Bathurst Hockey Association to host come-and-try sessions for juniors

And the association recently held its annual general meeting and was able to get enough numbers to form a committee and will now run under the Bathurst Hockey Association.

In order to fill the the junior men's committee, a meeting twill be held on March 5, at the Cooke Hockey Complex from 6pm.

However, even with the administration worries, that won't stop the association's push to encourage players to participate in playing junior hockey in 2020.

"Our mission this season is to increase numbers of junior players aged four to18 and have a mixed competition going every Friday evening," 2019 Bathurst Junior Men's Hockey Association fundraising coordinator Kelly Parsons said.

The come-and-try nights will be held on March 6, 20 and 27 at the Cooke Hockey Complex.

Parsons said playing junior hockey can be extremely rewarding.

"It's a great chance to meet new people and to get some fitness," she said.

"You can go as far as playing for your district, NSW or potentially the Hockeyroos or Kookaburras."

Parsons said there was 80 junior boys playing hockey last season, with the girls' numbers currently higher.

"We're losing boys when they get to a certain age because they might want to play a different sport," she said on why she thinks there's more girls playing junior hockey then boys."

The come-and-try nights are not just for boys, with girls welcome too.

Starting at 6pm, these come-and-try sessions will give players of all abilities the chance to learn basic skills such as dribbling, pushing and trapping by experienced local coaches.

If players do not have a stick or shin pads, they can be provided on the night, however, players will be required to bring a mouth guard if they want to play.

A free sausage sandwich will be provided on the night.

For more information on the come-and-try nights and on volunteering, email Parsons on secretary.bjmha@gmail.com.