Key Dates for the 2012 season

Before the season starts

·         Gear - You will need to purchase Onslow Junior Football Club shorts (red) and socks (red with green band at the top) for your child (available from Champs, Leftbank, on Cuba Street. They are located up the stairs at the end of the Left-bank alley/mall)  Your child will also need boots and shinpads. 

·         Team allocations – We endeavour to incorporate all of your preferences and requests when we allocate teams.  Where there were big age differences between children this was not always possible.  We endeavour to put children in teams with children from the same school and of a similar age where possible.  Teams will need to select their own team name (consistent with the colour of their shirts e.g. ‘green giants’) before the first game.

·         Coaches and Managers –Like all club activities we are reliant on parents to run the Sunday morning programme.  Coaches will be provided with training and coaching plans but will require parents to help with organising activities and assisting with games. Like everything with children this age, the more parents contribute in the sessions by encouraging and supporting the coach and players, the more the children will benefit. Please give consideration to whether you can take on one of these roles.

·         Coaches Training Session – this will be held at Raroa Normal Intermediate School on the 29^th of April from 9.00am to 11.30am.  The introduction to Coaching training course will be run by Natalie Lawrence, our Coach Development Coordinator in conjunction with Capital Football. All team gear (jerseys, balls, cones etc)  will be issued at this session.

·         Payment for the season – Please make sure you have completed the payment process for your child before the 30^th of April.  Unfortunately we cannot let children on the pitch who have not paid.

During the season

·         Where and When?  - Sundays 9.30am to 10.30am, Raroa Normal Intermediate soccer and rugby fields. 

·         Cancellations - Cancellation due to wet weather or closed field announced on Newstalk ZB  Sunday morning at 8.00 / 8.30am,    NB listen for ‘Onslow Junior Football Club First Kicks Grade.  We also send out a cancellation email to all families but you may not receive this in time if you have supplied us with a work email address.

·         Format – The format is slightly different this year – NZ Football has implemented the ‘Whole of Football’ Framework and the emphasis is on more touches on the ball to improve skills.  The following might seem a bit over prescribed, but with 18 teams and 108 children in one place we need to be highly organized: 

§    Before 9.30am each team gathers at their designated space on their designated field (this will vary from week-to-week, fields are numbered 1-9).

§    Between 9.30am and 10am there will be 3x8min activities with the children rotating around three stations/fields.  The coaches focus on a running a single activity (2 coaches/activity), while the Team Managers and other parents will move around with the children.  The activities are generally fun games focused around a particular skill.  If the coach asks for parental help, please oblige.

§    At ~10am we break for ‘half time oranges/drinks’ and then switch to game mode, and the teams will rotate around the same fields/stations and play three 8min games.  Parents can help by kicking the ball (gently) back into play from the sidelines - not the ends.

§    There will be a hooter at the 8 min intervals, and a few minutes to get organized between stations/fields.

§    At the end of each game the players will shake hands before moving to next game.  At the end of the three games, the coach will debrief and announce player of the day (every child has a turn) and hand over a chocolate fish (supplied by the club, we are working on some certificates/vouchers… tbc).

§    Gear – The shirts are the property of the club.  The team manager can decide how to manage the cleaning of the shirts from week to week – whether one parent takes them all or each parent takes their own child’s shirt home.  It is the team manager’s responsibility to ensure that they are all returned to the club at the end of the season.  It is each parent’s responsibility to ensure that their child’s shirt is returned to the manager.  Shirts must not be worn outside of the Sunday session.

Rules and Etiquette

·         Arriving at the pitch - Please respect your child’s coach and teammates by being on time, which means arriving sufficiently early to be with the team, kitted up and boots on by 9.30 am, rather than arriving at 9.30am.

·         Unable to play – If you are unable to play please respect your child’s coach and teammates by giving the manager as much warning as possible

·         Raroa Intermediate building and grounds – Raroa Intermediate has specified no parking on the grass and no smoking anywhere inside the school grounds.  We can use the toilet facilities but must leave them as we found them.  Please help us to keep these clean.

·         The Onslow Way - The objectives are participation, fun and skill development.  Competition is not the focus, which is why we don’t keep score in the games.  Thus, during the game, parents are allowed (requested!) to whoop, holler, cheer, applaud and generally encourage their children and their team mates as much as they can, but must never criticise the players or the opposition.  Also, if the two teams drawn to play each other are not evenly matched in numbers or there is a big gulf in ability, we would expect players to swap teams to even things up rather than for one team to be running rings around the other.  Fun for everyone!

Grade Coordinator

·         Michelle Soper is the First Kicks Grade Coordinator for the 2012 season.   Any questions or concerns contact me on soper_clan@yahoo.co.nz or 479 4099.

First Kicks (formerly Nursery Grade) is our very popular introduction to football for boys and girls, aged 5 and 6. Children must turn 5 or 6 during the 2012 calendar year to be able to play in this grade.  Girls turning 7 in the calendar year may remain in this grade if they wish to.