2022 Boys Section President’s Report
2022 has been another great season for our Norths Eagles
boys’ section of the club.
As you know, our values are simply that our eagles have fun,
form lifelong friendships, have development opportunities and are cared for as
players and people. Our children learn
so much from being involved in a team sport and being part of a club
community. They also get to meet
children from a whole stack of other schools and backgrounds. Team sports, such as hockey, are great for
physical and mental well-being. Thank
you to all the parents and caregivers who recognise the importance of this and
provide the opportunity for your children to play at our club.
We particularly welcome this year all those who are new to
our sport and club, including our under 7 and under 9 cohorts. We hope that you have many years (and decades)
ahead of you at Norths. Please
remember to tell your mates about how great and safe hockey is compared to
other winter sports. We want to keep
growing our playing numbers in the years ahead especially at under 7 to under
11 year groups.
On the field, we have had success. At the time of writing this report, 5 out of
our 7 (under 11 to J) teams have qualified for the finals. In addition to this we have had 36 of boys
represent Brisbane or other regional associations at State Championships and 7
selected for Queensland (including shadows).
My observation has been that those boys who regularly attend training,
Eagles Academy and do their own training at home get the best results from
their game. Essentially, hockey is a
sport that really rewards those players who put in this effort.
I would like to thank those people who make sure that our
eagles get the opportunities that they do:
Michelle Keir – Michelle is the backbone of our club
and works tirelessly throughout the season in an unpaid administrative and
logistics role. For someone who does not
play, there are not too many people around who know more about hockey than
Michelle. I am extremely grateful for
the support that Michelle has provided throughout the entire season and
offseason, almost on a daily basis.
Coaches and Managers – our coaches and managers are
exceptional. Every one of them is a
volunteer and I am truly grateful for all that they do. The club could not function without them.
Wayne Tucker, Norths Old Boys and Men’s Section –
thank you for all the opportunities, including financial support that you
provide our boys. Having our boys and
men’s sections work so closely together is a real strength of our club and
provides the boys with a future pathway into playing with the seniors. It is always magical seeing dads play with
their sons. I very much hope to get the
opportunity of playing with my two boys in the years ahead!
Paul Tucker and Eagles Academy – the Academy goes
from strength to strength each year.
Quite simply the results speak for themselves. I hope you are proud of what you are
achieving. We are very grateful for your
support and you are an integral part of our section.
Volunteers – thank you to Ange Harrison and Gen Schweitzer
who have managed the canteen, Kerrie Quine who has looked after indoor hockey,
Kerrie and Allison Nixon who sorted out our merchandising and all those who
have helped out in the canteen, the BBQ, registration day and setting up on
game day. Thank you to our two
secretaries (Luke Tucker and Sean Wright) and also Aaron Griffin who has
provided me with great guidance throughout the year and still is the heart and
soul of our section. Aaron’s shoes were
enormous and can’t be filled. However,
I’m very grateful that he continues to supports us in so many ways.
Adam Day and Nest Rectification Team – Daisy (our
groundsman) also works tirelessly throughout the season without pay. We are very grateful for what you do. The Nest rectification project was massive
and we are so grateful to Daisy, Darren Quine and all the parents who came down
to help. Thank you also to those who
made a financial donation to help rectify the Nest.
Norths Inc and Girls Section – thank you also to our
colleagues in the girls’ section (particularly Vanessa Kramer and Mel Wright)
and the broader Norths Inc community (particularly Jacob Toigo, Tanya Swan and
Bron Morris) including our women’s section (particularly Shaelene Dalzell). We are one club and we have enjoyed finding
ways of working together and supporting each other.
We will have a few weeks off and we will be back in action
soon with indoor hockey and the off-season Eagles Academy.
Yours in hockey,
Russell Thirgood