South Saxons Coaching Committee recognise the transition from the Juniors to the Senior teams is not an easy step to take. We are looking for a number of adult members to act as Mentors to small groups of Juniors moving up in to the Senior section of the club.
If you would be interested in this new initiative, please contact Dominic Ford.

South Saxons Coaching Committee recognise there are different types of Mentor, for example Support Mentors (who provide general training and match day support), Technical Mentors (who coach game play and assist with coaching elements during training), Position Mentors (who coach positional play, i.e. defensive unit, how to be a centre forward). We would like to tap in to all this experience and knowledge of hockey to facilitate a smooth transition for the Juniors coming through to the Senior section, and to continue their hockey development.
In order to facilitate smooth transitions, the Mentors would have a visible presence at the Junior training sessions for familiarity. This would then lead in to the senior training sessions, and subsequently the senior sides. It is likely that the Juniors may transition between Mentors (i.e. to a specific team Mentor), but the primary objective of the Mentor initiative is to support the Juniors coming through to the Senior sides and to make this transition as comfortable as possible for them.

Guidelines:
As a Mentor, you will have a small group of Juniors (4 at the most) to nurture through the transition to the adult teams.

You will act as a Role model to these Juniors, as someone they can look up to and talk to about game tactics, techniques, positional play, etc.
As a Role Model you will uphold the values of South Saxons Hockey Club and behave in a manner in line with those values.
You will provide support for them during training and match day games.
Provide constructive feedback during (and after) training and match day games.
Discuss with the coaches any particular areas that require further development during training.

This is a new initiative, and the Coaching Committee recognise this will require development once in place. In the past, many Juniors have not feed in to the Senior section of the club. This is not a unique situation for South Saxons, it is common across the county. A lot of youngsters move away . Please volunteer and help turn our talented youngsters into great players.