Youth

Our youth section at Beacon Hockey Club is where the future stars of the game begin their journey. We nurture young talent, providing a supportive and educational environment for boys and girls to develop their skills and passion for hockey. Our dedicated coaching staff focuses on honing their abilities while instilling values of teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship.With a strong emphasis on growth and fun, we offer regular training sessions and opportunities to compete in friendly matches and tournaments. It's about fostering a love for the sport and fostering friendships that last a lifetime.

As part of the Beacon family, our young players not only learn the game but also build character and confidence that will serve them both on and off the field.

All our youth training sessions are held at Streetly Academy. We train at the following times:

• U8 Hockey Heroes - Saturdays 09:00-10:00

For children in school years Reception to Yr3.

• U10, U12 - Saturdays 10:15-11:30

For children in school years 4-8. Older players may also train on Saturdays in special circumstances, i.e. if Wednesdays are inconvenient.

• U12, U14, U16 - Wednesdays 19:00-20:15

For children in school years 7-11.

Our fees are very competitive. Every child can have 3 taster sessions before deciding whether to join. The club sub (Membership Fee) is payable after the taster sessions, via the Teamo app.

Youth (School Year 7 and above)

• Full Membership: £95 per season. Can be paid in instalments throughout the season.
• Training-only Membership: £75 per season or £30 per term. 
• Match fee: £5 per match or tournament (not included in Membership Fee).

Junior (School Year 6 and below)

• Full Membership (Yr6 and below): £75 per season or £30 per term. 
• Match fee: £3 per match or tournament (not included in Membership Fee).

Besides training, we also play friendly matches and tournaments against other clubs. These are entirely optional and any child can sign up for them. The emphasis is on participation and enjoyment rather than solely performance.

Most Saturdays from September to March, we play in the "Badgers Conference", which are 11-a-side mixed friendly games home/away for children in Yrs 7-11. We also play training matches on Saturdays when we don't have a competitive fixture.

On Sundays throughout the school year, we play monthly 7-a-side tournaments (4-a-side for U8s) in and around Staffordshire. Depending on player availability, we enter mixed or boy/girl teams at under-8 to under-16 level.

Coaching Aims and Objectives

• Help children to discover an exciting team sport and develop a lifelong love of sport
• Develop core technical and tactical skills
• Teach players how to train
• Prepare players for playing matches on a full-sized pitch (4-aside > 7-a-side > 11-a-side)
• Most importantly, to have fun

Coaching Method

• Key objective is to instil correct techniques and teamwork, through lots and lot of gameplay.
• Each session generally consists of a warm-up, coaching of a technical and/or tactical skill, and finally game-like activities to put the learning into practice.
• Players are divided into groups of similar age and/or ability.
• During each session, we want players to get as many touches on the ball as possible.
• During each session, we want everyone to experience success and also to feel challenged.
• Players of all ability are encouraged to play at least one game or tournament per month.
• But tournaments and matches don't suit everyone; if a player only wants to train, that's fine with us.

Coaches

• Almost all of the club's coaches and staff are volunteers.
• Many of the coaches are club members and parents, and many are England Hockey-qualified.
• Coaches follow a club syllabus and adhere to our Code of Conduct and safeguarding guidelines.
• All parents are encouraged to help – no playing experience required.
• Assistance is provided to those wanting coaching qualifications.

Parents/Guardians

• Parents and guardians of children in U8 and U10s sessions MUST remain on site throughout training and matches in case of emergency. 
• Parents and guardians of U12 children and above are expected to be within 15 minutes travel time from the pitch in case of emergency.
• It is the responsibility of the parents and guardians to ensure all membership details for themselves and their children on our members database (on Teamo) are current -- including all medical and contact details -- and that they can be contacted during training or matches.
• The club's primary means of communication with parents/guardians is the Teamo app.
• For this reason, we kindly ask that Teamo notifications are enabled.

Matches and Tournaments ("Mini Festivals")

Approach

• The emphasis is not on winners and losers, but on fun, safety and trying out skills.
• U8 play 4-a-side, to enable lots of touches of the ball.
• U10 and U12 play play 7-a-side, again to enable lots of touches of the ball.
• Friendliness and cooperation is encouraged between clubs, who often lend each other players.
• Match rules are applied more leniently for lower ages, as long as safety is not compromised.
• U8, U10 and U12 teams are generally mixed.

What to Bring to Training and Matches

• Mouth guard and shin pads (essential from Under-10 age)
• Warm and waterproof clothing
• Plenty to drink
• Club shirt/kit (for matches and tournaments)
• Snacks (for tournaments)

Who We Play Against

• Mostly clubs in Staffordshire, and sometimes Warwickshire and other counties.
• We are a Tier 3 ("new/developing") club, so we aim to play other Tier 3 clubs and teams whenever possible.

In2Hockey Tournament

• A national tournament with area and regional rounds.
• Generally takes place in the spring term.
• Winners of the area round represent Staffordshire in the Midlands regional tournament (U10 and U12 level only).
• Depending on player availability, we enter teams at U8, U10 and/or U12 level, either mixed or single-sex.

Match Selection and Organisation

• Please indicate your child's availability as soon as possible: at least 1 week before matches, or 2 weeks before tournaments.
• Weekend match squads are generally selected by the previous Wednesday.
• Whenever a match is oversubscribed, we try to rotate selection so that every child gets regular opportunities to play.
• Match selection is not based primarily on player ability; the aim is to give all players chances to play.
• Adherence to the Player Code of Conduct is a condition for match selection.
• In the event of problems or questions on the day of the match or tournament, please contact the team manager direct.

Travel and Directions to Matches

• Parents/Guardians are expected to accompany their children to hockey matches/tournaments and remain on site during the event.
• Travel is direct, not organised by the club.
• Advise the match manager if children are being taken or collected by someone other than their own parent.
• Addresses, maps and directions will be provided, when available, via the Teamo app.

Juniors Playing for Senior Teams

We are committed to the development of our Junior players, and work closely with our Senior Section to provide appropriate opportunities for Juniors to play in adult teams. Juniors must have reached the age of 13 to be able to play in adult hockey competitions. Junior players will only be given this opportunity if it is considered to be in the best interest of that player.