The ALL NEW home of Darien Junior Field Hockey (DJFH). The new home of youth field hockey in Darien, CT. Go Darien Field Hockey! Go Blue Wave! Go DJFH!
Darien Junior Field Hockey is a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization whose mission is to...
"Offer a fun, positive, inclusive and robust youth field hockey experience which inspires a love of the game, nurtures and cultivates the local talent pool, develops the ‘whole’ athlete and fosters camaraderie across the entire Darien field hockey community.”
Overview by Grade Level
Age Group
Anticipated Practice Schedule
Games
1st/2nd House Clinics
Saturdays
n/a
3rd/4th House Clinics
Fridays
Saturdays (either clinic or intramural game)
5th/6th Travel Team
Mondays & Wednesdays
Intramural or travel game on weekends (TBD 1st week of season)
7th/8th Travel Team
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Intramural or travel game on weekends (TBD 1st week of season)
1st/2nd Grade Clinic: First and second graders will be introduced to the sport in a fun, inclusive and positive clinic format. The focus at this age is on effort and all drills are designed for success. Athletes will be familiarized with the stick and ball and introduced to the fundamentals of passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, and very basic defensive concepts. Players will also explore 1v1 game strategy.
3rd/4th Grade House: Third and fourth graders will focus on fundamentals and gain a general understanding of basic game play and strategy in an instructional clinic and small-sided scrimmage format.
5th/6th Grade Travel: This is a combined program where 5th and 6th grade players will be evaluated and assigned to leveled teams. At this level players will hone their fundamental skills while developing more consistency under pressure. Athletes will continue to master individual attack and defensive skills while also beginning to develop position-specific skills.
7th/8th Grade Travel: This is a combined program where 7th and 8th grade players will be evaluated and assigned to leveled teams. In this age group, players will refine their technical skills under pressure and explore extra-player defense and offense situations. They will develop proficiency of position-specific skills and field awareness off the ball. Practices include regular competitive situations and progressions that reinforce game-like drills.
Commitment Policy
DJFH encourages participation in other sports. That said, we believe a commitment to the team becomes increasingly important as athletes approach high school age. There is no specific commitment policy for grades 1 through 4, but regular attendance is strongly encouraged.
In 5th-8th grades, an athlete is expected to make a commitment to their team/teammates by attending practices and games (minus excused absences for medical reasons or unavoidable family conflicts). Unexcused missed practices and/or games will impact playing time.
