Worthing Hockey Club kids' programme growing all the time

Less than 18 months ago, Worthing Hockey Club kicked off its ambition to make hockey as accessible as possible for children across the Worthing area.
Kids enjoy a Worthing hockey sessionKids enjoy a Worthing hockey session
Kids enjoy a Worthing hockey session

In partnership with Activ8 for Kids, specialists in teaching physical activity skills, the club launched a series of regular school holiday hockey camps from its new base at The Angmering School.

Initially the sessions were attended by the coaches, children and a few friends, but very quickly, word has spread and the camps have grown to being attended by over 40 players; boys and girls aged from six to 14 years.

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The days have varied from 30 degree heatwaves in summer to 40 mph winds and five degrees in February, and still continue to go from strength to strength as more players experience the fun, team spirit and social interaction that come with the game of hockey.

Even during the challenging ‘socially distanced’ summer, the hockey camps were able to provide an outlet for children, many of whom had been away from school since March. Run in small groups of six, with the games adapted in line with government regulations, the new activities of Hockey Tennis and Hockey Rounders came to the fore to keep the players engaged and entertained whilst still learning the vital basic hockey development skills.

Now that England Hockey is back to game play, the format can be expanded again to include the full ‘Golden Thread’ of hockey which has fun at its centre, while providing lots of touches of the ball and making all of the activities feel like the game.

The club has now published dates for sessions in October half-term, February half-term as well as the Easter and summer holidays in 2021. The aim is to open these camps up to as many children from the local area as possible.

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Debbie Webb, founder and owner of Activ8, said: “It has been amazing to see so many children have their introduction to hockey through these holiday camps and watch them grow in confidence and skill.

“It is so important for children to be active and find something they can enjoy, and these hockey camps give a great addition to the sports already taught in primary schools. Hopefully from the success of these camps Worthing Hockey Club and Activ8 will be able to bring the joy of hockey to more children (and parents – WHC runs weekly adult training) through future hockey camps, training sessions and extending to coaching sessions at local schools.”

In addition to the holiday camps, the club runs a series of weekly training sessions to cater for all juniors from the age of six upwards.

Comets mixed under-12s train on a Sunday morning from 11.30am to 1pm; Llamas U16 girls from 7pm on Tuesdays and Wolves U16 boys from 6pm on Wednesdays all at the club’s Angmering School home.

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The club also have a very popular adult (men’s and ladies’ section), and would love to see some parents join our adult training sessions.

Full details on the club’s holiday hockey camps are available via https://www.worthinghockey.co.uk/school-holiday-hockey-camps/