Students from across the Hauraki took part in the Thames Valley Hockey Association’s Hockey Big Day Out event on March 10-17.
Each day of the event, different school teams played each other in a series of 12-minute matches designed to introduce them to the fun of the sport. They were umpired by Hauraki Plains College students and members of the hockey association.
Darren Smith, high performance director for Hockey New Zealand and general manager of the Waikato Mavericks, was at the Ngatea turf during the week to watch the action.
Darren, who also established the Hockey Big Day Out 25 years ago, said it was fantastic to see so many young people still attending and enjoying the annual event.
“We’re giving them the chance to play hockey, and I just think kids running around on the turf doing this stuff, it’s so good,” he said.
“You can already see – they’re good players. You can already see them holding the stick well – it’s so awesome.”
