McGrath Festival

U13 McGrath Festival, 2025

This year Waikato Hockey have created an U13 McGrath festival programme which includes the U13 McGrath two-day festival (available for any year 7 & 8 players), as well as two pre-festival clinics to support player and coach development leading up to the festival.

Enter a 7-aside team (including a goalie), cost $780 per team

OR enter individually, cost $130 per player.

With the teams, you can enter an all-girls team, an all-boys team or a mixed team. NB: The mixed team will play in the boys grade on both days, the girls team will have their own grade.

Teams may be required to provide an umpire.

U13 McGrath Festival dates and venue:

Wed 24 – Thu 25 Sept 2025 at Tauranga Hockey Association

Format:

Day 1: 7-aside games (including a goalie)

Day 2: Two 7-aside teams combined to play 11-aside games (Waikato Hockey combines the teams)

If entering individually, Waikato Hockey will assign the individual to a team and organise management of the teams made up of individual players.

Individual link: https://www.playhq.com/hockey-new-zealand/register/a1bb15

If entering as a team, a coach and/or a manager must also be registered as a team contact.

Team link: https://www.playhq.com/hockey-new-zealand/register/19f1d1

Cost for U13 McGrath festival programme includes the pre-festival clinics outlined below, U13 McGrath festival entry and team t-shirt (which is kept by the player). Costs do not include travel and accommodation to and from the festival.

Pre-festival clinics:

Held at Gallagher Hockey Centre in Hamilton

Tuesday 9^th September – Introduction to 11-aside

Coaching workshop for coaches 6 – 6:30 pm

Workshop / discussion ‘Transition from 7-aside to 11-aside’

Player development clinic (coaches included) 6:30 – 8 pm

Training time for players ‘Transition from 7-aside to 11-aside’, mixed teams, mentoring for coaches

Tuesday 16^th September – Pre-festival 11-aside matches

Tournament style, with a focus on positional play and rule differences 4:30 – 7pm

(games between 5 – 7pm)

Format: Two 7-aside teams to combine to make an 11-aside team (Waikato Hockey combines teams), 15-minute games, approx. 3-4 games per 11-aside team, mentoring coaches through the games

Additional Information:

Want extra training time? Book your turf space with Waikato Hockey, this will have an additional cost to the programme cost (cost still to be confirmed, please enquire)

Can’t make part of the programme? If your individual player or team is unable to make part of the programme, please let us know.

Do you need to have a team umpire? Waikato hockey will organise some umpires. If you can provide an umpire, please let us know, otherwise you may be asked to provide one if we are unable to fill all the spaces available.

Contact Sonja Rennie for further information or if you have any questions.

Information about the Format

Playing Format for 7 aside format

The standard rules of hockey apply except for the following amendments.
Standard hockey balls are to be used.
6 field players per team on the turf at any one time and one fully kitted goal keeper.
Substitutions at any time except during penalty corners. Substitution of a player is permitted only after that player has left the field and tagged the oncoming player. Substitutions take place from the 11 aside field baseline.
Two periods of 15 minutes with five minutes between periods.
Played on a ½ of a hockey turf.
Where available, wooden boards (or similar) will be placed between the two fields and will become the side-line board. The other side-line will be the 11 aside field baseline.
If the ball crosses the side-line or pops over the board, the opposing team takes a free hit/push at that place. Play continues where the ball hits the board but remains in play.
Long corners are taken approximately 20m back from the goal line and in-line with the point at which the ball crossed the goal line.

Note: an imaginary line extending up the full sized field from the mark that is 5m from the full field goal, is 20.6m from the 6-a-side goal line so this should be used as a guide.

Safety

Footwear, mouth guards and shin pads must be worn by all players.
The ball may be pushed, slap hit or hit anywhere on the field, including in the circles.
Sticks are not to be raised, or used, in a dangerous manner, including lifting them over the heads of other players.
A player may lift or jink the ball skilfully or in the form of an overhead. Balls raised unskilfully or dangerously above “top of the shin pad” height is not allowed.

Penalty Corners

In the event of a penalty corner the defending team has 3 field players and the goalie positioned behind their own goal line with the remaining 3 defensive field players in the opposition goal circle.
A penalty corner should be taken within 30 seconds of being awarded.

Rules for No Goal Keeper

Goalkeepers may play across multiple teams.

Player Numbers

Max 8 Players to a team (9 when including a goalkeeper)

– Goal keeper would be the 7th player

07 838 0485

Information about the Format

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