“The purpose of the event is to bring these young hockey players into an environment where they can learn new skills on and off the hockey turf,” they said.
“It was incredible to watch their gameplay develop over the three days, along with the positive level of sportsmanship displayed.
“What’s more they are learning what it takes to be a part of a tournament from how to fuel your body consistently, to building new friendships, to acknowledging our coaches, managers and umpires,” said Booth and Hoskin.
The festival is not just about hockey, it is also a wonderful opportunity for a huge amount of fun with awards presented for the best team chant, banner, mascots and photos.
“All of the teams got into the spirit of the festival and it was fantastic to see some creative banners and mascots, not to mention colourful hairdos, tutus and hats worn by both players and supporters,” said Booth and Hoskin.
The festival is also an important development opportunity for young umpires, with Umpire Coach Jeff Paulin and his son Anton Paulin (appointed by Hockey New Zealand as Umpire Coach Developer) in attendance throughout the three days. Colin Fench from HNZ loved the vibe he felt when arriving on day three to check out grassroots hockey in Whanganui.
“We value our young umpires as they are integral to the game, they are all volunteers and they do an incredible job. It was great to see each region provide umpires and invest in grassroots umpire opportunities,” said Booth and Hoskin.
Hockey Wanganui would also like to acknowledge the support of Sport Whanganui in the delivery of the “Positive Vibes Only” campaign.
“Sport Whanganui and Positive Vibes Only really added to the festival atmosphere. They reminded us all to keep our language positive, as in the end, if the experience is positive, then it’s more likely we can keep young people in the game whether it’s as players, umpires, coaches, managers or volunteers,” said Booth and Hoskin.
Black Sticks Megan Hull and Dane Lett both donated autographed tops which were presented to Ella Transom from Rangitīkei and Archer Jones from Taranaki, who were randomly drawn after being nominated by an opposing team for showing great attitude and sportsmanship on the turf.
This is the third year the Lower North Island Under 13s Hockey Festival has been held in Whanganui, with Hockey Wanganui hoping to bring it back to town next year. It is the first year of having both boys and girls at the event which is a great progression.
“We are confident that we have delivered an excellent event, and our Board will certainly be working hard behind the scenes to ensure we can do so again,” said Booth and Hoskin.
“The wider benefit to Whanganui cannot be underestimated, from accommodation providers to retailers and services such as the Splash Centre and Riverland Family Park, the more tournaments of this size that we can bring to town, the better.”
