Bulldog Banter

  • It is with great enthusiasm that all players, coaches and volunteers have started the 2018 hockey season.

    In Premier League, we hope to build on the fantastic 2017 season where for the first time in our history, both Men’s & Women’s PL & PLR teams played finals.  No stone has been left unturned over the pre-season to ensure that we continue to build teams of skill & character. Winning is important & playing the game in good spirits is equally important.

    Our Juniors are looking in tremendous shape. With large numbers of girls & boys coming through various programs and with a dedicated group of volunteers assisting us, we will again field healthy numbers of sides across all age groups.

    With a talented group of coaches & team managers supported by a hard working & enthusiastic Board we do our absolute best to look after all the player’s preparations & welfare. One of the most important initiatives in recent times is the Clubroom’s redevelopment which promises to deliver fantastic facilities to our members & supporters. We have been working closely with Council for some time now and with a firm capital commitment to the Project we may see works commence late in 2018 – stay tuned.

    The Brendan Sheehan Field, F2, has been ruled as unsuitable for matches because sections of the surface have lifted due to subsurface instability. We have worked with Council to establish the best course of action both in the immediate term to get us back playing matches asap; & also for a longer term plan.

    We continue to build on the great legacy of prior committees and volunteers. We can never have enough support though. All volunteers will tell you they get more out of their involvement (and the knowledge they are assisting a large number of people) than the “cost” of their time. Please reach out if you have ANY capacity to help in ANY way.

    Remember to check out the various social media platforms. Our website https://www.footscrayhockey.com.au was upgraded at the end of last season & is regularly updated with all things relevant to FHC.   In addition there are Facebook pages for Footscray Hockey & Footscray Junior Hockey.

    Our great club now has 84 candles on the cake. The club’s first informal meetings began in September 1934, but our first formal activity (and therefore the birth our club) was our first AGM which was held in February 1935. Our first team activity saw the men taking the field in 1935 (playing in mens ‘D’ grade), with our first ladies team (‘C’ grade) debuting the following year

    Healthy levels of Sponsorship are important to the strength of our hockey club and contribute to our capacity to keep player subs at one of the lowest across metropolitan Melbourne. All members of our Premier League squads find personal sponsors and we actively seek corporate sponsors – if you are able to identify and/or put us in touch with potential sponsors it would be of tremendous help to the Club. You can contact me at president@footscrayhockey.com.au with all sponsorship queries.

    Finally, to our players – PLEASE REGISTER AND PAY YOUR SUBS.  For the club to remain viable and pay substantial running costs – we need these subs to be paid. If you have particular financial circumstances that may make this difficult – please reach out to one of the committee and we will endeavour to assist.

    We look forward to seeing all supporters around the Club.

    GO DOGGIES

  • Once again FHC are planning a series of activities linked with Hockey Victoria’s initiatives in the area of Inclusion. We look forward to celebrating these rounds with past and present members and hope that you can put these dates in your diary and also make contact with others that you know.

    CALENDAR FOR 2018

    Women’s Health Round- Hockey Victoria Round 5

     Main Club Activities- Saturday 12th May

    FOCUS:

    • Recognition of female players
    • Respect for women
    • Celebration of girls in sport
    • Recognition of the contribution of female supporters
    • Re-establishing connection with past players, administrators and families
    • Awarding of MVP to one female player for every home game that round in recognition of

    excellence and sportsmanship

    During this round at FHC both men and women in the Premier League and Premier League Reserves will wear pink socks as recognition of the role of women in sport. Our club and pitch entrances, as well as the Clubrooms will be decorated in pink also. We especially welcome back past players and administrators to recognise the contribution that they have made to our organisation. Women and girls are encouraged to attend the Hockey Victoria celebratory breakfast, and all female teams are provided with pink ribbons to wear in recognition of the round. Ball boys and ball girls are provided with pink polo shirts and visors as their special uniform for this day. Footscray Hockey Club uses this round as a way to give back to the wider community by collecting for Breast Cancer Research during all the home games on this weekend.

    Men’s Health Round- Hockey Victoria Round 9

    Main Club Activities- Sunday June 17th

    FOCUS:

    • Recognition of role of team sport in physical/mental health
    • Recognition of the contribution of male supporters and players
    • Re-establishing connections with past players, administrators and families

     

    During this round at FHC we will either provide a guest speaker or make provision for players to attend the guest speaker at the State Hockey Centre. We will once again target a specific group of men to re-unite with the club (premiership team from 1998) as we know that maintaining social connections plays an important role in Men’s Health. We also recognise fathers/partners during this round for the contribution that they make to our organisation and they too are invited to afternoon tea.

    Fair Go Sports Round- Hockey Victoria Round 15

    Main Club Activities- Saturday August 4th

    FOCUS:

    • Recognition of diversity in gender and sexual orientation
    • Elimination of homophobic and trans phobic behaviour
    • Celebration of diversity

    During this round at FHC both men and women in the Premier League and Premier League Reserves will wear rainbow socks as a celebration of diversity in sport. Our club and pitch entrances, as well as the Clubrooms, will be decorated in rainbow colours. Members will be encouraged to attend the Hockey Victoria forums, and all members will be encouraged to view the video clip by Gus Johnson that addresses homophobia in hockey. Junior players will be provided with ‘Fair Go Sport’ rainbow wrist bands to wear and additional bands to distribute to their opponent at the start of the game. Rainbow ribbon will be provided for home teams to wear as a celebration of diversity.

    Anti-homophobic posters will be displayed at the club and our “Bulldog Banter” will be used as a vehicle to educate members regarding discrimination in sport. Most importantly we will be encouraging members to ‘call out’ homophobic behaviours, and make sure that any member feels welcome at our organisation regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

    Access All Abilities

    The Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast this year have set a great example of how athletes and para-athletes can strive for excellence in sport. Our club recognises the physical and mental benefits associated with team physical activity and were proud participants last year in a short program for adults with physical and/or cognitive impairments.

    This year FHC is hosting the Northern Specialist School Sport Association Hockey Group for their term 2 Hockey Competition. The program runs each Wednesday morning in May from 10.30-12.30. We look forward to sharing our love of the game with these young people. If you have an interest in involvement in this program or any other of the Inclusion activities, please give me a call.

    Julie-Anne Sheehan

    FHC Inclusion Ambassador

    0405061535

  • FROM A HOCKEY PARENT:
    One of my friends asked “Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time running around for your children to play hockey ?” Well I have a confession to make: I don’t pay for my children’s hockey. Or their equipment and uniforms. Or their turf time, clinics and camps.

    So, if I am not paying for hockey, what am I paying for?

    – I pay for those moments when my children become so tired and feel like quitting but they don’t

    – I pay for the opportunities that my children can have and will have to make life-long friendships.

    – I pay for the chance that they may have amazing coaches/ mentors that will teach them that hockey is not just about a game but about life.

    – I pay for my children to learn to be disciplined.

    – I pay for my children to learn to take care of their bodies.

    – I pay for my children to learn to work with others and to be a proud, supportive, kind and respectful team members.

    – I pay for my children to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that goal /save they hoped for, or fall during a breakaway they have practiced a thousand times, but they still get up and are determined to do their BEST next time…

    – I pay for my children to learn to make and accomplish goals.

    – I pay for my children to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.

    – I pay so that my children can be on the field instead of in front of a screen…

    I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for hockey; I pay for the opportunities that hockey provides my children to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen for many, many years, I think it is a great investment!

  • The design is finished, and we’re awaiting a costing on the finalised drawings. Fingers crossed that it’s in the ballpark of what Council can afford. By agreement with Council we have to have the pavilion fully vacated (every stick, can of drink, honour board, items in storerooms, etc, by September 1 so that the builders can start their almost total internal demolition.

  • 2018 brings up the long awaited 20th anniversary of our great 1998 State League 2 Premiership. Our men were victorious over Toorak East Malvern (TEM).

    Top: Tom Edgar, Michael Morgan, Rico Virtuoso, Rohan King, Warren Mazurek
    Middle: Trung Nguyen (Jac), Brent Cosgriff, Damien Edgar, Truc Nguyen (Chooka)
    Bottom: Tung Le, Scott Vaughn, Wayne D’Souza, Danny Colasurdo, John Jumpertz
    Coach: Scott Vaughn
    Team Managers: Stevie Carew & Neil Coster

    We found out the following season that it was virtually impossible to survive in State League 1 (Premier League) unless something extraordinary was done to bolster your playing stocks. An important lesson learned for those that crafted our assault on Premier League in 2012.

    The 20 year reunion will be tied in with Men’s Health Round this year which will be celebrated on Sunday June 17th.

     

june, 2018

02jun(jun 2)2:00 pm(jun 2)2:00 pmWOMEN'S ROUND 8 (MATCH 9)VS SOUTHERN; MBN2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

02jun(jun 2)3:30 pm(jun 2)3:30 pmMEN'S ROUND 8 (MATCH 9)VS SOUTHERN; MBN3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

04jun(jun 4)7:00 pm(jun 4)7:00 pmJ-Ball Round @ FHCCOMMUNITY WELCOME7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

04jun(jun 4)7:00 pm(jun 4)7:00 pmJ-BALL COME N TRY7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

05jun(jun 5)8:30 pm(jun 5)8:30 pmMEN'S ROUND 20 (MATCH 10)VS TEM; ELG - ELGAR PARK8:30 pm - 10:00 pm

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