Young Player Welfare and Development

Aims

  1. To ensure the welfare of underage players and protect them from mental and physical burnout.
  2. To devise the best pathway for underage players to develop and define the roll to be played by schools, clubs and representative sides in this development.
  3. To place limits on the amount of hockey an underage player can play in one season and put in place definite rest blocks.

General Rules to be Applied.

Underage school players to play a maximum of five units of hockey per week.

Where there is a clash of interests between schools, clubs and representative sides it is up to the coaches of those teams to engage in dialogue and reach a solution taking into account the interest and welfare of the child.

BREAKDOWN OF THE FIVE UNITS

SCHOOL

School hockey is crucial in the players development. It allows them to enjoy their hockey playing with and against their peers and friends, the people with whom they spend the majority of their week with in class, on the sports field and socialising. It is a unique environment which allows the players to develop and progress at their own pace learning from some of the top coaches in the country who they can speak to at any time. School is as close to a professional playing environment as most players will ever get and provides the highlight of many players playing careers.

IMPLICATION OF UNIT BREAKDOWN

  1. Three units of hockey to be played in school per week maximum. This will generally follow the rule of two training sessions and one game per week.
  2. If a player plays two games in a week then they will be excused from one training session.
  3. If a player is attending representative trials they are excused from one school unit up to five sessions, therefore playing a maximum of two units with their school that week. After five sessions the clubs must then concede sessions.
  4. Minimal school training sessions to be held during school holidays to allow players rest. Pre-season training to start no sooner than two weeks before the school reopens in August with Irish representative players exempt.
  5. The school is 100% reponsible for the conditioning and fitness of the players in season ie September – whenever campaign finishes. School players not to partake in physicals at club or representative sessions during the school playing season with the exception of the occasional fitness test at representative level.
  6. Dates for U-16 school teams to come in line with representative dates ie 1st Jan not 1stJuly. (Come in line with the girls dates).

REPRESENTATIVE LEVEL.

Representative level hockey allows players to play for their province and country. This gives the player a sense of pride and achievement and as a sports person there is no greater honour than representing your country. It provides an opportunity for them to play with and against the top players from within their own peer group. It provides the fantastic experience of playing tournament hockey which is both a great playing and social experience.

IMPLICATION OF UNIT BREAKDOWN

1.Players to be involved in no more than one inter-provincial and national squad per season, ie they cannot be involved in U-18 and Development Squads at the same time but participate in the one that is percieved as being best for that players development.

2A maximum number of sessions no more than two hours long to be allowed in preparation for an inter-provincial tournament. This figure to be debated and agreed on.

3The inter-provincial tournament to be fixed to a date set in stone duringthe first two weeks of December ensuring there is not a clash with the All-Irelands Schools Tournament and the culmination of cup and league competitions.

4Players attending representative trials to partake in no more than two school hockey units during that week.

5There are to be no physical fitness sessions to be run at representative sessions during the school playing season. Conditioning and fitness is the reponsibility of the schools and the players themselves.

6A request to be made to ensure that all Underage International Tournaments to be played during July to allow these players an off season in August.

7Representative sessions to be scheduled where possible not to clash with school and club fixtures. Where there is a clash it is up to both parties to ingage in dialogue and reach a compromise taking into account the interest and welfare of the child.

8Players who choose to withdraw from underage or Development Squads due to exam pressures must have those choices respected and not black marked for future squads. Communication in this situation is key to ensure there is no ambiguity.

9Players who have played in International Tournament must take a complete rest from the game during August.

CLUB

Clubs provide players with a great starting point into the game through colts within a family based environment. As players get older they provide an opportunity to further develop alongside stronger, quicker more experienced players. This is the testing ground for the skills that are honed at schools and representative level where decision making and skill execution allows you less time. Therefore club hockey provides a key stepping stone in the development of young players.

IMPLICATION OF UNIT BREAKDOWN

  1. Two units of hockey maximumto be played with the club per week.
  2. Players involved in school hockey should be registered to one club team ie 1st’s, 2nd’s, 3rd’s, U-16’s, U-17’s etc. This side should be the one thatis percieved by the club to test the player and help them improve the most. If this team does not have a game they may be available for another up to one game per week.
  3. With there being so many club competitions each player involved in schools hockey will have a quota of games they can play for the club per season. It is up to the club to manage this and pick which games the player plays.
  4. Clubs should endeavour to not build their teams around players that are still in school and be prepared to play without them at different stages of the season.
  5. Players who have played Underage International Tournaments not to return to training any sooner than September.

CONDITIONS APPLYING SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN WHO PLAY HOCKEY IN LEINSTER

Underage school players to play a maximum of five units of hockey per week

For those who play school and club:

1. Three units of hockey to be played in school per week maximum.

This will generally follow the rule of two training sessions and one game per week.Two units of hockey maximum to be played with the club per week.

  1. If a player is attending representative trials they are excused from one school unit up to five sessions, therefore playing a maximum of two units with their school that week. After five sessions the clubs must then concede sessions.
  1. Minimal school training sessions to be held during school holidays to allow players rest. Pre-season training to start no sooner than two weeks before the school reopens in August with Irish representative players exempt.
  1. The school is responsible for the conditioning and fitness of the players in season ie. September until the campaign finishes with the exception of the occasional fitness test at representative level. School players should not take part in physicals at club or representative sessions during the school playing season unless agreed with the school coach.

5.Players to be involved in no more than one inter-provincial and national squad per season, ie they cannot be involved in U-18 and Development Squads at the same time but participate in the one that is perceived as being best for that players development.

  1. Players attending representative trials to partake in no more than two school hockey units during that week.
  1. Players who have played in International Tournament must take a complete rest from the game during August.
  1. Players should be attached to one club team ie 1st’s, 2nd’s, 3rd’s, U-16’s, U-17’s etc. This side should be the one that is perceived by the club to test the player and help them improve the most. If this team does not have a game they may be available for another up to one game per week.

ALSO

  • Clubs should nominate a liason person who can keep in contact with the young players in the club and be a link between the club and the school coaches.
  • The inter-provincial tournament to be fixed to a date set in stone during the first two weeks of December ensuring there is not a clash with the All-Irelands Schools Tournament and the culmination of cup and league competitions.
  • A maximum number of sessions no more than two hours long to be allowed in preparation for an inter-provincial tournament. This figure to be debated and agreed on.
  • Representative sessions to be scheduled where possible not to clash with school and club fixtures. Where there is a clash it is up to both parties to engage in dialogue and reach a compromise taking into account the interest and welfare of the child.
  • Care is taken to avoid a clash between club competition dates and school competitions.
  • A request to be made to ensure that all Underage International Tournaments to be played during July to allow these players an off season in August
  • Players who choose to withdraw from underage or Development Squads due to exam pressures must have those choices respected and not black marked for future squads. Communication in this situation is key to ensure there is no ambiguity.
  • Clubs should endeavour to not build their teams around players that are still in school and be prepared to play without them at different stages of the season.

NB : The key idea of this document is to protect the youth player by sticking to 5 units per week. This can be best achieved by good communication between the school, the club, and the representative coaches.