Youth Guidance for transition to Open Hockey
Things to think about for Youth vs Open Grade Hockey
As the winter season trials will commence towards the end of February, we thought it would be timely to provide you with an outline of considerations for transitioning from youth to adult open grades, whether or not you are still eligible to play youth hockey. We’ll also highlight some rules that exist from Auckland Hockey that we, and all other Auckland clubs, are bound by.
Auckland Hockey Rules regarding age of eligibility
Youth hockey is targeted for players who are in years 9-13 at school, and who are under the age of 18 as at 1 January. Anyone who meets these criteria is welcome in Somerville Youth.
There are also age eligibility criteria for playing open grade hockey:
All players must be over the age of 15 at the 1st January to qualify for open grade hockey
Any player turning 15 during the season that is selected by the club to play Premier or Premier Reserve grade hockey must apply for dispensation (this is done by the club).
There has been no granting of exceptions to these rules in the past few seasons that these rules have been in play. Any player that is playing in a grade that they are not eligible for runs the risk of penalties for their team (e.g. loss of points etc).
Considerations for making the step to open grade hockey
Somerville welcomes players transitioning from youth grades to open grades, and recognises that this may include some players who are still age-eligible for youth. The aspirational aspects of this can be exciting, and will bring opportunities to further grow as a player and a person as you advance through your teenage years. But at Somerville we think a decision to step up needs to be actively and consciously thought through, regardless of the player’s age, and from our experience we believe there are many factors to consider, including:
For adult open grade players, their choice to play hockey is an important one for them. A positive team experience, and building a cohesive style and team culture, requires commitment to the team by everyone in the squad, to both practices and games. For school-age players, this is especially relevant over school holidays. Some absences can be accommodated, but not for 2 or 3 consecutive matches. Further, the loss of several school-age players at the same time can be devastating for a team.
So it’s important to reflect on the time and energy you will be able to devote to open grade hockey, bearing in mind your other commitments to (for example) school hockey, personal exercise, your education and examinations, and other school or personal commitments.
Moving up to open grade will also entail greater personal responsibility, for example communicating with their team and manager themselves (vs through an adult).
Playing with and against adults in open grade hockey will place higher physical demands on you, in terms of pace of play, degree of contact, and speed of the ball.
There will also be a different social dynamic as a youth player in open grades; your older teammates will have different social opportunities, and there may be limited players in your age group in the team (selections in open grade are based strictly on merit as shown at trials, although where possible we do try to have a minimum of 2 school aged players in a team).
Somerville Process
Before open grade trials
Somerville encourages Year 11-13 players in the youth grades from last season, who are interested in trialing for the open grades, to talk to their coach from the previous year, the Youth Club Captain (John Williams) and/or the Somerville Hockey Development Officer if you are looking for feedback or guidance.
After Open grade Trials
We expect to field several high-quality divisional teams (including 2 in Div 1) that can cater for many youth wanting their first year in open grade competition. The divisional teams are seen as an excellent development pathway for youth as it provides an opportunity to toughen up on the field, understand the different speed and tempo of the game, learn how to be more aggressive on the field and be a team member with adults.
Parents and/or players may have expectations or ideas of their child’s ability and sometimes the grade selection is below a parent’s or player’s expectation. This can be disappointing. Provision of feedback from selectors to explain their particular team inclusion and areas to focus their development on to assist progression is always available at the end of trials.
If a player is not selected in an open grade team, they may trial for and be selected in a youth team provided they are still age-eligible for youth. Through the season many of our premier-grade youth players will likely have the opportunity to fill in for divisional teams if they are short from time to time.
Open grade Premier and Premier Reserve Hockey
For the very best youth players, we appreciate that you may be approached by other clubs with promises of playing Premier or Premier Reserve hockey, or there may be advice from your school coaches to find a club that will select you to play at this level. This can be an exciting time, but please bear in mind the information in this note about Somerville’s approach, and that all clubs are bound by Auckland Hockey’s rules.
Somerville is a strong club, and we normally provide many Blacksticks, Auckland Age Group Reps and NHL Reps each year. Whilst on the one hand this makes breaking into our top club teams more difficult, it also means there will be opportunities for the best lower grade players to be called up to fill-in on occasions at a higher level, including for Premier or Premier Reserve teams.
It’s also important to appreciate that we may select you in a team where you get more hockey time on the field, as opposed to “riding the bench”. This, combined with the opportunities to fill-in for higher teams, will provide managed exposure to higher levels of hockey, with suitable support structures in place which will better support your development in the longer term.
We encourage you to come to talk to one of us at the club if you do have any concerns regarding your player pathway and the opportunities that may be available to you at Somerville, regardless of the grade.