[Badgers47]

EH has long recognised that some young players are capable of competing at senior level in the regional leagues – hence the Regulation that allows this from the 13th birthday.

So let us compare two classic situations,
1. where a young player is coached solely within a club, plays in senior hockey from a young age, develops & progresses through the club teams & is probably a first or second team player by the time he/she leaves school.
2. where a young player has only known school hockey & has progressed to the schools first or second team.

For me this suggests that for talented players there would be much learning missing from the wannabe schoolboy years.

As a coach for over 30 years I firmly believe that those juniors who have representative ambitions must be playing regular ‘adult’ hockey in a testing competitive environment from at least the age of 15.

One only has to look at the organisation of Dutch & German hockey to realise that.
BRM

[Bjorn Schwarz]

Germany only allows juniors to play senior hockey at age 16 or older, though.

[Tom Owens]

Think is the same in Holland too……isn’t the best outcome then for them to be playing both? The ‘assist’ the adults in club teams, and then to ‘lead’ their peers in school?

[Bjorn Schwarz]

Personally, I think 13 is far too early as boys are physically not ready to compete at a level aedequate to their skills; they usually end up in lower teams against opponents which are not as skillfull as them, so the learning effect might be limited

[Author]

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