And we’re off! It was smiles all round as almost 600 players took to the field in Upper Hutt City Football colours for the start of the junior and youth season at the weekend.
Particularly pleasing was the number of children joining the First Kicks programme for 4-6 year olds. Combine these with Fun Football for 6-8 year olds and there were almost 180 youngsters running around at the same time at Maidstone Park on Saturday morning!
It was a huge number of players and could’ve been chaotic! However, Upper Hutt City Football follows the “Whole of Football” plan which provides an excellent structure, developed specifically for this age group, which keeps all the kids engaged. The framework focuses on technical skills with small-sided, simplified games of football and ‘station rotation’ where the kids are put into small groups and take turns at skills games like ‘ghostbusters’, ‘traffic lights’, ‘truck and trailer’, and ‘flag tag’. Every player has a ball; they’re learning fundamental ball skills, getting loads of time on the ball and having a huge amount of fun at the same time. Combine this with the army of volunteers (coaches, managers and incredibly supportive parents), plus warm winter sunshine and you have the perfect start to the season.
Registrations for the First Kicks programme (4-6 year olds, born 2009-2011) are open throughout the season. Players are welcome to come and try out the programme before registering for the season (April-August). Please contact Maureen Charles, First Kicks Grade Manager, ph 021 205 8745, email mawills@paradise.net.nz
Thanks once again to Gillies and Mark, The Professionals, for the ongoing support of Upper Hutt City Football.