Caernarfon Hockey Club successfully attracts grant and gift for youth development

Goalkeeper Austin Savage's legacy

On November 26th, Caernarfon Hockey Club received a visit from the wife and son of the late Austin Savage, the iconic former goalkeeper of the Welsh and Great Britain hockey teams.

Originally from St Asaph, Austin first played for Wales in 1962 and went on to win 20 caps for Great Britain and 100 caps for Wales.

Following his death in 2024, the family decided to pay tribute to his talent as a hockey goalkeeper by donating a new goalkeeper kit to a North Wales club. This year, Caernarfon Hockey Club was proud to receive the donation of the 'Mercian' youth kit, to celebrate the legacy of Austin Savage and develop the skills of their young goalkeepers.

Club successful in National Grid grant

Clwb Hoci Caernarfon have been successful in the National Grid Electricity Transmission’s Community Grant Programme, allowing the club to ensure young women come ‘Back to Hockey’.

The club pride themselves over the number of youngsters that turn out to train every Wednesday, with a record number of 170 juniors registered last year. However, interest in sports tends to dwindle when girls reach year 9. The purpose of this project is to enable the club to spend more time with this age group to encourage the young ladies to come back to play hockey each season as they continue to grow.

The grant has enabled the club to run an extra session fortnightly on a Monday evening 8-9pm for the senior team which allows the coaches to spend more time with year 9 and higher on a Wednesday evening. These sessions will hopefully increase skill level and give more chance for improved tactical knowledge and experience as well as increasing self-confidence and self-esteem.

Additionally, opportunities have been given to 14-year-olds and above to take on umpiring and coaching roles and have the option, when they turn 16, to gain a qualification in either or both areas. This will also contribute to improved knowledge of the game and more confidence playing, coaching, umpiring and communicating.

Thanks to the grant, the club has been able to buy new equipment such as ‘dug-out' shelters, pitch separators and training accessories catering to the club’s expanding membership. As part of the skill development scheme, goalkeeper coach Luke Edwards from Denbigh Hockey Club ran a special session for any of the members who wanted to take up becoming a goalkeeper.

One of the young players, Habiba Mohamed from Caernarfon put the kit and training to good use at the under 14s tournament in Bala on November 30th.

The club would like to thank Austin Savage's family very much for the kind gift to develop future goalkeepers, and the National Grid Electricity Transmission’s Community Grant Programme for the support. Thanks also to Mercian and Savage Field Hockey.

Clwb hoci yn llwyddiannus denu grant a rhodd i ddatblygu’r ifanc

Etifeddiaeth y golgeidwad Austin Savage

Ar Dachwedd 26ain, cafodd Clwb Hoci Caernarfon ymweliad gan wraig a mab y diweddar Austin Savage, cyn ôl-geidwad eiconig timau hoci Cymru a Phrydain Fawr.

Yn wreiddiol o Lanelwy, chwaraeodd Austin i Gymru am y tro cyntaf yn 1962 ac aeth ymlaen i ennill 20 cap i Brydain Fawr a 100 cap i Gymru.

Wedi ei farwolaeth yn 2024 fe benderfynodd y teulu dalu teyrnged i'w dalent fel gôl-geidwad hoci gan roi rhodd o git gôl-geidwad newydd i glwb yng Ngogledd Cymru. Eleni, Clwb Hoci Caernarfon oedd yn falch o dderbyn y rhodd o git ieuenctid ‘Mercian’, er mwyn dathlu etifeddiaeth Austin Savage a datblygu sgiliau eu gôl-geidwaid ifainc.

Grant gan y Grid Cenedlaethol

Yn ddiweddarach eleni cafodd Clwb Hoci Caernarfon wybod eu bod yn llwyddiannus yn Nghynllun Grant Cymunedol Trosglwyddo Trydan y Grid Cenedlaethol, sy’n galluogi’r clwb i ddenu merched ‘Nôl i Hoci’.

Roedd y clwb yn falch o ddenu’r nifer uchaf erioed o ieuenctid i'r clwb yn ystod y tymor diwethaf, gyda 170 yn mynychu’r sesiynau ymarfer yn Llanrug ar nos Fercher. Er hyn, mae’r diddordeb mewn chwaraeon yn gostwng pan ddaw merched ifanc at flwyddyn 9. Nod y prosiect yw i alluogi’r clwb dreulio mwy o amser gyda’r grŵp oedran yma i annog merched i ddychwelyd at hoci pob tymor wrth iddynt barhau i dyfu.

Mae’r grant wedi galluogi’r clwb i gynnal sesiwn ychwanegol pob pythefnos ar nos Lun, 8-9yh, i'r tîm cyntaf sy’n galluogi’r hyfforddwyr dreulio mwy o amser gyda’r genethod blwyddyn 9 a hyn yn ystod sesiwn hyfforddi nos Fercher. Bydd y sesiynau yma yn datblygu lefel sgil y chwaraewyr a’n rhoi cyfle i wella gwybodaeth tactegol yn ogystal â chynyddu hunan hyder a hunan barch.

Yn ychwanegol, mae cyfleoedd eisoes wedi eu rhoi i enethod 14 oed a hŷn i roi tro ar ddyfarnu a hyfforddi, gyda’r opsiwn i ennill cymwysterau ynddynt pan fyddant yn troi’n 16. Bydd hyn yn ychwanegu at eu gwybodaeth o’r gêm a’n cynnig mwy o hyder wrth chwarae, hyfforddi, dyfarnu a chyfathrebu yn gyffredinol.

Diolch i'r grant, mae’r clwb wedi gallu prynu offer newydd yn cynnwys cysgod ‘dug-out’, offer gwahanu cae a chyfarpar hyfforddi fel arlwy i'r aelodaeth gynyddol. Fel rhan o’r cynllun i

ddatblygu sgiliau, daeth yr hyfforddwr gôl-geidwad Luke Edwards o Glwb Hoci Dinbych i gynnal sesiwn arbennig i unrhyw un o’r aelodau oedd eisiau tro ar fod yn gôl-geidwad.

Rhoddodd un o’r chwaraewyr ifanc, Habiba Mohamed o Gaernarfon y cit newydd a’r hyfforddiant i ddefnydd da yn nhwrnamaint dan 14 yn y Bala ar Dachwedd 30ain.

Hoffa’r clwb ddiolch yn fawr iawn i deulu Austin Savage am y rhodd caredig i ddatblygu gôl-geidwaid y dyfodol ac i'r Grid Cenedlaethol a’r Cynllun Grant Trosglwyddo Trydan am y gefnogaeth. Diolch hefyd i gwmni Mercian a Savage Field Hockey.