Footscray Hockey Club

The junior pre-season has been a roller-coaster in that our recruiting has been outstanding (60+ recruits registered already), but our trialing and preparation of the players has been disrupted by unusual weather, long weekends, eastern ground and junior training area unavailability, senior carnivals eating into our time, school holidays about to hit, etc.

Regardless of all of these factors we will hit the ground running in time for RD 1 in three weeks time. We have again appointed an outstanding batch of junior coaches, and the work of our age-group coordinators has been magnificent over the past month.

We are about to make our debut in mixed U13 ‘A’ and U17 girls ‘A’ grade, which will give us a presence in five of the seven ‘A’ grades in 2009. Over the next two years we will hopefully jump into mixed U15 ‘A’ and mixed U17’A’ as well. There is only one other junior Club – Waverley (out of 67 Clubs playing in Melbourne) that is represented in all seven ‘A’ grades. One season at a time though!

A key goal for 2009 is to develop closer connections with senior coaches and selection panels as our huge number of talented children are being asked to take on significant senior team roles / workloads, placing growing bodies under considerable pressure. We will improve those liaisons, and the children will continue to receive safe stewardship at all levels of their FHC involvement.

Key ‘Junior’ Dates:
This Wednesday (March 25): (1) Coaches pre-season meeting (6.30), plus Mouthguard fittings at
FHC (5.30 onwards)
Wednesday April 1: Junior Committee meeting
Rd 1 = Sat April 18 (last Saturday of school hols) & Friday April 24.
Wildcats trials: Sun May 3 and 10.

Families please ensure your registration forms are completed as this ensures you are registered with Hockey Victoria and covered by Sports Cover Hockey Insurance. Hard copies to be placed in the box next to the junior notice board. Or e-mail to nicolevirtuoso@hotmail.com (if you have not received the registration form via e-mail please contact Nicole)

We have a shortfall of umpires for some junior grades on Friday nights. This is because the grade is beyond the capability of our junior umpires (most are under 15 years old) or because siblings will have fixture clashes some weeks. We are seeking some generous senior ladies or men who might be out there who would commit to a team – U17 mixed and U15 girls each week; U13 A, U13 mixed some weeks. Some grades also will get a HV assigned umpire depending on the fixture. Support is available if they have not umpired much before, plus free umpire kit of shirt, whistle, rule book, cards and notebook and pencil.
Please contact Anne if you can assist. garobinson@optusnet.com.au 0417 313 658

Friday Night (20th March)

@Footscray

• 6pm U13 North (Red vs Blue)
• 7pm U15 Girls
• 8pm U17 Girls

@Essendon

• 6pm U13 A
• 7pm U15 PA
• 8pm U15 North
• 9pm U17 PA

Saturday (21th March)

@Footscray

• 08:30am U13 Girls
• 10:00am U11 (Red vs Blue)
• 11:00am U9 + Minkey

@Essendon

• 8:30am U11 A

Congratulations to all of our Juniors who recieved awards at this years Junior Presentation Night. A sepcial congratulations goes out to our Junior Club Champions: Haydn Shaw and Danielle Pereira

For a full list of the awards given on the night (more…)

Presentation Functions
Just a reminder that the presentation functions are being held later this year – Sat Oct 11, 7.00 pm for the U17, U15 and U13 mixed teams (incl. the photographs of our rep players and goalies at 5.30 pm sharp), with the younger players having their function the following morning – Sunday Oct 12 at 12.00 midday.

Milestone Awards
Please help us ensure the accuracy of the list shown below (these are the players that we think will have played a ‘milestone game’ in 2008). Check the number of games you have played this year by going to Sporting Pulse. Then scroll down to your competition (e.g. U13 Pennant A), click on Results, Fixture or Ladder, click on Footscray, click on Team Stats, then click on your name and it will show you how many games you have played in each team you play in.

Summer Programs
There will be a large variety of programs (ages as per 2009 eligibility) available through the coming
summer season, including:

• U9 program: Intra-club skills / match training Wed. nights at 5.15 pm (at McIvor Res.).
• U11 inter-club comp. Wednesday nights at 6.00 and 7.00 pm. This comp is also open to U13
  children playing hockey for the first time.
• Running Technique training. Will be held at FHC on the five Sunday mornings through November. Separate sessions will be held for U13’s, U15’s and U17’s.
• Indoor Hockey: Will be running at Westbourne Grammar again, with U17 boys, girls) and U15
  boys comps on Friday nights, and U15 girls, and U13 boys, girls comps on Saturday afternoons.

These categories may change depending on team entries from the various clubs.
Sign-up sheets will be on the noticeboard the weekend of the junior presentation functions.

Other Programs
FHC have submitted names to Hockey Victoria for consideration for:

• The pre-Christmas (five week) U11 boys / U12 girls development program.
• The summer-long western metro Vicstix training program.

Nominees will here from Hockey Vic in coming weeks about trial invitations.

Thank-you Coaches
As a sign of our appreciation of their fantastic efforts, each year the Club provides a free ticket to all
junior coaches to the senior division presentation night. We will gladly do the same again this year, with the exception being coaches who would not be attending the senior presentation night.

Junior Presentation Night
All FHC members are welcome to attend Junior Presentation Night Sat Oct 11 and Sunday morning Oct 12, 12pm. (Reminder Representative / goalies photos on Saturday 11th Oct). This is the weekend after school goes back for third term.

Summer Indoor Hockey
I have just received information in regard to the upcoming Summer Indoor season. All competitions will be run at Westbourne Grammar again and at this stage, competitions planned are:
Friday Nights Starting Friday Oct. 31st

• U17 boys Friday nights
• U17 girls Friday nights
• U15 boys Friday nights

Saturday Afternoons starting Saturday Oct. 25th.

• U13/girls Saturday afternoon
• U13/boys Saturday afternoon
• U15/girls Saturday afternoon

I will place a notice at the club for all intending players to put their name and contact details down next week. Age groups will be based upon winter gradings 2009.
Spread the word!

Victorian Selection Again
We pass on our congratulations again to Sarah Breen on gaining selection in the U/16 Women’s Indoor team. Given that Sarah had also gained selection into the Victorian U/15 Women’s outdoor team for the Australian Championships later this year, Sarah’s year hockey calendar will be complete when she takes part in the Indoor Championships on the NSW Central Coast in January 2009.

Running Program
As an alternative to specialist hockey skills, this Summer’s ‘Super Summer Skills’ program will be focusing on running technique. Our leading running coach Sonia Kiernan will be training the squads for the five Sunday mornings through November, and, at this stage, the morning program would run:
U13′s at 9.00 am, U15′s at 10.00 am, and U17′s at 11.00 am. We have 20 places per age group available, and it will be first in best dressed when applications open.

First Aid Training
August the 25th is pencilled in as the night to run the First Aid Course. FHC received a Grant to run this program, there are still spots available for any FHC interested members. Please contact Brendan.

Junior State Championships (JSC)
Congratulations to Amy Scott (U13), Angus Robinson (U13), and Sarah Breen (U15) who have been selected to represent Victoria following outstanding performances in last week’s Junior State C’Ships! Amy will be wearing her first Victorian shirt, whilst Angus and Sarah are returning to State selection. Congratulations also to Sheridan Corless, Caitlin Duggan and Ellen Druce who have made a 30 person U14 Girls ‘Development Squad’ after their fine C’Ships performances. Several other FHC players have been very unlucky to just miss State / Squad selection, particularly U15 players Emma Ruyg and Jake Bailey who made it to the final trial but just missed out.

Victorian Representatives
The JSC provided a clear demonstration of Footscray HC’s rise in the Hockey Victoria junior ranks with FHC jumping from sixth (2007) to third (2008) best represented club at the JSC’s (jumping above TEM, Greensborough and Essendon). The best represented club’s were: Camberwell 37, Doncaster 34, FOOTSCRAY 31, TEM 27, Greens 26, Yarra Valley and Essendon (mens and ladies combined) – 25, P.House 22, Sth’n United 21, Haw and Altona 15. It’s interesting to note that we dominate female representation, with the best represented girls programs being: FOOTS. 24, Donc 20, C’Well 16 and Yarra 12. Our position near the top of this tree should be maintained in coming years as players from our outstanding U11 teams start to flow into the JSC program. Whilst at this time the spotlight is fixed on our representative kids, spare a thought for the fantastic array of coaches that have got our kids program to this high level. Our current group of 22 coaches would rank with the best in Victoria.

Wildcats Coaches
We also pass on our thanks to the commitment shown by Les McAlinden and Mel Fimmel in coaching the U/14 girls, Hernie Isorena and Mark Wiseman for coaching the U/15 boys and also Linda Breen, Lynda Thomas and Wayne Bailey for managing their teams.

FHC to coordinate wildcats
This year ends Altona Hockey Clubs rotational commitment in co-ordinating the Western Wildcats. Footscray will now have the responsibility of the co-ordination for the next two years. We will be looking for people to volunteer in a number of roles next year both off the field and as selectors, coaches and managers. If you are interested in assisting in any way, please contact either Brendan Sheehan, Heather Shaw or Mark White.

WIDE ANGLE LENS?
You will be familiar with the magnificent big photo of our 27 X 2007 representative players that hangs above the pavilion kiosk. Well the photographer will have his work cut out photographing the 2008 rep. players given that our current tally if 37! Added to our 6 X U18 girls that competed in the U18 Girls State C’Ships in April, an incredible 31 FHC children have been selected to represent western Melbourne in the forth-coming Victorian Junior State Championships (State Hockey Centre June 30-July 6) and it certainly would have been more if our U14 boys weren’t falling over with illnesses or injuries. A little more luck for several other boys and girls would have seen them selected also.

2008 WILDCATS
U15: Jake Bailey, Georgia Allan, Rachel Browne, Lauren Hopkins, Alexandra Leeder, Elise Messina, Holy Moore, Lexie White, and Emma Ruyg is captain of the U15 Country Cobras.
U14: Morgan Stephens, Sarah Breen, Sheridan Corless, Ellen Druce, Caitlin Duggan, Gabriele Lewis, Ally Sheehan,
U13: Oscar Allan, Tyson Breen, Angus Robinson, Reid Sargent, Vinny Sharma, Holy Azzopardi, Mahalia Bailey, Olivia Colasurdo, Melanie Corless, Olivia Grey, Nicola Hancock, Hayley McAlinden, Amy Scott, Joanna White and Tayla Williams.

PLEASE NOTE:
School holidays are just 5 weeks away. Please note that we play on the first weekend of the hols (Frid 27 / Sat 28 June) and on the final weekend of the holidays (Frid 11 / Sat 12 July).

Trivia Night
Lack of volunteers has meant that we are unlikely to have a separate Junior Parents social function this year. Instead, I suggest that we organize a stack of tables for the Sat June 14 (7.00 pm start) Trivia Night being organized by the Rico Virtuoso – Fundraising and Promotion and Danny Colasurdo – Senior Social Secretary. I will put up a sign-up poster on the junior noticeboard, and encourage you to support this occasion. Place your names on the poster, and include any preferred seating partners if you would prefer to specify your immediate neighbors.
Entry prices are: Adults $10, Juniors $5, and tables cater for 8 people. BYO nibbles, and drinks are available at normal bar prices. Prize donations are being sought also.

Coach Support
Former Scottish international player and elite level coach Alan Stobbie is back at FHC helping coach our U15 girls, and he is prepared to help up and coming coaches where so desired. Alan was captain of combined ‘Europe’ teams three times, has coached Victorian mens and womens teams, and has coached State League premierships in Victoria. All coaches that would like Alan to look at their teams / players at training or during a match should contact Brendan and he will arrange a timetable for Alan.

Specialist Skill Training
We are currently trying to set up some elite skills clinics which will involve senior Victorian players coming to FHC to run clinics on chosen skills. The first clinic will be for penalty corner pushing-in and trapping. When confirmed, I will ask each team coach (U11-U17) to nominate a couple of people for each skill. I hope to run this first clinic before the school holiday break.

Umpires Breifing Meeting #2
All umpires of junior grades are asked to attend the second briefing meeting with HV Umpire Coach Anthony Traill at FHC (change room #1) on Wednesday 4th June from 5.30 to 6.30 pm. There will be a general discussion, Q and A, and update on a couple of rule or regulation changes. Please bring along any questions that you want Anthony to answer. For one or two umpires who have U11 training that night, please ask your coach if you could have the night off. Apologies or enquiries can be directed to Anne Robinson on 9398-0765 or 0401 142 135.

Player Numbers
We are sitting right on the 200 mark for juniors playing at FHC in 2008. This represents the first time that our numbers have not grown for five or six years, and raises some questions about our pre-season recruiting. This matter will be reviewed at the Junior Division Committee mid-year review.

Some Interesting Observations
Thank you to all of the players and families whose flexibility has allowed us to fill up our blank spots in several teams for 2008. Several children have voluntarily gone to higher age groups to help our numbers out, and as we speak our teams have all achieved required player numbers. Some interesting observations are:

• Our U15 PA team are almost all bottom-age (1st year U15) players. Extraordinary!
• Our U13 Girls Penn team is also very young, comprising of 5 X U13, 5 X U11 players and an U9!
• Our U9 teams are the youngest on record. Watch out for these kids in 2010!

Volunteers Required
The White and Allan families have done a great job in recent years organising our annual parents-only social function. Given their recent retirement from those duties, we are now looking for someone (small group?) to take up this initiative for 2008. Can you help?

A special than-you to senior player Carol Burt who has taken up a Saturday morning role mentoring our trainee U9 umpires. The kids are in very good hands! Kiosk Roster: On the back of the annual registration form there is an area that must be signed-off indicating your preparedness to work a 1 X 1 hr kiosk shift during the season (or you can opt out and not receive your $100 fee discount per child). Team managers who haven’t already organised (or delegated) their teams home match roster are asked to do so poste haste!