What happens at Festivals?
Festivals are basically friendly tournaments. Each team plays four other teams for 15 minutes, one way (ie.no half time). Festivals are purely about youngsters have fun and enjoying playing hockey. Results honestly don’t matter, though hockey is a competitive sport and everyone enjoys winning. Especially when we have a few new players in the team, results won’t go our way. Results may not come later until later.

Where is it?
The Festivals are all played at Yate Outdoor Sports Complex at Brimsham Green School. Postcode is BS37 7LB. Once you come off the Yate ring road, you drive past the school and turn left after the mini roundabout (impossible to go wrong, honestly). There is a lot of car park space, but sometimes it can get very busy if there is also football, rugby and athletics happening the same day. There's no charge for parking. For those playing in the afternoon, any football and rugby will have finished, but the morning hockey will still be there.

Once you’ve parked the car, you’ll be able to see the hockey pitch. The entrance is on the far side nearer to the athletics track, so walk round. The pitch is divided into two half pitches, which are called pitch 1 (nearest the athletics track) and pitch 2 (at the far end). All the teams and parents will find a space and stand next to the pitch to watch. Bring a chair if you wish.

There is a large clubhouse which has toilets and a bar which serves food and tea, and is somewhere to get warm if it’s cold. With the festivals though, there’s not much time between the games.

Kit
Keynsham wears navy blue kit. All players should have a Keynsham t-shirt. If you don’t have one, we’ll bring a few spares with us, but if possible, please ask for one at training on Fridays. Players should then wear blue shorts and socks. If you don’t have navy blue items, they should wear something dark (black would be ok). But any colour shorts or socks will be ok if necessary.

Please make sure your child has shinpads and a gum shield. Please borrow a stick to take, but the managers will bring a few spares with them. It’ll make life easier if you take a stick on Friday.

Playing hockey
Particularly at U10 level, we know that youngsters don’t know the rules yet. To be honest, even adult players don’t know all the rules! The umpires will help to explain things to the players during the game. Umpires will ignore some fouls because we know that new players will do that. Player safety will be the overriding concern.

Be prepared that your child may get a ball or a stick hit against their foot or leg. (And then a few tears sometimes.) Most often, it just takes a hug and rub it better and there’ll be ready to go back on the pitch. Hockey is a squad game, so players can rotate on and off.

What about Tournaments?
Tournament are a bit like festivals, but a bit more serious.

There is only one tournament at the end of the season in March. This is also at Yate. This can last for most of the day depending on results. Definitely bring a chair for this one! In the morning, it's the group stage, where there are 4 groups, each with 4 teams. The 4 teams play each other. The top two teams in each group go through to the shield knock-out tournament. The bottom two teams in each group go through to the plate knock-out tournament. After that it's a knock-out tournament with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.