Firstly, I would like to emphasize the importance of respecting our coaches and members of the club/committee. The majority of them are volunteers, and please understand that we could not run the club so successfully without them. Our aim is to ensure that our young members are given every opportunity to reach their full potential whatever level that may be (international, regional, county, social or otherwise).

We are an inclusive club, with the progress of our players at the heart of everything we do. Our coaches have the full backing of the club, and this document provides guidelines/rules that we expect our players/parents to follow, as well as setting out how our coaches work at training and on match/tournament days.

My role was introduced at the beginning of the season to help develop junior hockey at DHC, and I worked with volunteer coaches to develop them as coaches and improve their session delivery. I am also here to bring the expertise of over 15 years of playing and coaching hockey at the highest levels to make it more transparent how we move forward as a club from juniors playing adult hockey through to the structure of performance vs participation.

It is this last point that I write to you all now, an area that we will not always get right, but at least if you understand our workings, it may help with some of the issues that crop up each year.

A game of hockey, by the simple nature of keeping score, has a competitive element. If it didn’t, there would be no need for goals or score lines. This is a starting point from which we must all begin. DHC will always work to make things as fair as possible; however, because we have tournaments, the hockey must be competitive and therefore, selection must reflect the desire to win games.

The second point we must all agree on, is the understanding that some players (through age, skill, ability, time spent on pitch, natural talent, and a whole host of other metrics) will be better than others. If this were not the case, we would not need selection, and teams would be picked randomly out of a hat. I could go on about role models and the need for some players to be better than others, but that would take too long. Please understand that without a discrepancy in ability, the game would look very different, and it would lose that competitive element it requires to improve players.

Taking these two starting points, we can now look at how DHC runs its training sessions, match day bench, minutes on the pitch, etc. The current structure of England Hockey’s tournament-based competitions lends itself to teams winning as they strive to play in the top divisions. Like this or hate this, it is the current process and does not look like changing.

I will, therefore, bullet DHC’s approach to tournament hockey.

• Training will be inclusive and develop all players regardless of ability, the plans are designed for all players and do not discriminate. However, natural adaptations should be made so that all players can access the drills. This is expected and encouraged.

• Selection will be based on the coach's ongoing assessment of the players from previous training sessions and tournaments. They have spent the most time with these 24/25 Season-1st December

• players, and I trust they know what to look for when selecting. We will select according to the level of hockey being played.

• Pitch time, although should be as equal as possible, will never be perfect. I trust the coach to make the right decisions based on the game dynamics, time left and scoreline. They are all experienced enough to know who their better players are and ones that may influence a game, likewise, knowing when an opposition is not quite as strong and this being a chance to play players who have maybe not had as much pitch time.

• Players will be required to play different positions throughout games and tournaments, this is to encourage players to learn about different skill sets needed for different positions. We aim not to set positions until U16’s, and even then, they need to be fluid.

• Parents also need to understand that as they are not side-line with the team, conversations are often taking place that may contradict what is happening/being seen on the pitch. Please consult the new ‘Parents Code of Conduct’ on how and when to approach the coach, this can be found on the DHC Website.

• Finally, players will never be forced to play matches; we understand some players enjoy the training environment but not necessarily the competitive game/tournament environment.

DHC will always look to push players and improve them; we are very accommodating of participation; just look at the incredible work the Gibson Foundation does. However, we want our players to progress up the sporting continuum and play at the highest level they can, should they wish to. This means we will play players up age groups where possible, and work with them on playing Development (Adult) hockey as soon as they are ready. We believe that this is the best accelerant for a player’s development.

A final note: we (as coaches and committee members) meet regularly, at least once a month if not more. We discuss these matters continually to ensure that we are working to the best practice; please be assured that we are consistently trying to keep your child’s enjoyment and progress at the heart of what we do. We are as committed to their ongoing development as you are as parents.

Kind regards

Will Hearne, Director of Junior Hockey at DHC.
will.hearne@doncasterhockeyclub.co.uk