🏑 WELCOME BACK TO A NEW SEASON!
A very warm welcome back to all our returning players and families, and an equally big welcome to everyone who has joined the Southgate family this season!
We hope everyone had a fantastic summer and is excited to be back on the pitch. It’s been wonderful seeing the club buzzing again, with familiar faces returning, new friendships being made and plenty of hockey already underway.
We have an exciting season ahead, and we’re looking forward to sharing all the matches, tournaments, achievements and special moments from across our junior section.
And what a way to start…!
JUNIOR WEEKEND ROUND-UP
What a fantastic weekend of hockey and a brilliant start to the season for our juniors! There were plenty of goals, some fantastic team performances, new players making their debuts and lots to celebrate across the age groups.
U12s – A HUGE OPENING TOURNAMENT!
It was a big opening weekend for our U12s, as Southgate welcomed around 120 players for a fantastic home tournament to kick off the season.
With so many teams, players and matches taking place, it was a brilliant day of junior hockey and a huge thank you goes to all the coaches, managers, umpires, volunteers and parents who helped make it happen.
A special mention must go to Junior Coach Ollie B, who somehow managed to umpire eight games over 90 minutes without a break! An incredible effort and very much appreciated!
We also had three goalkeeping debuts to celebrate. Penelope (Rhinos), Bella M (Zebras) and Francesca (Buffaloes) played their first tournaments in goal after only a couple of weeks of training in the position and all looked like absolute naturals!
🦏 U12 GIRLS – RHINOS
What a start for the Southgate Rhinos, who finished 1st in the Girls A tournament with two wins from two.
They opened with a 1–0 victory over Cambridge A, before producing a superb attacking performance against Hertford A, winning 6–1.
Results:
Cambridge A 0–1 Southgate Rhinos
Southgate Rhinos 6–1 Hertford A
Two games, two wins and seven goals scored — a fantastic opening tournament for the Rhinos! 👏
🦓 U12 GIRLS – ZEBRAS
The Southgate Zebras had a busy afternoon in the Girls B tournament, playing four matches and finishing 3rd overall.
They started with a 1–1 draw against Cambridge 2, before facing strong opposition from Cambridge 1 and Hertford. The team finished their tournament on a high with a well-earned 1–0 win over Brox.
Results:
Cambridge 2 1–1 Southgate Zebras
Cambridge 1 2–0 Southgate Zebras
Southgate Zebras 1–2 Hertford
Southgate Zebras 1–0 Brox
A really positive first tournament with plenty to build on as the season gets underway. Well done, Zebras!
🦬 U12 GIRLS – BUFFALOES
The Southgate Buffaloes also had an excellent afternoon, finishing 2nd in the Girls C tournament and going unbeaten.
They began with a 2–1 win over Hertford C, before earning a 1–1 draw against Brox C.
Results:
Southgate Buffaloes 2–1 Hertford C
Southgate Buffaloes 1–1 Brox C
A win and a draw made for a brilliant start to the season. Well done, Buffaloes! 💪
🏑 U12 BOYS
It was also a strong afternoon for our U12 boys, with Southgate 1 and Southgate 2 taking the top two places in their tournament.
The two Southgate sides opened with a closely fought 1–1 draw against each other. Southgate 1 then beat Brox 2–1, while Southgate 2 secured a 2–0 victory over Brox.
Results:
Southgate 1 1–1 Southgate 2
Southgate 1 2–1 Brox
Southgate 2 2–0 Brox
There were some great goals from Nivein, Bailey and Audi, while it was also a particularly exciting day for several players making their Southgate debuts.
A big welcome and well done to triplets Laurie, Adam and Félix, who all did brilliantly in their first matches for the club! 👏
🐆 U16 PUMAS – WHAT A COMEBACK!
The U16 Pumas produced a fantastic comeback against West Herts this weekend.
Finding themselves 3–0 down, the Pumas showed brilliant determination and refused to let the game get away from them. They fought their way right back into the match, scoring three goals to secure a 3–3 draw.
Southgate Pumas 3–3 West Herts
Goals came from Keira, Marianna and Alessia, completing a superb turnaround! 🔥
A great example of keeping heads up, working for each other and playing right until the final whistle. Well done, Pumas!
📲 REMINDER – KEEP CHECKING SPOND!
With the season now underway, a quick reminder to keep checking Spond regularly.
Training information, fixtures, team selections and any last-minute changes or updates will be shared there, so please make a habit of checking Spond to make sure you don’t miss anything happening with your team.
🏑 STAY & SUPPORT OUR M1s THIS WEEK!
We also have M1’s at home this week, and we’d love to see as many of our juniors and families supporting them as possible!
If you’re already at the club for training, feel free to stay afterwards, watch the match and mingle. It’s always a great social atmosphere and a lovely opportunity for players and families to spend some time together and a great way to build that sense of community and team spirit across the club.
For our juniors, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to watch some great hockey and see our senior players in action.
So, if you don’t need to rush off after training, stick around, cheer on the teams and enjoy the evening with the Southgate Hockey family!
A GREAT START TO THE SEASON
From first matches and goalkeeping debuts to tournament wins, goals and a brilliant three-goal comeback, there was plenty to celebrate.
A huge thank you to all our coaches, managers, umpires, volunteers and parents who make these weekends possible and, of course, a massive well done to all our junior players.
Here’s to a fantastic season ahead! Good luck to all our teams and, most importantly, enjoy the hockey!