Each province hosts their own hockey league which allows for competition within the province and helps build the strength and popularity of hockey throughout the country as a whole. Each province follows a similar structure, having junior league hockey and senior (ladies and men's) league hockey. At junior level, the hockey played and coaching received is of a lower standard, by nature of the fact that the players are limited by age within their own teams and the opposition. Due to this, many junior teams have subsequently folded and younger (high school) players are now joining senior teams.
Younger players can benefit immensely from playing in the senior leagues, as the type of hockey played is more tactical and physically demanding. It builds great strength in hockey knowledge and technical ability. Also, the younger players can learn from and play with more experienced teammates.
Old Eds has recently revived the junior hockey section, but that is aimed at players in Primary School. The senior hockey section consists of five mens and two ladies teams. The ladies division at the club did not exist for a long time. We revived the ladies section in 2017 and have worked very hard to move up in the league, as well as attract players to the club. We grew from one ladies team to two in 2018.
Old Edwardians Hockey Club participates in the Southern Gauteng Hockey League. This league runs from March to September/October each year. The ladies first side is currently in the ladies W01 league (which is just below Premier and Promotion league). We are aiming to enter the promotion league by winning W01 this year. The ladies second side is in the W03 league and are also aiming to move up in the league.
The ladies teams have been overseen and coached by South African Mens Hockey Player, Richard Pautz for the past two years. Both teams train together to increase the competitiveness amongst players and it allows for easy transitioning between the two teams if there are changes in squads.
The second team also have additional coaches- Mauritz van Straaten in 2019 and Justin Barnes in 2020. Richard is not only a talented player, but an extremely good coach with many years of experience. Justin has also played hockey at higher levels and has been a member of the Old Eds club for many years. Therefore, from a coaching perspective, Old Eds is in a good position to provide high level coaching to players of all skill levels.
***As an Old Edwardian Society member, you are entitled to the following:
- Discounted hire fees for the use of Old Edwardians venues
- Access to and use of facilities at the club (pool, changerooms, etc.) Please arrange your swim access
disc with Sharon, should you wish to make use of the outdoor pool.
In addition to the above mentioned, being a member of The Old Edwardians Society Hockey Club is an awesome way to meet new people, build a competitive spirit and just have fun!
From a fees perspective we need to cover the costs of the following:
– Astro hire (practices)
– Astro hire (matches)
– Coaching fees
– Southern Gauteng league fees per player
– Southern Gauteng associated costs (administrative fees, high performance, Wononwon electronic system, etc.)
– Old Eds club affiliation (including administrative fees)
– Hockey equipment/consumables (balls, bibs, beacons)
Careful thought is put into the fee breakdown and our treasurer tries to keep costs to a minimum. Our club fees are extremely reasonable when compared to other clubs in the area. We also provide a discounted rate to scholars/students, as we would like to attract and retain the younger players as long as possible.
Contact Information
To become a member please contact:
Jeremy Hart – jbob.hart@gmail.com
