Welcome to our junior section

Our juniors start their hockey journey through our Sunday morning junior training sessions at Saffrons. This session runs during the season (usually September – April) from 10:30am – 12pm, for children in Reception through to Year 7. This group of juniors is split into the following ages:

U6s – Reception and Year 1 children

U8s – Years 2 & 3

U10s – Years 4 & 5

U12s – Years 6 & 7

Skills, tactics and game play are age appropriate. Matches for u6s and u8s are fun mixed 5 a side games on mini marked out pitches; u10s and u12s are split into girls and boys teams, playing 7 a side matches with a fully kitted up goalkeeper. All children are encouraged to play in the matches and have a go in goal (kit is provided).

The fixtures for these age groups will be out mid-September 2022.

The club also enters the U10s and U12s into the Ron Easton tournament (October) and County In2Hockey tournament (February). In the past, our teams have won the tournament and successfully gone on to represent Sussex in the In2Hockey regional finals at both U10s and U12s.

CLAIRE BRACUTI - LEAD COACH

Claire has been at Eastbourne Hockey club for a number of years. She has played at the highest level within the club and has a passion for developing our junior talent but also for making Hockey inclusive and fun for all.

Claire is a primary school teacher who has always loved sport but has a particular passion for hockey.

Claire has her hands full as a mother of 6 diverse. active children and devotes her life to having an active lifestyle for all of them!

The transition into full pitch, 11 a side hockey starts in Year 7 with our new Junior Development Academy programme. Children aged 11-16 years old can attend the training sessions on Tuesdays 6pm – 7:30pm and Thursdays 6pm-7pm. These sessions will prepare the children for full pitch matches and build on the skills they’ve already acquired.

Eastbourne Hockey Club has 2 junior boys (Kestrels and Falcons) and 1 junior girls (Chicks) team in the Sussex Junior Development League. Matches are played on Saturdays with the fixtures starting on 24th September

Coaches – Rob, Pat, Lizzie (Tues), Barney (Thurs)

Manager – Kestrels (Boys) – Paul Bryson

Manager – Falcons (Boys) - TBC

Manager - Chicks (Girls) – Caz Evans & Tasha Hookway

Eastbourne Hockey Club have entered the England Hockey cup competitions in the past and plan to do so again this season. Last year our U16 boys teams reached the semi final of the U16 national competition and are looking to step up to the U18 competition this season.

If your children are missing their hockey in the school holidays we provide a variety of extra hockey options. During the Easter and Summer holiday we run a 4 day hockey camp for 5-14 year olds; in the May and October half term we offer 1-to-1/small group training sessions and we are also looking to run specific skills camps for children.

 For information on these events – Tasha Hookway eastbournehcjuniors@gmail.com

The Sussex Junior development league is a good starting point for our junior players to understand the basics of full pitch hockey. Although players up to the age of 16 can play in these matches, they are usually ready to move into the adult leagues before they turn 16. The transition into the adult teams is managed through the coaches and captains, with players in those teams ready to support/mentor them.

Eastbourne Hockey Club has good links with the local primary and secondary schools and runs a training programme for children in Reception – Year ?? to come along and try hockey in our free school/club link session from 4-5pm / 5-6pm on Tuesday at Saffrons. These sessions run every Tuesday during school term time.

Players are then encouraged to join our Sunday junior session. 

For more information please contact Claire Bracuti - Ebhcjuniorstues@hotmail.com