What to Expect

The Victoria Junior Field Hockey League strives to provide an environment for participants ages 5-18 that is safe, inclusive, fair and, most importantly, fun. The players will learn and improve their field hockey skills with a 10-week program founded in fundamental movement skills. All coaches are appropriately educated and certified and practice plans for all age groups will be unified across each age division. 

For players new to field hockey, this is a positive opportunity to gain confidence with a new sport. Players will be able to challenge themselves as much as they are comfortable while having fun, being active and making new friends.

For those more seasoned players, coaches are experienced to adapt to provide challenges, while the atmosphere is a more recreational and fun chance to practice skills and decision making with less pressure.

 

At your first session you will meet your coaches and be given a t-shirt and mouth guard. It will be important to prime the participant that they will have to wear a mouth guard. If you are concerned, head to any sport store and get your mouth guard early and you can mould and trim it and practice wearing it at home. You will get another free one at your first practice that you can then use as a back up (as they tend to go missing!). We recommend storing them in your sock at practice and in a case in your bag between sessions. 

Players are also expected to wear shin guards under their playing socks. Any soccer-like shin guards will do! Mouth guards and shin guards are mandatory!

Footwear should be running shoes, trail runners or field hockey-specific turf shoes. Avoid soccer cleats or anything with studs. Plan to bring an extra pair of socks and shoes if you're going somewhere straight after hockey because the turf is water-based so your shoes may get wet.

 

The Victoria Junior League has field hockey sticks you can borrow for the season. There will be a bunch available at the first session so you can get properly sized up. This way if you're worried about buying a stick and the player not wanting to stick with the sport or if the player will grow really quickly, you can borrow. Otherwise, you can purchase a fairly affordable youth stick and sell or trade again later. Players around the age of 13 and up are usually ready for an adult-length stick which is almost always a 36.5" stick. If you buy a composite stick you can keep it for years until the player is old enough or strong enough for a more adult-weighted composite stick of the same or longer length.

 

The Victoria Junior League coaches run under a Technical Development lead who is in charge of standardizing both the content and format of each junior league age and gender division. Each aged program is tailored to the development level of the participants at that age. Within each practice plan and drill there are also modifications to challenge or break down skills depending on the player. Our coaches have a wide range of experience but nonetheless, each team or group will be led by an experienced head coach who will mentor younger or volunteer parent coaches. In a typical year a group of 12 athletes would have anywhere from 2-4 coaches helping them out to be able to give a an ideal 1:4 ratio of support for developing players. Coaches prioritize skill development and of course ensure players are having fun, too! The coaches will have all created criminal record checks, Safe Sport training and a season orientation. For each age division of coaches there is also a Master Coach, whose duties are to ensure that coaches are following their practice plan, arriving and being professional at all times, providing necessary modifications and really the Master Coach is a coach for the coaches so everyone is learning! 

The CATT online tool is a resource which provides information on the three steps for appropriate care for an individual with a concussion (i.e. recognize, respond and manage) in order to assist them in their recovery from this injury.

It is mandatory that players wear shin guards and mouth guards when they are participating.  For the safety of the participant, the player will not be allowed to participate in practices or games without wearing a mouth guard and shin guards.

All players must have:

Kirby's Source for Sports - Victoria

(Grays hockey sticks, bags, gloves & accessories; Asics turf shoes)

894 Cloverdale Ave.

Victoria, B.C.

(250) 480-5030

 

Hockey King Sports - Vancouver 

(Grays & Brabo equipment)

 

Field Hockey Shack - West Vancouver

(Gryphon equipment)

 

Bunny Hughes is the Gryphon Rep on behalf of the Field Hockey Shack

Visit the fieldhockeyshack.com and email Bunny at vbunnyhughes@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to place an order. The most popular package is the Junior Starter pack which includes a stick, ball, mouthguard, shin guards, glove and stick bag for $180. The pack will be customized to your child’s size.

 

 

Just Field Hockey - Vancouver

(Adidas, Kookaburra and OBO equipment)

justfieldhockey.com