Sonning Hockey Club

Our Junior section caters for children from 6 years upwards and welcomes new members of all abilities and playing experience. Please encourage school friends, neighbours and family to come along - it's great fun, you make friends and burn off that energy too!

Training times:
Under 12s : Tuesday 6.30 - 7.30pm
Under 16s : Wednesday 6.30pm - 7.45pm

Term dates:
Training Dates :

U12 on Tuesdays September until Easter
U16 on Wednesdays September until Easter

( no sessions in half terms)

We roughly match the Wokingham school term dates, so the 2024/5 season starts Tuesday 10th September until Wednesday 2nd April (inclusive) apart from:

Oct half term           29th, 30th October
Christmas              last session 18th December, starting back on Tues 7th Jan
Feb half term          18th, 19th February

For more information, contact Chris Roberts: chris.roberts116@outlook.com

07747 532862

(or just turn up on a Tues/Weds armed with shinpads, water and a gumshield!)

Training protocol:
Please arrive in good time to make the walk from the car park. Young players must be escorted and collected from the pitch by an adult at all times. Please approach the pitch via the pathway to avoid unnecessary mud being brought on to the playing surface.

Our toilet facilities are quite a walk from the pitch - so please encourage your child to visit them on the way to the pitch, so that they do not need to visit again during the session!

Training Kit:
Children MUST wear gum shields and shin pads. Sticks can be provided. Clothing must be appropriate to play sport in and suitable for the conditions (e.g. rain wear). Footwear must be clean and suitable for use on astro turf (no studded football boots). Please remember to bring water to every session.

Match Kit:
When representing the club at either the Thames Valley Minis or in league fixtures, players must wear the following :-

* Astros / trainers with appropriate grip
* Royal blue hockey socks
* Shin pads
* Navy shorts, skirt or skort (not tracksuits)
* Royal blue club shirt ( these will be provided if a player does not have their own)
* Gum shield
* Under layers should match the playing shirt.
(Decathlon sell a royal blue one.)
* No jewellery should be worn and long hair must be tied back
* Sticks can be borrowed if necessary

Matches:
We encourage all of our Sonning Juniors U8, U10, U12 to participate in monthly tournaments. These take place on Sunday mornings and are hosted by various Berkshire Hockey Clubs, on a rotation basis.

These are a great opportunity for children to experience the thrill of playing as a team and, though competitive, where the fundamental ethos is that everyone's first competitive hockey experiences are positive ones.

League hockey:
Sonning have entered both boys and girls teams into the U 14 Sunday development leagues. We have also set up a clearer transition pathway for our juniors to make the move to adult hockey. Chris Roberts will make contact with those likely to involved with this.

For information, once players turn 13 years of age they are eligible to participate in Saturday League hockey fixtures alongside adult members. The coaches will assess when a player is ready to make the transition to Saturday hockey and adult training and will speak to parents accordingly. Rest assured that players will only be invited to make this step once they are deemed sufficiently competent to participate safely.

Web site:
Please click on 'Join' on Pitchero website and affiliate as a parent of a junior player to receive general club communications. These include newsletters and social invites, as well as details of all matches including those of your coaches. Families are very welcome to come along and see them play and join in with the socials - it's great fun and you can make new friends. Remember - this is our club - juniors, adults and parents alike - not some big national organisation - come and enjoy it!

Clubhouse:
Our clubhouse bar will be open from 6:00pm and is available for parents during sessions. Everyone is welcome - grab a warm drink or some shelter.

The toilet and changing facilities should be open when hockey is on.

Parent players:
As an adult, or older sibling, If you find you want to give the game a try / return to the game, then please speak to one of the coaches or email sonning.juniors@gmail.com Not all hockey is fast paced - many of us still play because we enjoy the game and sharing time with friends. You can share a common interest with your child, it gets you out of the house and it solves that nagging thought in your head which says you must do some fitness! Don't make excuses....give it a go.

Can you help please?:
Our club is run entirely by volunteers and we always welcome offers of additional adult assistance. Please email me if you think that you could help us in some way, either on pitch at training, collecting balls, team admin, parent liaison, umpiring or anything else! You possibly may think you don't have much to offer but the fact your there in the first place shows you do!

But if not, we value your support throughout the season by re registering promptly for training and on match days, and responding to emails straight away throughout the season - most coaches are also parents and have busy lives and it just makes it easier for all if we work together.

Further information:
If you need some help at any stage - on pitch matters, admin, equipment or just need to ask a quick question, please speak to your coach or contact us on sonning.juniors@gmail.com