During the “DKV Junior Trophy”, a men’s U21 8-nations-tournament held at Warsteiner Hockeypark, Mönchengladbach, the FIH awarded the Youth Leadership Certificates for 2007. Twelve young Germans were chosen from 33 applications to receive the certificate.

By Michael Steinmann and Nina Niedermeyer

The twelve participants come from the whole German federation, from all areas in Germany, including the east, south, west and north. The invited young people are all between 14 and 21 years old and should be awarded for their engagement in developing the youth activities in the clubs and regional associations since years.

It was one of the most important criteria made by the responsible jury of the German Hockey Youth, that the awarded young people are involved in hockey more than 2-3 years minimum and that they self dependent on own projects in their clubs. “We want to give the FIH Youth Leadership Certificate to young who take a lot of responsibility and permute their own ideas for a better hockey development” say the DHB Youth Spokesperson Michael Steinmann.

Every year the participants attend presentations held by several speakers, including DHB Vice President (Youth) Wolfgang Hillmann as well as DHB Youth Spokesperson Michael Steinmann who welcomed the guests. “We have to thank you for the hard and very good work you did in the last years for your involvement in hockey, for your participation in youth hockey activities. You are one of the best; you all are the future of hockey in Germany. Thanks a lot for all what you’ve done.”

Also tournament director Frank van t´Hek welcomes the guest in the seminar room and told about the tasks of his function in a tournament and about hockey in general. He invited the young hockey players, umpires, coaches and organizers for drink together with him a beer in the Sportsbar in the stadium of Mönchengladbach in the evening.

After the welcoming speeches Michael von Ameln presented the development of umpires in Germany. He talked about the different systems in the areas of Germany, how the development during the last years took place and how to make more umpires; and make more umpires to good umpires; and good umpires to top umpires; about his strategy of developing an umpiring coaching system first in his own area (in western Germany) and after he became the responsible person for young umpires in Germany in the whole country. He mentioned the problems the German umpiring system is to be confronted at this time based on losing umpires in all leagues.

Following that report, Wolfgang Hillmann presented strategies for developing better coaches. He presented the new leaders the strategy in the German hockey association of developing better coaching, especially for the youth. How it should be possible to make a seminar based on the need for young hockey players, how to make volunteer young men and women to good coaches and develop the quality of hockey training. Mr Hillmann also talked about the steps from a “low” coach to a “high” coach. The last important content of his presentation was the mention of a new webpage for coaching which comprised a couple of new feature like training planning, team organizing, making new digital own practices.

FIH Development Manager Gabrielle van Doorn and Poland’s FIH umpire Marcin Grochal talked about the FIH Youth Panel. Both global trotter mentioned the concern of international hockey meetings anywhere in the world. The youth panel meeting and the world hockey youth promoters festivals give young hockey enthusiast in the whole world a voice to say what is important for them, the change to make friends all over the world and the possibility to make the world like a little village. Mrs van Doorn and Mr Grochal talked about the high motivation of young leaders to engage for hockey in their national federations after taking part in such an event.

“A lot of the participants I’ll see once again anywhere in the world in function for their national association; and it’s good feeling to see who the youth leader take the responsibility for their favorite sport.” Michael Steinmann presented together with DHB communications manager (Youth) Stephan Haumann the activities about the “Jugendsprecher” (Youth Promoters) in the area of local, regional, national and international level and the possibilities they had to realize their own projects.

From the starting time of this development fife years ago until now happened a lot of projects to make hockey more popular, more interest for young people to take an active role in organizing something and take responsibility of their own behavior in what they do for youth hockey.

The both, Michael and Stephan talked report about the “girls’ hockey project in Straußberg” (Jerón Phillipps and Michael Steinmann presented during the World Youth Hockey Promoter Festival in Club Deportivo Manqué hue in Santiago de Chile 2005), the beginning of the actual “Jugendsprecherteam”. How the system about getting new hockey enthusiast involved in that team of young men and women, you can read about in the following report after the EHF-Youth-Development-Umpiring-Coaching-Forum in Berlin at the end of September; Michael and Stephan will present this system towards the responsible youth representatives from Europe.

In addition to these talks, 17-year old Mirco Baumhoff, who had attended the Anti-Doping-Camp in Albertville, France, that June, presented his impressions on the consequences of doping. As the German Anti-Doping-Ambassador for hockey Mirco talked about the different activities (like rafting, mountain biking, arching) he could take part together with the other participants from Germany and France in that bilingual camp. After a presentation about his activities and mention of different doping methods and the unhealthy possibilities of them Mr Baumhoff started with a lively discussion together with the new German youth leaders in the seminar room of the Warsteiner Hockeypark.

During half time of the Germany vs Malaysia match Lorenz Nussberger (ASV Munich), Jan Richter, Charlotte Schmidt (both Club an der Enz), Patricia Weiß (TSV Riederich), Lucie Düring, Luisa Kröckel, Moritz Augustin (all TG Heimfeld), Eric Bartsch (Freiberger HTC), Anja Haase (SV Motor Meerane), Juliane Hermes (THC Münster), Sarah Ewald (TV Jahn Oelde), Martin Vollmerding (CfL 65 Berlin) and Thomas Häuser (Stuttgarter Kickers) were presented with the FIH Leadership Certificate.