So, what is being an Under 8 all about ???
G'day and welcome to the Gungahlin Jets
Under 8's. The aim of this page is to provide parents with a bit of
general information about the Jets Under 8's side and what being a Junior
Jet will entail.
The under 8's had their inaugural year
in 2000 and developed an excellent base for the future growth and development
of junior football in the Gungahlin area. The Under 8's are the next
step up the football ladder after 'Auskick' and aim to further develop
basic Aussie Rules footy skills and knowledge whilst having a world
of fun, with the emphasis on participation - not competition.
In the ACT, Aussie Footy is played in
a modified version. Under 8's comprise of kids aged from six (dependent
on size/skill level) through to eight and they play a weekly game over
a 15 or 16 round season. The focus is on participation, there are no
winners or losers of the games, there is no 'finals' round and everyone
gets a run every week.
Under 8 games are now played as part of
a concept in the ACT called "ClubStart". Generally Clubstart
encompasses each club "hosting" several other clubs in a turn-about
fashion with other clubs to have a sort of gala-day effect. The way
it operates is that Canbera is arrranged into areas of several clubs
each. We are in the Northside area. Each area may be slightly different
in its overall approach but the idea is to have teams all playing at
around the same time at the same place.
You can download a ClubStart
Frequently Asked Questions document.
Also, a strategy document has been released
via the Junior League on the "Future
of ClubStart".
Timings for Training
and Games.
Training is held every weekend 1 hour
before the scheduled game is due to commence. This allows the players
to get properly warmed up and be able to move straight from the training
into the game environment.
Clubstart games are scheduled to start
at 1pm or 2pm on Saturdays. There are approximately 8 teams participating
in the Northside competition and these are broken up into 2 games at
a time. Each team plays only the 1 game on the day which consists of
3 x 13 minute quarters as per the agreed rules for Clubstart.
What happens at and
away from training ???
At training, we will be looking to teach
the kids the real basics of footy and team spirit, we will go into such
gems as:
- Who is that standing next to me ?,
- Football ?…..What football ???
- Why should I watch the game instead
of pulling out grass and poking sticks into bugs?,
- Here is the ball, here is my foot -
why won't they just meet up ?
- Squashed noses 101 (from literally
watching the ball all the way in !)
- He/She's my best friend - that's why
we fight (gosh grown ups are stupid !)
- And many more !!!!
Away from training it will be up to either
kids to annoy mum or dad to go and have a kick or maybe, mum or dad
should annoy the kids to go and have a kick. It is extremely important
that some sort of away-from-training continuation of skills improvement
occurs.
What to wear for games
and training?
The club will provide socks and shorts
for each boy which you get to keep (all part of the membership cost).
Jumpers are provided at the beginning of the season and you are responsible
for this and returning it at the end of the season (unless the manager
has organised an alternative approach).
Normal game-day playing attire is boots,
socks, shorts and jumper. However !!! This is Canberra and winter is
cold. Skivvy's under jumpers are ok on the colder days (both long and
short-sleeved guernseys). The emphasis is to have fun, not freeze to
death. It might be worthwhile also having a spare set of clothes for
occasions where the wet has entirely soaked through the gear.
Training attire is generally whatever
will maintain warmth but will not impede on movement. For instance,
tracksuits, old footy jumpers etc are common. Remember that as training
involves some physical activities i.e. tackling, then clothes that parents
would not like to see ripped or obliterated should not be worn.
Boots.
The club has a 'boot pool' where you can
purchase a set of pre loved boots for a small fee (please see one of
the committee or coaching staff about this) but mostly you will need
to organise purchase yourself. It is strongly recommended that proper
football boots are purchased for players that include the flexibility
of playing in both wet and dry conditions. The grounds in Canberra are
generally soft enough in winter to enable boots with larger stops to
be worn. Moulded soles and Grass-sports type boots can lead to slipping
in adverse conditions.
While on slipping, a recommendation is
for higher cut boots i.e. those with protection around the ankles, to
assist in supporting and holding firm the developing bones and ligaments.
Though it may not look cool it will provide some assistance to stop
rolling over on the ankles (without the need for strapping). If getting
these boots is difficult, then at least look for the tie-up ankle braces
which are readily available.
Also, keep an eye on the actual size of
the footwear as players at this age tend to find an inch or two etc
over the season so it may be wise to have a bit of give.
Mouthguards.
We wish to advise all parents that the
club has a mouthguard policy whereby all players must wear
one. While the Under 10 competition is relaxed in tackling rules
it nonetheless has other opportunities for accidents around the face.
Accidental head clashes do occur and footballs, arms, hands and knees
etc do hit kids in the face, besides, starting early encourages good
habits for later in life when the kids join the competition level teams.
Headgear (Helmets).
Protective headgear is not compulsory
but for parent peace of mind as well as helping players gain confidence
then we strongly recommended its usage. No one is discouraged from appearing
on the field with one on or suddenly deciding to wear one when they
haven't previously. Players should not be discouraged from wearing headgear
- especially if friends or other players want to ridicule them either.
Drink Bottles.
The 8's are supplied with water during
games but we strongly support and welcome the practice of players supplying
their own bottles. This is primarily to get them into a habit of using
their own equipment and being responsible for keeping fluid intake up.
For training, the boys are encouraged
also to bring their own water bottles.
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Junior AFC
against the round it means that a match report exists so click on it
to go to that report.