WELCOME TO EGHC JUNIOR TALENT CENTRE!

East Grinstead Hockey Club has a thriving Junior Section. Now with over 400 young hockey players and certified as an England Hockey Talent Centre, the section provides fun, introductory, development and performance hockey to children from 5 – 18 years old.

From our fantastic hockey home at East Grinstead Sports Club and our amazing Academic Partner school’s facilities, we deliver fantastic hockey experiences with great hockey coaching and support our community though hockey.

Whether you are an existing member or interested in joining, this page gives you information on how you can get the best out of being an EGHC Junior member.

What is a Talent Centre?

Simply put, EGHC runs a hockey program for Young Players which has been certified by England Hockey as meeting their requirements for providing exceptional Introductory, Developmental & Talent Foundation phase coaching and competition.

To support our hockey activity, EGHC has a Healthy Talent Culture, which provides a Safe Hockey Environment for Young People which is governed by a volunteer management committee and organised Welfare Process.

As part of player progress, we also have a clear governance policy for EGHC Junior Members playing in Adult teams which helps us place the Right Athlete in the Right Environment for their hockey, further developing their ability and enjoyment in the game.

If you would like to know more about our commitments to Young Players, or have a comment, question, concern or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact one of our club officers or email welfare@eghockey.co.uk

Year round program

We run our normal club hockey program in every school term of the year, taking breaks for school holidays and a slightly longer break in the summer. 

Membership for the normal season, which runs from September to Easter, is the minimum option (though new members can join at any point in the season) and the "summer term" is an option for those who want to continue hockey in the summer months.

Junior Age Groups & Teams

Junior club hockey is split into age groups linked to English school years and gender. EGHC has age group training and associated teams in the following groups:

Under 7 – Mixed gender, school year 1

Under 8 – Mixed gender, school years 2 & 3

Under 10 – Separate Boys & Girls squads, school years 4 & 5

Under 11 Girls - Girls in school year 6

Under 12 Girls - Girls in school year 7

Under 12 Boys – Boys in school years 6 & 7

Under 14 – Separate Boys & Girls squads, school years 8 & 9

Under 16 - Separate Boys & Girls squads, school years 10 & 11

Under 18 - Separate Boys & Girls squads, school years 12 & 13

In certain circumstances (when the club decide it is the right thing for an individual), some players maybe be invited to train with or play in teams in an older age group. This will be discussed with the player and their parent(s) if necessary.

Junior Membership

We warmly welcome new junior members. If your child has never played hockey before or has previous experience at all levels, our junior section would love to welcome them as a member of the club.

Existing members have a number of resources to help them get the best out of their membership. Training times, days & locations will be listed in the Club Calendar. Information about upcoming fixtures will be sent by email for age groups up to and including U12's. U14 teams and above will receive information about fixtures via email and/or the Teamo app. At the beginning of each season various communications will come to you via email, including an introduction to the age group manager who will be your point of contact for the season. 

New members will be required to complete a registration form and in some age groups we may have a waiting list. Please visit our membership section for more details or enquire by email to juniors@eghockey.co.uk