Drum roll please…
After significant planning, the time has finally come to announce the most exciting news for Knox Hockey Club in 2021 (so far!).
We have a vision to provide all of our members with the best possible opportunity to play and enjoy hockey at all levels and for Knox to become the hockey club of choice in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. You all know that we try our hardest to be a family club – this is taking it one step further. Our objective is to identify and develop all of Knox’s players, starting with our Juniors who will ultimately help realise the Club’s ambitious vision to not only play but to be successful in higher level competitions.
How are we going to do this, we hear you say?
Introducing the Knox Development Academy!
The Knox Development Academy (KDA) is Knox’s new way of not only creating a culture of hockey excellence and high achievement but also improving skill sets of all players across the Club – starting from the bottom up.
Facilitated by John Mowat, Hockey Australia’s Game Education Manager and assisted by our Junior coaches, the Academy will run every year as an ongoing development program to continue player growth. Run over an 8 week period, the KDA is an elite coaching program designed for all Junior players. It will consist of small group sessions utilising carefully chosen activities, drills and modified games to help assist and fast track development of each and every Junior player, regardless of their current skill level.
For 2021, sessions will run on a Thursday night from 5:45pm – 7:00pm, commencing Thursday 11th February.
The program is aimed at not only improving all of our players’ skills, but also providing a great lead in to Juniors training for 2021.
How do I get my child involved?
Key information you need to know is:
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Eligibility: The best part of this program is that it is open to any Junior player, from Under 10s all the way through to Under 18s. Kids will be split up by age and skill level so that they are participating in small groups that match their abilities, with coaching and drills to match
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Cost: $50 for the entire 8 week program. We’re committed to investing in our Juniors – this is a great opportunity that will give your child skills they can use throughout their hockey journey
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How to express interest: Head to this TryBooking link and provide your child’s details before COB Monday, 8 February 2021
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Any questions: Contact Janita Hackett (Junior Co-ordinator) at [email protected] or Luke Michael (Head of Hockey) at [email protected]
Are you a coach wanting to get in on the action?
If you’re a coach in our Juniors section, this program is just as much for you! John is offering his time not only to our kids, but also to train our coaches to be the absolute best they can be – creating a legacy across the Club.
John will be running a session this week, 6.30pm on Thursday 4 February, just for coaches to take them through the program and impart some of his many years’ worth of experience and knowledge. John will then be on pitch assisting all coaches throughout the 8 week program.
Regardless of whether you’re new to coaching or want to brush up your skills, we encourage you to get involved in what is an exciting new step for the Club. It will be a fantastic opportunity to build your knowledge and confidence in coaching kids.
If you’d like to join us, head to the TryBooking link to express your interest ASAP.
What’s next?
We’re otherwise really excited to announce that the Club is investing even more time and energy into developing a premier junior program. Knox will this year develop a Junior Strategic Plan – setting the framework for future growth of our kids moving forward. We can’t wait to share this with you!