Youth & Junior Hockey

Southern Districts Hockey provides opportunities for all school aged children from Year 1 to Year 13 of all abilities to play in a supportive club environment. Starting from school Year 3 teams play in the Auckland Hockey Association (AHA) junior and youth winter competitions. These competitions start each year at the beginning of school Term 2 (after the Easter holidays) and run through until August of each year. Teams will have one midweek training and one weekend game each week. Registrations for the new winter season will normally open in March of each year. Children in school Year 1 and 2 do not participate in the Auckland Hockey competition but instead participate in our own specialised Fun Sticks programme which is designed to introduce young children to hockey.

All junior and youth hockey in Auckland is arranged based on school year. All children at primary and intermediate school (from school Year 1 to Year 8) play in mixed gender teams including both boys and girls in the following junior grades:

• Year 1 & 2 - Fun Sticks - introductory programme

• Year 3 & 4 - Mini Sticks - quarter field six-a-side

• Year 5 & 6 - Kiwi Sticks - half field six-a-side

• Year 7 & 8 - Kwik Sticks - mixture of half field six-a-side and full field eleven-a-side

All children at high school (from school Year 9 to Year 13) play full field eleven-a-side games in the youth grades, although by Year 11 or 12 many youth players are also playing senior hockey. At youth level teams are split with boys and girls playing separately. There are two youth grades, the Championship grade and the Premier grade. The Premier grade is the stronger of the two competitions.