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JUNIORS @ HHC - 2011/12 season
Amanda and I would like to welcome both returning members and also new members to HHC Juniors this season. We hope you’ve all had a great summer and that you are all looking forward to another fun season.
We are making some exciting and significant changes to the Juniors’ programme this season, including the addition of a new age group (Under 8), an extension of training sessions to 1.5 hours from 1 hour for ages over 10 and greater pitch area for the youngsters to train on. We are also considering holding some additional coaching sessions throughout the season, but more to come on that during the season.
Dave Thomas has very kindly offered to co-ordinate the coaching programme for the Juniors this year and hopefully your children will value and develop from the additional time and resource dedicated to them this season.
Harpenden’s Junior Development Programme is one of the club's key priorities. All 8 adult teams are founded on players who learnt their skills as a junior at the club, and it's within our current junior programme that the stars of tomorrow lie!
Run by a host of qualified coaches, the programme ticks all the right boxes - for the kids, it's great fun and will improve their hockey, while parents can rest assured that their children are being sensibly looked after.
We hope that, for many of our juniors, the programme will give them the building blocks to develop as hockey players and that they will represent the club's adult teams as they mature into adulthood.
Heading up Harpenden's Junior section again this year are Alastair and Amanda Hutson. If you, or your children, would like to get involved, email them here.
(Please note that there is now a waiting list for all age groups but don't let that stop you from sending an email enquiry).
We have put together a comprehensive set of policies and club documentation this year, in line with EHB guidelines and good practice. These documents can be found in the right hand column of this page. Please take the time to read these as they contain some important information as you may need to refer to them at some point in the future.
AGE GROUPS AND LEAD COACHES
Under 8 mixed Years 2 and 3 Lead Coach Debbie Liles
Under 10 mixed Years 4 and 5 Lead Coach Vijay Patel
Under 12 mixed Years 6 and 7 Lead Coach Alastair Hutson
Under 16 boys Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 Lead Coach Neil Liles
Under 16 girls Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 Lead Coach Niall McAlister
TRAINING 2011/12
This will be held on Sunday mornings between 09:00 and 14:30.
Training is held at Old Albanian’s, Woollams Playing Field, Harpenden Road, St Albans, AL3 6BB.
The first day of training for this season will begin on Sunday 11th September 2011.
Training will run between 11th September 2011 and 25th March 2012 inclusive. There will be NO training on the LAST Sunday of each half term holiday (30th October 2011 and 19th February 2012) and there will be a break over the Christmas period (the last session in 2011 will be 11th December and the first session in 2012 will be on 8th January).
The timings for all sessions for the season will be:
Under 8 mixed 09.00 - 10.00
Under 10 mixed 09:00 - 10:00
Under 12 mixed 10:00 - 11:30
Under 16 boys 11.30 - 13.00
Under 16 girls 13:00 - 14:30
Please note we will NOT be pushing the training slots back by half an hour in January and February.
Please make sure that you are at the ground in time and ready to begin training promptly.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORMS
You can download a copy here.
Please bring them with the subscription (Cheques to be made payable to "Harpenden Hockey Club") on your first or subsequent coaching session and latest by 2nd October 2011, or post them to Alastair Hutson, HHC Juniors Co-ordinator, 81 Topstreet Way, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 5TY.
JUNIOR SUBSCRIPTIONS
Juniors pay a single membership fee at the start of the season and no weekly “subs”.
We have had to increase the annual fees this year as a result of an increase in pitch fees, the extension of training times to 1.5 hours for over 10’s and the fact that all age groups will be training on a full pitch which is essential to your child’s hockey development.
Details for each age group are set out in the list below. In addition, all members are required to have a club shirt. Club shirts and other kit items can be purchased from the HHC Juniors Co-ordinators. Please indicate on the kit form whether you will require a shirt for the subsequent season.
Subscriptions are as follows:
Under 8 mixed £60
Under 10 mixed £60
Under 12 mixed £70 *
Under 16 boys £70 *
Under 16 girls £70 *
Once this is paid, your child will be covered under the club's public liability insurance but this will not cover personal accident.
Junior membership also entitles the more senior junior members to play in senior teams for no additional cost other than match fees. A number of U16 Girls and U16 Boys play in senior teams; indeed, the Mens’ 5th team has been created for the sole purpose of introducing schoolboys to the senior club.
* These groups pay a slightly higher fee to reflect the fact that their sessions are longer.
UNDER 8's and UNDER 10's
Children will be carefully looked after; however it is a condition of admission to the coaching sessions that parents/guardians of Under 8’s and Under 10’s must be "on site" in the unlikely event of an emergency. Under no circumstances will coaches leave children unattended to care for a child who is injured, sick or distressed for any reason. If the parent/guardian cannot attend the session they should appoint a substitute adult who is identified to the lead coach prior to commencement of the session.
SAFETY/INSURANCE
Please do not forget that it is a wise precaution to take out Sports Insurance. If you are at a school in Hertfordshire, the County Council operates Personal Accident Insurance Scheme for pupils (Details can be obtained from Herts County Council on 01992 588549). We state that gum shields (your dentist can fit them) and shin pads are mandatory and we advise you to invest in a padded hand guard (left hand).
KIT AND EQUIPMENT
As well as the club shirt, the full playing kit will be navy blue shorts/skorts and navy socks. A range of Harpenden Hockey Club rain fleeces, hoodies and other merchandise can be purchased from Good Sports, Leyton Road, Harpenden. Not only is this kit stylish and high quality, the club receives a small amount of commission per item, so any purchase helps support club initiatives such as Junior development.
The junior kit list can be found here.
Boys and Girls who are in School years 10 and 11 will still require senior shirts which must still be purchased through the club. The shirt order form can be downloaded here.
Should you need any equipment for the coming season you can contact Good Sports in Leyton Road, Harpenden (opposite Waitrose), or The Hockey Centre at 200 Beech Road, St Albans (Phone 01727 865264).
A small quantity of sticks are available to borrow from the club, but all players must come with their own shin pads and mouth guard and it is your responsibility to wear these at all times to minimise injury.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
We are always short of helpers and would be very happy for new faces to help us coach the children. If any parents would like to lend a hand in a training or administrative role, please let our Junior Development Co-ordinators Alastair and Amanda Hutson know by emailing them or calling 01582 623865. Alternatively complete the relevant section on the membership form.
PARENTS' E- MAIL ADDRESSES
Where email addresses have been provided, we will circulate information (Coaching days, fixtures etc) to addressees, plus other information pertaining to the club. Please advise if you change your address.
BAD WEATHER
In the event of extreme weather (ie. heavy rain, snow etc) during a training session or match, we would ask parents to collect their child from the sports grounds. There is also a risk that heavy frost (especially in January/February) can cause cancellations. If possible, we will try to give advance email notice should this occur. Please ensure that you check emails early in the morning before leaving for training or matches if you are concerned that there is a chance that training or matches could be cancelled.
CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU
For the record, Sarah McAlister is the club's Welfare Officer and in accordance with the Hockey Association she has the required CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Clearance. All of our lead coaches have the necessary CRB clearance. If you have any queries in this regard please speak to one of us.
Finally, any ideas you may have in how we can improve the juniors system, on or off the pitch, please let our Junior Development Co-ordinators Alastair and Amanda Hutson know by emailing them.
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