Juniors

Chelmsford Junior section is set up to provide quality coaching in a safe and fun environment. The training sessions are run by experienced and well qualified coaches and assisted by able helpers who are either parents from sporting backgrounds, senior hockey players from the club along with some of our young leaders.

We take the welfare of our juniors very seriously and our club Welfare Officers is responsible for ensuring all volunteers have been DBS checked and given guidance into our Club and England Hockey policies.

We cater for the complete beginner who has never picked up a stick to the elite junior who is aiming for International status. We provide sticks if needed and all equipment with the exception of personal protective equipment. Shin pads and Gum shields are strongly recommended and without them the coach may not let your child join in all aspects of training/games. New comers can have 3 trial sessions before they need to become members however ALL players need to have completed a membership form which includes parental contact and child medical details.

Children can start with us from the age of 4 (although we may recommend they wait till a bit older – it all depends on the child). In year 3 they play the occasional tournament in the under 8s section against local clubs and then from year 4 there are regular mini tournaments around Essex against other club teams. Aged 13 Junior teams then play in 11 a-side hockey matches and are involved in County and National Leagues and Cups.

At the age of 13, as well as attending age group training and playing in junior matches, your teenager can also join in mid-week senior training sessions and play in senior hockey matches on a Saturday. This transition into senior hockey is done very carefully taking into account the physical and emotional maturity of each individual and there is much liaising between the Junior coaches and Senior club coaches about this. Senior club players are also very well educated into “helping” the junior move into adult hockey. Given the number of senior sides that our club has this allows each junior to find an appropriate standard of hockey for them and not one that is either too high or too low. Whilst being competitive the senior sides still very much emphasise enjoyment and place importance on the social side of the game, for example staying for teas after the game to socialise with the team is encouraged and expected.

We not only provide an outdoor hockey experience at Chelmsford but we try to offer indoor hockey for u14s and u16s, entering the Copper Box tournament in late December.