Children from Gwent Hockey Club and Risca Dragons Junior Hockey after their first tournament at Risca Leisure Centre
A new junior hockey club that was set up thanks to funding from Sport Wales got the ball rolling this week with their first ever tournament against Gwent Hockey Club.
Risca Dragons Junior Hockey was established in February 2014 to encourage 7-12 year olds to get involved with the sport, after successfully bidding for a Community Chest Grant from Sport Wales through Sport Caerphilly, the Sport Development Team for Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The mixed gender team played their first ever matches against Gwent Hockey Club’s junior players on Thursday 8th May at Risca Leisure Centre, building confidence and learning even more skills through the match environment.
Nikki Upton, Coach for Risca Dragons, said, “Gwent Hockey Club are very established and were so good that I am incredibly proud of our players, some of whom are complete beginners. The Gwent coaches were very helpful and allowed us to mix up some of the players and relax the rules to suit our beginners. Although we lost, our player’s confidence and skill level improved significantly throughout the tournament and I hope we can schedule in more tournaments in the future.”
Cllr Dave Poole, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services, commented, “It is impressive to see what a small amount of funding can do in setting up a new club for children to experience the enjoyment of sport.”
Community Chest Grants of up to £1500 are available for projects and activities that encourage more people to become more active, more often. The grants are awarded by Sport Wales in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council. More information and application forms can be found at www.sportwales.org.uk.
Risca Dragons train every Thursday at Risca Leisure Centre from 6-7pm. New members, boys or girls aged 7-12, are always welcome and each session is £1.
