Play the Whistle is a Hockey Australia initiative which promotes and rewards good behaviour from players, coaches, managers and spectators of junior teams.
The program will be introduced for Hockey Geelong Junior Competition matches in 2014, under the guidance of the Hockey Geelong Umpiring Panel.
At the end of the match, umpires for each match will award points to each team. Points given will reflect the degree of fair play and sportsmanship which the participating teams have shown. Coaches, managers and spectators are included in this assessment as well as the players, so it is an indication of the attitude of the whole ‘team’ to the game.
The Play the Whistle points will be recorded by the umpires on the team sheet and tallied. At the end of the season, the team with the highest number of points in each age division will win a prize.
The Newtown City Hockey Club Code of Conduct requires all members, whether players, officials or spectators, to ensure enjoyment of the game of hockey for all participants by demonstrating and promoting an atmosphere of fair play, sportsmanship and a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.
The Newtown City Hockey Club is very fortunate to have many members who are willing to umpire our matches. The majority of our umpires panel are aged less than 18 – a fantastic achievement. We have players aged 11 and 12 who are keen to learn to umpire. A positive and encouraging experience in umpiring a match will ensure that these people continue to learn and practise their skills, ensuring the availability of umpires for many years in the future. A negative experience may deter new umpires from continuing at all.
Hockey Geelong aims to identify those teams or people who do not participate in hockey in a positive way, in order to encourage behaviour changes. Teams which follow the rules and display good core values of respect and sportsmanship will ultimately be rewarded.
Further information: contact Sean Fitzgerald
or Hockey Geelong Umpires Panel – Pam Sutton, David Fitzgerald or Courtney Pearson.
