Year 6 pupils from Forest and St Martin’s Primary Schools have been showing off their new-found hockey skills at the end of their six-week introduction to the game.
Swoffers is proud to sponsor Junior Hockey’s outreach programme and help introduce a new crop of young players to the sport. Primary age pupils receive training from Guernsey Hockey coaches at their schools before getting to play on the astro pitch at Footes Lane.
‘This gives them a great experience of the sport,’ said Mike Kinder, one of the Guernsey Hockey coaches.
The children certainly seemed to be enjoying it.
‘I like it when my teammates pass the ball and I’m far out and have lots of space,’ said Finlay, aged 10.
‘The thing I like about hockey is that you can run with the ball instead of having to pass it and its really fun,’ said 11-year-old Charlie.
Ten-year-old Saphire said: ‘I like it when you tackle people and when people tackle you because you have to think about what you are going to do with the ball.’
‘I like scoring, I’ve scored twice today,’ added Samuel, 10.
Hockey Development Officer Steve Eulenkamp explained how the programme works.
‘During the six weeks of lessons in school, we aim to teach the children the basic skills required for them to play short games of hockey,’ said Steve.
‘They are all then invited to the Hockey Club to take part in taster matches before the tournament at the end of the year. All of the children are invited to join club training on Sunday mornings, which some do. By introducing hockey to every child on the island, we hope to inspire more children and families to choose hockey as their main sport as they get older.
‘We really appreciate the support and opportunities provided by the Guernsey Sports Commission and Swoffers; without this we would not be able to deliver such a comprehensive and enjoyable programme.’
