First Kicks is our very popular introduction to football for boys and girls, aged 5 and 6. Children must turn 5 or 6 during the calendar year to be able to play in this grade. Girls turning 7 in the calendar year may choose to play in this grade if they wish to.
This programme runs on Sunday mornings between 9.30am and 10.30am. It is based at Raroa Normal Intermediate School, in Johnsonville.
Ideally teams comprise of up to six players
The playing teams are 3 v 3 or 4 v 4 and do not include a goalkeeper, using a size 3 ball and on a ground 30m by 20m with goals that are 2 x 1 metre.
We endeavour to incorporate all of your preferences and requests when we allocate teams, but it is not always possible to achieve this. We also consider putting children into teams from the same school and of a similar age where possible. Teams will need to select their own team name (consistent with the colour of their shirts e.g. ‘green giants’) before the first game.
Coaches and Managers – Like all club activities we are reliant on parents to run the Sunday morning programme. Coaches will be provided with training and coaching plans but will require parents to help with organising activities and assisting with games. Like everything with children this age, the more parents contribute in the sessions by encouraging and supporting the coach and players, the more the children will benefit. Please give consideration to whether you can take on one of these roles.
Cancellations due to wet weather or closed field announced on Newstalk ZB Sunday morning at 8.00 / 8.30am, NB listen for ‘Onslow Junior Football Club First Kicks Grade. We also send out a cancellation email to all families to the address you supplied when you registered.
NZ Football has implemented the ‘Whole of Football’ Framework and the emphasis is on more touches on the ball to improve skills. The following might seem a bit over prescribed, but with many teams and children in one place we need to be highly organised:
Rules and Etiquette
In line with The Onslow Way – The objectives are participation, fun and skill development. Competition is not the focus, which is why we don’t keep score in the games. Thus, during the game, parents are allowed (requested!) to whoop, holler, cheer, applaud and generally encourage their children and their team mates as much as they can, but must never criticise the players or the opposition. Also, if the two teams drawn to play each other are not evenly matched in numbers or there is a big gulf in ability, we would expect players to swap teams to even things up rather than for one team to be running rings around the other. The emphasis is on fun for everyone!
If you are interested in the nutritional requirements of your young footballer, then please take a look at a Nutritional Guide for some interesting advice.