The England Hockey Junior Club Championships get underway on Sunday and once again the club have 5 sides entered, underlining the thriving nature of our junior section.

All five sides are entered into Tier 2, with the first competitive fixtures this weekend involving both the Boys u18s and Boys u16s.

The u18s format is a straight knockout and the competition has proven to be very tough over the past two years with defeats against Oxton, Deeside and Wilmslow. This year the first round has seen a local rivalry as the Boys u18s host Leek. Fresh from his England u18s trial, Archie Gallimore will captain the side which is coached by Men's Head Coach Robbie Smith. Their game gets underway at 13:30 at Clayton on Sunday and promises to be one to watch.

The Boys u16s also get their campaign underway as they travel to play Lichfield in their first game, keen to avenge a defeat against the same opponents late on last year. Overall last year was a fantastic one for the Boys u16s, who reached the National Indoor Finals and would have played in the outdoor area finals had Covid not intervened. Much of the squad still remains and they hope to replicate their successes this year in a challenging group, starting with their 11:30 pushback at Lichfield Hockey Club on Sunday.

The Girls u16s game v Oxton has been postponed due to Covid, but they are hoping to arrange an inter-club friendly at Clayton to get some practice before their first game. Jim Venn continues as coach and the side will be looking to build on their success of last year which saw them top their group. This year they have been drawn against some high profile teams including Deeside and Oxton, adding another layer of challenge to their campaign.

The u14s tournaments don't get underway until Sunday 15th November, but both the Boys and Girls are in warm-up action. The Girls u14s travel to play Bowden B team in their first ever 11-a-side game after entering in the Tier 3 7-a-side competition last year. The vast majority of the girls are in Year 8 and played in the highly successful u12s side who were last year's undefeated Staffordshire champions. This year promises to be an important learning curve, but there is undoubtedly lots of talent in the side managed by Dom Bowers.

The Boys u14s meanwhile have a friendly away at Leek High School at 3pm. Results have been mixed over the past couple of seasons for the Boys u14s, but this year there is renewed optimism with a strong squad of Year 8 & 9 boys. Leek, who we will also play later in the year in our group, promise to be very tough opposition, whilst the side have also been drawn against Stone, Telford and Lichfield.

We wish all the best to all of our junior teams and they would appreciate any support. If you would like to get involved with our junior performance setup, please contact Dave Washington at northstaffordhcjuniors@gmail.com