2023 JUNIOR HOCKEY FAQ’s
What Equipment Do I Need?
A hockey stick, shin guards and mouth guard are essential. Shin guards and mouth guards must be worn on the field.
Players will need a club shirt and socks which can be purchased at the club. Plain black shorts, or a skirt/skort complete the uniform. Normal joggers or special hockey shoes (not boots) are worn.
There is a ‘Just Hockey’ hockey shop at Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre to purchase equipment from: https://justhockey.com.au/
What Are the Age Divisions?
We participate in five age divisions – U7s, U9s, U11s, U13s, U15s and U17s.
A player’s age division in 2023 will be determined by their age as at 1 January 2023
(eg, if player is 11 on 1st January 2023 they will play in U13s for 2023).
Are the Teams Mixed (Girls and Boys)?
Yes. Players participate in mixed team competition up to and including U17s.
What Competitions do Ryde Juniors Participate In?
All teams participate in competitions administered by North Area Junior Hockey (NAJH) and primarily involve clubs in the northern areas of Sydney. The two exceptions are our U15 Panthers and U17 Panthers (A grade) teams which participates in Sydney wide ‘Metro’ competition administered by a sub-committee of NAJH.
What Occurs in U7s & U9s?
Our younger members participate in a Minkey skills session on a Wednesday evening (5.30-6.30pm). These players are also able to participate in a 15 week (May-August) Saturday morning competition. This competition comprises shorter, modified games on a smaller field using a soft ball and is played in a carnival atmosphere – no competition points are recorded.
Where Do We Play?
NAJH administered matches are held at Ryde, Pennant Hills (Pennant Hills Park), Gordon (Kuring-gai High School), Sydney Uni (Cumberland Campus at Lidcombe) and Cintra (opposite Concord Rugby Stadium). Metro competition matches are held at the above venues in addition to Sutherland, Moorebank, Kyeemagh, Homebush and Daceyville. Approximately one half of a team’s matches will be scheduled at our home ground at Ryde.
When Do We Play?
Junior hockey is scheduled either on a Friday night or a Saturday morning.
Friday night games are approx 6.30, 7.30 and 8.30pm timeslots and Saturday games are scheduled between 8am to 12.30pm.
Over a season we tend to work on the assumption that one half of the games will be on a Friday night, one half on a Saturday morning. This however will not be exact across every team and it is most likely that all Metro matches will be scheduled on a Friday evening. U7-U11 games are on Saturday mornings due to the smaller field setup required.
How Long Are The Matches?
U7s, U9s – two 15 minute halves,
U11s, U13s, U15s, U17s – four 14 minute quarters,
When Does the Season Start and Finish?
The junior season commences on Friday 17 / Saturday 18 March to Friday 16 / Saturday 17 September 2023.
Minkey’s start on Saturday 29 April 2023 (TBC).
We do not play on the middle weekend of the school holidays.
Does Ryde Have More than One Team Per Age Group? If So, Are They Graded?
Yes. We generally do have more than one team per age group and teams are graded based on selection trials. Our teams in each age group are named Panthers, Tigers, Lions, Jaguars and Leopards. In 2022 we fielded 12 junior teams plus 3 minkey teams.
What If I Have Other Commitments on a Friday Evening or a Saturday Morning?
This is often a dilemma and we appreciate too that some players have compulsory school commitments. What we ask is that players and families think carefully about their ability to commit to a team. If you proceed with hockey we ask that you advise your team manager of your availability in a timely way.
Further Information:
Website: www.rydehockey.com.au
Contact:
Richie Webster
Juniors President
E: vpjunior@rydehockey.com.au
M: 0432 630 240