Boys
11/12 Boys Aileen Meston [email protected] 0458 585 554
5/6 Girls Naree Cowan [email protected] 0488 616 023
Girls
7/8 Girls
9/10 Girls Cristina Monger-Molowny
[email protected] 0413 573 037
Girls Shona Guildfoyle [email protected] 0437 344 803
11/12 Girls Rebecca Hutton [email protected] 0427 449 003
Girls Caroline Fullerton [email protected] 0409 292 244
Bunbury Co-Ordinator Boys Aileen Meston [email protected] 0458585554
Girls Kim Lusk [email protected] 0408 474 665
Ball Boys Roster Boys Wendy Paull [email protected] 0402760423
Ball Girl Roster Girls Sue Ledger [email protected] 0408 080 051
Indoor
Summer Hockey Matchmaker Aileen Meston [email protected] 0458585554
3 General Information: Junior Club - Topics Listed Alphabetically
3.1 AGE GROUPS & COMPETITIONS Players are required to be registered in their correct age group. A copy of a player’s birth certificate maybe requested for confirmation of date of birth. Westside Wolves Juniors runs the following age groups: Minkey – including Kindy/PP and 9’s
Boys and Girls 5/6
Boys and Girls 7/8
Boys and Girls 9/10
Boys and Girls 11/12
Year 4’s
Year 4s are not initially permitted to register for J5/6, however they are able to put their name on a waiting list to be accepted only if there were positions available after all Year 5 and 6 registrations have been accepted. If all available positions are taken by Year 5 and 6s Year 4s will not be accepted. Once all Year 5s and 6 registrations have been accepted, Year 4s will be accepted from the wait list based on the order they were registered.
Any year 4s that are inadvertently or deliberately registered as 5/6 players rather than being placed on the wait list will be moved by the Club to the Year 4 wait list as we become aware that their registration has been made.
If a Year 4 is included in the 5/6 age group, they will be treated the same in the grading and team selection process as any other player.
REGISTERING TO PLAY IN A HIGHER AGE GROUP Junior players must be registered and play in their correct age groups. The Club may request a copy of a player’s birth certificate for confirmation of date of birth. Requests for a player to be registered in a higher age group must be made to the Junior Committee and are considered on a case by case basis.
3.2 AWARDS & INDIVIDUAL TROPHIES Westside Wolves’ philosophy is that hockey is a team game thus the Club does not endorse the awarding of individual trophies to players, including any for Best and Fairest, top goal scorers or the like. At the end of the season each player will
receive a certificate with a team photo and an individual comment from the team’s coach. These are organised by the Team Manager.
3.3 COACHING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Wolves are committed to not just developing players but also supporting and developing leadership for interested youth through the Umpire Development Program and the Coaching Development Program. Wolves Junior Club Coach Development Program is to be a structured, targeted
program for different levels of coaching experience. That is for:
New coaches who have never coached previously – in particular school age
and parent coaches
Coaches who have had some experience but need to broaden their range of skills, drills etc.
Highly experienced coaches interested in fine tuning their coaching skills and/or developing their mentoring/leadership of junior coaches and/or participating in Hockey WA state & pathways programs.
Several formal education sessions will be conducted over the course of the season
with the first Induction Session(s) prior to the season commencing. Full details of the
Program can be found on the Wolves Website: ttp://www.wolves.org.au/about/junior/
3.4 CARNIVALS There are 3 main hockey competitions run through the season.
YMCC CARNIVAL YMCC runs a large carnival at the Perry Lakes grass fields usually around the last weekend of the April school holidays. It is a fun way to kick off the season and Wolves usually nominates teams in the 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10 age groups. Details will be distributed once they are available. BUNBURY CARNIVAL - FOUNDATION DAY LONG WEEKEND 1 June – 4 June If you love your Hockey leave your WA Day (Foundation Day) long weekend clear for the Bunbury Carnival. Wolves usually take 10-12 teams. During this season highlight the teams play 8 or more games of Hockey. Please contact your Age Co-Ordinator if you are interested as numbers are limited.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS If there are enough players interested Wolves will be entering teams in the Hockey WA Club Championships. This carnival is held in Perth and is similar in format to the Bunbury Carnival with an A, B and C division and a slightly higher standard. There are competitions for 7/8 and 9/10 groups and it is held at Curtin grass and turf during the July school holidays. There is also a competition for 11/12 in the April school holidays.
3.5 CLUBROOMS & FACILITIES Wolves clubrooms are located at Cresswell Park, Mitford St, Swanbourne. They are shared with the Claremont Nedlands Cricket Club. Wolves turf facilities are located at Shenton Turf, adjacent to Shenton College, Stubbs Terrace, Shenton Park.
3.6 COMPLAINTS Please direct concerns or complaints to your Team Manager in the first instance. If
you do not feel you have resolved the issue please contact your Age Co-Ordinator
and then the Junior Co-Ordinator if required. Grading issues are to be directed to the Age Co-Ordinator.
3.7 EQUIPMENT Balls and cones are provided for training and games. Each team is provided with an appropriately stocked First Aid kit and these are replenished during the season as items are consumed. Please contact the Club Secretary for items that need replacing. The Club also provides a goalie kit for those teams where the goalkeeper doesn’t have their own. Should there be any issues with broken, missing or poorly fitting goalie equipment please contact the Equipment Co-Ordinator, Bill & Aileen Meston, directly on 0458585554 Players are required to provide their own hockey stick, shin guards and mouthguards
and facemasks for both training and playing and players are encouraged to bring
their own water bottles and sunscreen/wet weather gear.
3.8 FRIEND REQUESTS Friend requests are only considered for Regional/C teams in years 5/6 and 7/8. However, this is entirely at the discretion of the Age Co-Ordinator. Requests may be considered for only one friend in the same team. Unlike the Minkey environment which is school based it is the philosophy of Wolves that from Yr 5/6 players experience the Club nature of playing a sport, whereby they get to play with others from different schools and backgrounds.
3.9 GRADING The season starts in term 1 with 3-4 Wolves grading sessions at various local venues. Please check the grading & training timetables on the Wolves website. Only registered Wolves Junior players are graded, including those on waiting lists. Players may request to be excluded from grading however this means that they may only be placed in either a B or C team. The purpose of these sessions is to gain an understanding of the playing level of all
of our players to guide our team selection. Players are graded on the following
criteria:
1) Skills – individual skills of trapping, passing, tackling, hitting etc
2) Game Play – positional play, reading the game
3) Application – attitude and effort
Players unavailable for grading due to illness/injury/competing demands (eg school
camps) will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Age Co-Ordinators with the support of the Player Development Coordinator run the
age group grading sessions with the help of parents. Generally there are various
roles that require parental assistance eg. Registration, handing out bibs, being a
team manager etc. The Volunteer Team Managers move around with their
nominated team group and ensure players are rotated on the field. This enables
those undertaking the grading to focus on the grading of players. Graders/selectors
do not grade their own children.
Each child is given and numbered bib and they are identified only by a number on
the score sheets.
Teams are released as soon as possible but prior to the commencement of the
season, however there maybe the need to move players around between teams up
to the end of the 3rd week of the season. Parents will be contacted to discuss player
moves once the season has started.
Any concerns / complaints are to be directed to the relevant Age Co-ordinator.
3.10 HOCKEY STICKS Proper hockey sticks have a larger head and different construction from Minkey ones and are far better for hitting, which is encouraged in full field hockey. Girls may play with Minkey sticks, but check that they are not too small. Sticks should come to roughly the belly buttons or just above, upgrade to a fibreglass hockey stick when
they have grown out of their Minkey ones. Too large or too heavy sticks are also bad for skill development so save the hand downs for when they are the right size.
If you are buying a new stick, don’t go for something that is too expensive as children will grow out of the stick. Also don’t be fooled by cheaper wood sticks finished to look like fibreglass.
The specialist Hockey shops are the best places to purchase new sticks as they have a better range and have staff that can give advice. The closest shops are:
Just Hockey Claremont (a valued Wolves Club Sponsor, please support) 18 Graylands Rd, Claremont WA 6010, 9385 0093
Alternatives are: Hockey International 10/267 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn WA 6016, 6162 3758
Just Hockey Unit 2 94 Burswood Rd, Burswood WA 6100, 9472 1128
3.11 INJURED PLAYERS Wolves is committed to ensuring that young players do not play when injured in
order to protect their growing bodies. Should a player suffer a significant injury (or
illness) a medical certificate may be required to confirm their fitness to return to
playing. In addition it may be decided that a player needs a graduated re-entry to
playing be either reduced game time or returning to playing at a lower level. This is
to ensure their fitness to play as well as building self-confidence after a prolonged
absence. If this is to occur a discussion will occur with the parents and the child.
3.12 INSURANCE
Insurance is provided through Wolves registration with Hockey WA. Please contact HWA for further information or see their website:
http://www.hockeywa.org.au/Hockey-WA/Finance-Insurance
3.13 MOUTHGUARDS It’s a simple rule at Wolves …. No mouth guard No play. The Club relies upon coaches and managers to enforce this.
Game Guardian will do mouthguards fittings on 3 February 2018 and 11th March 2018 at Just Hockey store Claremont from 8.30 to 11.30am. Game Guardian is providing vital sponsorship to the Club, so if possible support this endeavour. Further details can be found on the club website; http://www.wolves.org.au/home/
If you need a mouthguard quickly Chemists and sports stores have the ones that are moulded in hot water. These are cheap and can be changed and replaced if teeth are falling out or moving. However they never fit as well, can restrict the ability to talk and are more likely to be in the hand rather than the mouth.
Several suppliers also make custom made mouthguards available quickly with “make at home moulds”. These are easily accessed on the internet by searching mouthguards.
3.14 PARENT HELP We rely greatly upon parent help during the season. The Club is a volunteer organisation and cannot function without parent assistance,
Those with a Hockey background are encouraged to assist in preseason player grading, in coaching and assistant coaching a team or in umpiring. We have to provide an umpire for each of our games and help is needed to either umpire or to mentor the umpires provided from the Wolves junior umpire coaching program.
For those with no Hockey skills, each team requires a Manager to organise the team during the season and help is required with transport for our boarders. We also require volunteers to help with maintenance, social functions and fundraising.
A busy bee will be held at Cresswell, date to be confirmed, and those that nominate
Maintenance on the registration will be called upon to assist.
3.15 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Those very keen on hockey can commence with Preseason Skills development clinic
held Tuesday mornings for 6 weeks at Shenton Turf commencing 6th February 2018.
An intensive 6 hr Goalkeeper Preseason Skills Clinic run by Toni Cronk will be held
3rd & 4th February 2018 3.30 to 6.30 pm at Shenton ( numbers permitting). Bookings
can be made for these sessions via the club website
During the April/May school holidays, Wolves will be running a Minkey & Junior Hockey Skills Clinic for players in school years 1 to 7. Details of the Clinics will be available on the Wolves website later in the year. During the season, Wolves also run user pays Skills sessions. Details on the website.
3.16 SEASON 2018 Hockey WA determines what levels of competition Wolves may submit their teams. These may include A teams (the highest level), A Promotion, A Reserve, B or C teams. The season for 7/8’s and above will consist of 14 regular competition games and two weeks of finals. HockeyWA will advise when the season commences.
For 5/6s there is a HockeyWA grading carnival held Date to be confirmed. Usually
followed by a bye the following week, with the season proper commencing after that.
There are 14 games with no finals.
For all other age groups, the season involves 14 weeks plus a final series – semi
finals and grand finals. The season fixtures are on HockeyWA’s website.
3.17 TEAM SELECTION The focus of the Junior Committee is first and foremost on participation, enjoyment & development for ALL players in Wolves. The Age Co-Ordinator, may consult with the Player Development Co-Ordinator and Junior Co-Ordinator etc, however is responsible for final team selections.
Team selection depends on the number of player registrations across different age groups and what teams HockeyWA allow Wolves to have each season. HockeyWA stipulate that the maximum number of players in Juniors is 16 and have a very clear grade hierarchy where players can play ( see attached). Players play up as per HockeyWA rules. Consequently some seasons, depending on registration numbers, Wolves may run the higher competition teams (A/A Reserve) at a slightly lower number so that players can play up. In the B & C grades, where absenteeism tends to be higher, slightly higher teams numbers of 14 & 15 may apply. When Wolves are allocated two teams in the same competition, then those teams will be evenly matched. Wolves do not run squads in Juniors. In general, selection will be based on grading ( See 3.9 Grading). In older age groups eg. 11/12’s there may also be consideration given to team balance in relation to positions, for example numbers of forwards, defenders, specialist goalkeepers etc . Parents should be aware that the borderline player who just misses out on a team in a higher grade is not necessarily disadvantaged. In fact, the opportunity to play in a key position in a lower team can accelerate development compared to being a struggling player in the higher team. Teams are all provisional until after 4th round of the season to allow for such changes as an obvious error in a player’s selection or when two equal teams are clearly uneven etc. Where numbers are too high for the Club to handle, the following criteria are to be
used in selection:
(1) Whether registration was on time (2) The presence of siblings and/or parents who are already Club members (3) Ability/ readiness (4) Parental involvement (especially in coaching or Age Group Co-ordination)
3.18 TRAINING Players are expected to attend training or to give prior notice to their coach and manager if they are unable to do so.
Players do not have to wear their Wolves uniform to training. However, they are expected to wear shin pads and mouthguards. No mouthguard and players will be unable to train.
Players selected in A teams must attend regular training. If a player is selected for an A team and is unable to commit to attend regular training then they may be moved to a lower competition.
Please refer to the training schedule on the website. Note training is not finalised until all coaches are appointed.
3.19 TRANSPORATION OF PLAYERS Boarders require assistance in transportation to/from training and/or games. The Age Co-Ordinators may liaise with schools and day parents to facilitate boarders attending grading. Once teams are selected the Team Manager is responsible for facilitating lifts for players in their team.
In the interest of protecting our junior coaches and players it is not appropriate for young coaches (under age 25) to be transporting players. In particular probationary “P” plate drivers should not transport unrelated junior players.
All coaches are advised to avoid any situation where there is a single non-related player being given transportation. This is to ensure child safety and is in the best interests of players and coaches.
Where transportation is an issue parents are encouraged to liaise with other parents to assist and/or liaise with the Team Manager to facilitate this during the season
Please refer to Wolves Child Safety Policy.
3.20 UNIFORMS Wolves uniforms can be purchased from Just Hockey - Showroom Claremont (a valued Wolves Club Sponsor, please support) 18 Graylands Rd, Claremont WA 6010, phone 9385 0093.
Just Hockey will have a shop open at the Mouthguard fitting on the 3th February 2017 and 11th March 2018 0830 – 1130 pm Wolves supporters uniforms and hats are also available for purchase from the Club Secretary. Wolves uniforms (red skirt or shorts, Wolves top and long red socks) must be worn during games. Uniforms do not have to be worn to training.
3.21 UMPIRE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The Westside Wolves Junior Umpire Development Program is open to parents,
junior players (7/8 Grade and above) and seniors. The goal of the program is to
provide opportunities for umpires of all levels to learn and develop umpiring skills
from a beginner through to advanced senior level.
Umpires involved in the program will receive theoretical training together with
practical experience and mentoring throughout the hockey season. Westside Wolves
are required to provide umpires across most junior grades, so the umpire program
forms an integral and valued component of the club.
For those interested in participating it is expected that there is a full commitment to
the program. For further details or to register interest please contact:
4 HWA Development Programs
In 2015 Hockey WA (HWA) moved to 12 month “pathway” approach for development
and ultimately selection of their junior state teams at both U13 and U15 level.
The Club is advised by HWA of the entry process on an annual basis. Discussions
are held with coaches to identify children suitable for nomination into the programs.
Where open nomination is offered directly by HWA this information is circulated to
parents, but also can be found on the HWA website usually under the News or High
Performance sections.
http://www.hockeywa.org.au/