Hi all Field Hockey Families,

Welcome all to GRAA Field Hockey 2022! 

This site is broken up into 2nd-4th grade, 5/6th grade and 7/8th grade.  Please stay up to date with Sports Engine for any practice changes as well as games/scrimmages for 2nd-8th grade.  There's a Sports Engine app available to download and you would need to search for each grade specific GRAA field hockey team. 

This year we will have a GRAA FH merchandise store for players and parents.  Please stay tuned in the coming weeks as we launch.

Please note that we will be working hard to ensure the player's safety this season.  Please stay tuned for any changes regarding covid safety precautions.

GRAA FIELD HOCKEY 2022 MISSION Statement

GRAA Field Hockey is open to players in 2nd-8th grade. There are three levels to this program...

1) 2nd-4th grade clinic/travel:  This is an instructional clinic that teaches the basic skills of field hockey and introduces playtime and positioning during scrimmages against other towns.  Playtime and positions are based on equal rotational basis to allow kids the chance to learn all aspects of field hockey.  The program is intended to give the kids a fun learning experience, and either an introduction to field hockey, or to build upon the skills they already have.

2) Junior Varsity Travel: The GRAA Junior Varsity Travel program is open to 5/6th graders.  It is focused on developing knowledge of field hockey and introducing playtime and positioning during games for all kids who wish to play.  Playtime and positions are based on an equal opportunity basis to allow kids the chance to learn all aspects of field hockey.  The Junior Varsity travel is intended to give kids a fun learning experience, and either an introduction to field hockey, or to build upon skills they already have.

3) Varsity Travel:  The GRAA Varsity Travel program is open to 7/8th graders.  This program is geared toward further developing and honing the skills, awareness and fitness level of players on travel teams.  Our mission for the Varsity program is to properly equip players for high school level field hockey.  This means our coaches follow two main guidelines:

     a) GRAA coaches work to build a strong competitive team.  As compared to the Junior Varsity Travel Program, there is a greater emphasis by coaches to field a winning team similar to the high school atmosphere and grouping kids with greater skill sets together on a team accelerates their learning by elevating their expectations.

     b) Of equal importance, our coaches give each player fair and substantial playing time during games and throughout the season, which is a critical component to continual skill evaluation and development.

All players will be provided a fair and unbiased opportunity to develop their skills (specifically during game play), and coached through the areas where they need development.  We recognize that these are still young players learning and developing the skill set they will need to succeed.

GRAA Varsity players will develop skills to play across multiple positions, which will prove valuable to both team and the individual players as they move into high school.  Coaching staff evaluates throughout the season with an emphasis on optimizing them for success.

GRAA Field Hockey practices/scrimmages/home games take place on George Washington Field.  The field is a turf, fenced in location off of Baldwin Avenue in Glen Ridge.  Please be respectful of the rules upon entering the field.

2nd - 4th grade

Saturday & Sunday practice & scrimmage times will vary

5/6th grade

Monday 5:30-7pm

Saturday - Game day (time varies)

Sunday -  practice or alt game day TBD

7/8th grade

Wednesday  5:30-7pm

Saturday - Game day (time varies)

Sundays -  practice or alt game day TBD

Required Field Hockey Equipment

In order to practice and play ALL players must provide:  Field hockey stick, goggles, mouth guard & shin guards.  *Cleats and turf shoes are optional, but note the turf and grass fields tend to get very slippery when wet.

A good resource for field hockey equipment locally is All Lacrosse on Valley Road in Montclair (http://alllacrosse.com/all_lacrosse/Welcome.html). An excellent online resource for field hockey equipment and merchandise is http://www.longstreth.com/.

Please use the sizing chart to assist with choosing the correct fitting field hockey stick.

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