Saints drive junior push with new program

THE Geelong Saints Hockey Club is inviting local kids to pick up a stick and join the fun, with a new ‘Stick with Hockey’ program to run throughout March.

Aimed at children aged 7 to 12, the free, four-session program offers an introduction to hockey and will be run at Stead Park in Corio by some of the Saints’ senior women players.

The program welcomes players of all abilities and equipment is supplied.

Saints president, Sam Climpson, said the program forms part of the club’s push to grow junior participation.

“We’ve been in a developmental stage of our junior program for a while now and we ended up discussing running our own individual program for our kids to get involved,” Climpson said.

“It’s an outlet for kids to play hockey, get a bit more of an awareness of what hockey is and hopefully they find a love for it.”

The program also aligns with Hockey Geelong’s ‘Project 1200’, an initiative aimed at growing the region’s playing base to at least 1,200 participants.

Climpson said he hoped these initiatives would help build momentum around hockey, a sport he has loved his entire life.

“I’ve played hockey since I was five, so it’s always been a part of my life and I’m very passionate about it,” he said.

“It’s an underrated sport…so seeing kids get involved and get that little joy from those little wins when you first start is really rewarding for me.”

“I think it’s a really important thing to acknowledge how massive [hockey] is worldwide and the opportunity that can come with that.

“On a community level, I’d love for hockey to be spoken about and brought to the attention more so to our kids.”

The program is being delivered with the support of a grant from the City of Greater Geelong. It is support Climpson said the club is deeply grateful for.

“We’re really grateful for the city helping us get that involvement within our community,” he said. “It’s something that’s not as easily feasible without this kind of support.”

For more information, email [email protected] or head to revolutionise.com.au/geelongsaintshc