To find out about Juniors Pay & Play – April to July 2024 click on the graphic below …

At Yeovil & Sherborne Hockey Club we are proud of our achievements with the junior section both on and off the field of play. We have children ranging in age from 7 to 14 years who are either setting out on the `hockey adventure` or are achieving to a high standard at either club, County or National Level.

Note: As young people over-14 are permitted to play adult hockey they are classed as Senior (Students) and attend senior training and play in the senior teams. Alternatively they may train and play in U16 and U18 squads/teams, as part of the senior rather than the junior section.

Junior Contacts

Head Junior Coach: Heather Dixon

Junior Administrator/Secretary: Jo Stevenson: 07846 704866/01935 428498 E-mail: juniors@yshc.co.uk

General Organisation

All the club administration is managed via the TEAMO app so it is important you are familiar with the requirements and act accordingly:

Subscriptions are due each season by end of September: Go to your profile by clicking on your initials icon at top left hand corner then select payment option and proceed accordingly.
All training sessions have been set up on TEAMO and we ask you to indicate your attendance at each session prior to it taking place as this will help the coaches to plan appropriate activities.
There is a chat facility on TEAMO and we will let you know if there are any changes to the training sessions due to weather or circumstances beyond our control. There is also an email facility. However, TEAMO alerts may be going into your junk folder so do keep an eye out for these; turn on ‘receive notifications’ on the TEAMO app so you do not miss any of the key messages we send out.
The dates for all the inter-club tournaments and County Finals are loaded onto the TEAMO app and we need you to indicate your availability to take part in these as soon as possible – and at least 2 weeks before the matches take place – so that we can make decisions about the teams we can enter, which we have to do a week in advance. We do try to include all children who wish to take part until the County finals when we can only enter one team and so will select the strongest players to represent the Club.
The match fee for playing in a Junior tournament is £5 and this must be paid when requested on the day of tournament via the payment option on the TEAMO app.
Arrive on time for the sessions and for collecting the children at the end.
Please familiarise yourselves with the details outlined on the rest of this webpage, including the links to the CODES OF CONDUCT for JUNIORS and PARENTS as well as our SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES – all documents to be found at Club Documents.

Attendance at Coaching Sessions

For safeguarding reasons, parents are asked to arrive in good time for the start of the session, register their child’s name and ensure that the Club has the correct contact details in case of emergencies.
Children should be collected promptly at the end of the session and must remain at the pitch until their parent, or other responsible adult, arrives to collect them.
Children can attend up to TWO trial sessions before joining the club but parents must remain in attendance for insurance purposes.
Children must wear suitable clothing and trainers (Astro shoes are advised because they give more protection and grip when changing direction).
For safety reasons, it is essential that children have shin pads and mouth guards.
Please understand that the coaches will be focused on delivering their sessions and working constructively with all the children present so please ensure that you speak to the coaches at the end of the session about any queries or concerns you have and not before or during the session.

Team Selection for Matches/Tournaments

The purpose of taking part in matches/tournaments is to get as many children within an age group, or that are capable of playing safely within an age group, playing hockey and putting what they are learning into practice
Parents will be informed of the dates of the matches/tournaments at the start of the season and availability is requested as soon as possible so we can plan ahead and include as many children as possible.
Children will be allocated to teams predominantly by age group and then by ability. The coaches will ensure that all juniors play at the correct level so not to dent confidence or limit players own progress.
Where it is possible decisions on team selection will take into account parents’ circumstances and try to accommodate these. For example, if siblings are playing for another age or gender group efforts will be made to try and keep them at the same venue in order that both siblings get to play.
Under 10 teams will be mixed (boys and girls) until the last Inter-Club tournament before the County Finals when a girls team and a boys team will be entered to give them the appropriate practice.
If teams within an age group are short of players coaches will select players from the age group below who they consider capable of playing at that level. It is also possible to mix genders.
Players/parents will be notified of the teams they are selected for the aim to have at least 1 weeks’ notice.

Selection for matches will be based on the following criteria in the order listed:-

Players are fully paid up members of the club.
Behaviour at training adheres to the YSHC Junior Code of Conduct
Parents have confirmed their availability to take part when requested.
Regular attendance at training – (Parents must notify Coaches if there are any issues with availability to train so they are aware of the reason)

Parental Support

We welcome support from parents to act as Junior Team Managers, Umpires or Volunteer Coaches help in order to include as many children as we can in all the activities we offer.

Junior Team Managers will have responsibility on Match days to collect match fees and be the main parental contact for a designated team.
Volunteer Umpires need to have some knowledge of the rules and ability to control a game safely. The Club will support you in qualifying to England Hockey Level 1 standard if you wish.
Volunteer Coaches help out at a suitable Junior training session directed by the Lead Coach. The club will organise an introductory session so you understand what the priorities are in a training session (the “Golden Pathway“) and you would then be able to undertake further England Hockey courses to improve your coaching skills if you wish. The club will support you in qualifying as an England Hockey coach if you wish.

Safeguarding – Be aware that all our volunteers need to be DBS checked, undertake safeguarding training and sign a volunteer agreement form so that we are meeting Safeguarding requirements.

Parents are also requested to familiarise themselves with the following documents:

YSHC 3.1c Code of Conduct – Junior Players

YSHC 3.1d Code of Conduct – Parents & Supporters

Along with the efforts of coaches and volunteers we are keen to ensure that parents and guardians play a continued and pivotal role in that success through positive encouragement on and off the pitch, and parents are asked to take a few minutes to view the links below and videos:

https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/videos/parents-in-sport-videos-for-parents/

https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/videos/parents-in-sport-videos-for-parents-of-talented-athletes/

Sometimes we lose sight of just how much we expect of our children in this modern age where the pressures of life are so much different from when we were young. There are so many more visible opportunities and whilst we are keen to assist them along the pathway to success we should on occasions reflect on exactly how we encourage, support and influence them to `be the best they can be`. We can all sometimes get carried away and occasionally need a reminder of how our actions and reactions can be interpreted by a younger person and as such parents are asked to take a few minutes to view the link below and video:

https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/2013/my-magic-sports-kit

E Safety Guidance for Young People

As the use of internet and mobile phones are the preferred method of talking and communicating with friends due to cost and speed, Yeovil and Sherborne Hockey Club have prepared some guidelines and useful contacts to help keep their junior members safe:

Make sure your social networking profile is set to private or for friends only.
Do not communicate with people on social networking sites if you do not know them.
Do not give out your personal details such as your address, mobile number or location on any website or on the phone.
Do not arrange to meet up with anyone who you have only met and spoken to online/on the phone.
When uploading photos of yourself and friends make sure your friends are happy and give permission for you to do so.
Never upload photos or send comments that maybe hurtful to others.
Be aware that any photos, video clips and comments uploaded to the internet may be there forever even if you think you have deleted them. They may also be viewed by people that you think cannot see them.
Ensure you know how to block people on a social networking site, and if necessary report them.
If you are ever worried and need help tell your parents/carers or a responsible adult such as your school teacher.
In general messages from the Club will be via e-mail from the admin address or from the Club Secretary and text messages concerning games etc will come via your coaches/captains.