The Fiji Hockey Federation took the initiative to plan a comprehensive programme for this year's global challenge. Tai Smith, the newly appointed Development Officer, welcomed this programme as an opportunity to promote youth hockey to all regions within Fiji. It was also a good chance to get the new development role recognised throughout the hockey regions and demonstrate that she could really support youth coaches and provide them with resources.
The activities for the Global Youth Challenge began with a superb Youth Coaching Workshop run over 3 days. A new FHF Coach Accreditation Framework has been introduced to Fiji in 2011 and so there was real interest and enthusiasm to be part of the workshop. 19 participants took part, many of whom were teachers keen to have the knowledge to take back to their schools.
The theme of ÔÇ£Age Fit CoachingÔÇØ was reflected in the workshop as the age groups that the various coaches worked with - 5-8 years, 9-12years and 13-18 years were all given special attention so that the needs and characteristics of the players in that age group were matched with the relevant skills to be coached. The workshop included many practical sessions so that the coaches had real life scenarios to discuss and then had opportunities to practice small games and skills on the water based pitch at the National Hockey Stadium in Suva. The coaches were divided up into the three age groupings and had to present a warm up and a small skill game to the other participants.
Gill Gemming, OHF Continental Development Officer, was the main presenter but she used the workshop to develop and train 3 Fijian facilitators - National Men and Women's Coaches, Hector Smith and Duane Underwood, along with Tai Smith, so that they could facilitate the workshop in the future.
All the participants had been involved in completing the Oceania Sports Education Programme's generic community coaching and official's course first. Albert Miller, the facilitator for the OSEP courses took part in some of the sessions to provide support and encouragement to the ÔÇ£newÔÇØ coaches. The television network and the news media both came to the workshop to record interviews with the participants and the facilitators.
Fiji had organised a full weekend of activities for the global weekend based around the age groups studied in the workshop. Many of the participants stayed to work with the children and also created an opportunity for them to use their newly acquired knowledge and coaching practices. Lots of work had gone into this weekend of activities with children being bussed from the other sides of the island to take part.
