I went to the SNHC on Sunday to watch a bit of hockey and I was annoyed. Yep. Annoyed. And me annoyed is not a pretty sight.
Both the Men and Women’s games for the MCC v Camberwell clashes were SANS BALLKIDS.
What on earth is going on?
I’m pretty sure that in the SL1 competitions, the home team are supposed to supply Ballkids yeah? There were none in existance. Furthermore, MCC failed to run the scoreboard for either of the games – disappointing form.
So I got to thinking…what is the deal here? Is there some sort of penalty for clubs who don’t provide Ballkids on Match Days?
And what about the professionalism of Ballkids?
Back in my day…(geeeee I sound old), but i used to ABSOLUTELY LOVE being a Ballboy. There was a sense of pride that came with rocking up in my ill-fitting white cricket pants and a strange smelling white jumper provided by the club. We got a red frog for our trouble and terribly weak cordial – the food and drink of champions. Plus – we had the opportunity to climb the ranks of the Ballboy fraternity and I was pretty sure that at one point the Camberwell Ballboys were the pick of the litter of the Ballkid world and as such were rewarded with the job of Ballboying at the NHL in 1996 (or thereabouts). I remember beccause Rosie Henderson gave me his shorts to wear after the game to say thanks…it’s not nearly as suss as that just sounded in your head.
AND THAT BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER POINT! – SL1 players of the olden days used to thank the Ballkids. Yep. You heard right. Common courtesy is dead with the current crop. Get a thanking…the kids need it.
When HV whack in Ballkids for the finals, and teams are not used to having them week in week out…what does this do to the players?
So, the question needs to be asked – would SL1 players prefer to have Ballkids or none at all?
Related posts:
June 16th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
State league two don’t have ball boys. But we provide them for our home games regardless. On the weekend the clock was stopped a number of times because the ball went over the fence or under the fence or was otherwise far enough away to warrant blowing time. I find that strange. Even if you just have two or three kids, it keeps the game flowing and means i don’t have to run and hook a ball out from under the fence.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
i know my club provides them at home games, maybe a reminder is needed that clubs to provide the for sl1 games
June 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
We don’t have ball boys, we have ball men.
What happens when you don’t have enough juniors…..
June 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
That’s your own fault MCC9.
MCC are a rubbish club who poach talented players from junior clubs without having a junior system of your own. you give nothing back to the sport and deserve to fold.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
rather than bagging a club who is trying to grow a junior program…why dont you try offering suggestions. Also if you want to use a tag line like MCC HATER pull your head in or maybe stop hiding behind a fake name and come down to the club and tell us what you think to our faces. rather than being abusive and cowardly… I think you need to have a good look at other clubs before you accuse MCC of poaching talented players…
June 16th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
We don’t like ballkids at Monash. We’re not fit enough to run out the game as is.
June 16th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I organise Ball Attendants (we have girls as well) for Greensborough home games but refuse to organise them for the SHC games as they and their parents are required to pay an admission charge for the privilege.
June 16th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I organise Ballkids for the Greensborough Men’s games but refuse to organise them for the SHC games as they and their parentys are required to pay an admission price for the privilege.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
MCC Hater, is that you Dempster????
June 16th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I am sure we had a couple of guys out there patrolling the boundary but it would be nice to have some actual kids doing it and maybe more than 2 of them. It’s a good chance for them to get involved and watch elite level hockey which aids in their development and I also agree that there is a lack of manners when it comes to thanking these kids for putting time in to make our game a quicker and more enjoyable one.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Ball Attendants? Ball Attendants!!? Are you the Chairwoman of the Caroline Springs Association For Beige Politically Correct Job Descriptions.
*VOMIT*
June 17th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I think it really should be up to each club whether they can/ want to have ball kids. Let’s face it if HV ssaid you “have to have ball kids” what are they going to do to enforce it? Abbout as much as they do about players not having numbers on their shirts, receiving multiple yellow/ red cards, umpire rostering and abuse…the list goes on.
Also completely agree with Ken about not having ball kids for the SNHC. Why on earth would you pay for privelige to freeze your backside off?!?!
June 17th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Agreed peanut that the abuse is not constructive and good on you for trying to get the junior club up and going.
However i would stay out of the poaching argument cause it is one you will lose. Who in your firsts played juniors for MCC? If you didnt play juniors at your senior club you have been poached or you jumped. Either way you were developed by another clubs junior program.
Dont mean to sound like Im having a crack, good luck with getting your juniors up and about.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
When I last coached SL1 (ok a few years ago now) the clubs were fined if HV found out you did not supply ball people. Not sure if that was followed through or not either.
MCC is not the only club to not provide ball people, I can remember one occasion (ok its going back a few years now) that Hawthorn didn’t turn up with people either.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:06 am
hate to sound obvious but there is not one club who hasn’t poached/asked/suggested/offered/got players to jump…to thier club at some stage in the last 20 years….and if they say the haven’t they are lying…
it happens…we may not like it but it happens…everyone bagged TEM last year because they have spanish/german internationals…so what? good on them for bringing some entertainment from abroad for us to watch and admire. i hope their club learn from them. MCC are only in the infancy stage of junior development so to stay afloat they may have redirected some players over the years…I have only been there for a short period of time but have seen how ruthless some other clubs can be first hand…hockey is not a million dollar industry…we don’t get paid to play…unless you are the Aust goalie and have a year off playing for a team based off Auburn rd (a little humor)…so unfortunately poaching is going to occur and continue to occur for many years…
We have to make sure that we can do all we can for our players and that our players are sensible enough to realise that soem times the other side of the road is not always greener…
June 17th, 2008 at 11:07 am
as for the ball kids…maybe Balza can pay for them if he wants to see them so bad!!!
June 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
No Peanut. Ballza wont pay for them. You are supposed to provide ball boys, so do it, no excuses.
Saying other clubs poach or have re-directed players doesnt change the fact that all of yours have been poached or redirected. Stop making excuses or trying to justify your situation, it is weak.
“But he did it to” you sound like a 5 year old
June 17th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I think the name says it all. There is no use arguing about who poached who and which players have been redirected, but instead get back to the point!
Provide the ballkids for State League One games.
In my opinion ballkids should be provided for all State League games… not just SL1.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
FOR ALL STATE LEAGUE GAMES?!
ARE YOU KIDDING? Anyone below the top couple of teams in SL2 are not good enough players to deserve ballboys and girls. Most PA and pehaps PB teams could smash SL3 clubs and below.
rubbish. utter rubbish.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Most PA (kew excluded) teams would beat most SL2 teams (top couple excluded).
All PA teams would smash SL3
June 17th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
we have not had the pleasure of ball kids at any of the games we have played in this year…and to be honest I don’t really care.
they can hold up the game at times and if they get hit by accident…we tend to feel a little awful for them.
also i think everyone needs to get over the poaching thing we don’t like it but it happens. stop attacking people/clubs and lets get the standard of victorian hockey back up to a better standard together rather than arguing over the negatives.
just look at the Aussie teams…not many Vic’s in the mens or womens teams…
June 17th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
ball kids in all State league games? crazy! okay, you don’t need to be so harsh about it oscar, but teams int eh bottom state league divisions sometimes struggle to get a team out on the park, let alone umpiring commitments. Not to mention that some clubs simply don’t have juniors.
By the way, when the ball runs under the fence out at monash, or deflects over the fence in to the pond (dam, lake, whatever) i for one am firetrucking stoked for the rest. pacing a game is a tricky skill too.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Ball kids are only good when room permits. A lot of the grounds don’t have enough room on the sidelines for umpires and ballkids. Not to mention places like Hawthorn where the every man and his dog is on the sideline. Before we start having a go at MCC at least they have dugout with a seat.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Personally I think there should be a rule that you either have them or you don’t. Let’s be consistent, at least across SL1.
Having them really does speed up the game and favours those sides who are fitter.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
let’s talk about some big issues people, and just in case you’re wondering ball kids isn’t one!
what about the umpiring crisis, the state of girls/ women’s hockey in Vic, the relationship (or lack of) between clubs and HV…and there are more but really ball kids, who cares?!?!
June 18th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Ballkids have been a part of SL1 hockey for a long time, and tend to help the game move at a fast pace. Whether its ballkids or ballmen (as I like to do), they should be there. If you are not fast or fit enough to keep up you shouldn’t be in SL1
June 18th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
MCC never supplies ball persons for SL1 even @ MHS.
As for the scoreboard – it may be too complicated for them? At MHS the scoreboard acts as a clock, and sometimes even has the correct score?
Seriously though, ball persons should be mandatory for SL1. It makes for a faster game. Then there’s no reprieve for the long hitting, timewasters.
HV needs to get its act together here (& elsewhere)! Forget fines, take competition points off the offenders!
P.S. Isn’t it is interesting that some SL1 clubs supply ball kids sometimes…
possibly, when they feel they can get advantage from a faster flowing game or when they want to slow down the opposition?
June 19th, 2008 at 9:07 am
not that they need the help but the ball personnel Essendon supply for their home games are certainly advantageous for them. SL2 clubs are not used to having them and in many cases not fit enough to run a game out with them. Also takes out any respite they may be looking for while Essendon is giving them a flogging.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:33 am
This is all your fault Ballza!!!!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
great debate!
June 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Your spot on Ballza you cant leave it to Mr Pashy all the time. By right I should be wearing a mouthgard for the shocking state of my teeth (as you know)So I think I,ll go and buy one then they can use me.Idont care if Hugh doesdn,t approve but the situation has to.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Just play the game and stop sooking about ballkids and poached players.. Players who have no loyalty will play were they want to.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
For those of you who are talking alot of crap about poaching you clearly do not know MCC players at all. They are the est club for people who don’t originate from melbourne. Have a good hard look at the teams and understand not everyone is an original city slicker.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I am a ball kid and I enjoy it and like watching the game. Games run much more quickly when there are ball kids.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I am a 10 year old part time ball kid. It is great fun and I get a free soft drink. One MCC player and a Kew Coach said thanks after the game.
Go Kew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
hello
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
get charlie tulloch on the show
July 12th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Please …. take a deep breath and look at the facts.
-MCC juniors have 5 teams(u/9′s to u/17′s)let’s say there’s 50-60 players.
-Other SL1 clubs can organise 4-6 ballboys because some parent/junior coach/vet does it.Why not MCC?Who knows.
-MCC have very few juniors going into SL1 because they are a small junior club with no A grade junior teams and very few kids ever playing in Hotshots let alone junior state teams(see their website).
-Cost for juniors/adults at SHC is about $1.60(x4=$6)Adult $3.75.I know pertol is constantly going up,but surely cost can’t be a reason.Why not pass the hat around as I’ve seen plenty of MCC vets driving expensive cars to Monday night games.
-When you take on a job Ken,but only on your terms ie.”…but refuse to organise them at SHC games…” I think it might be time to hand the job over to someone else.
-Finally,other clubs have forgotten to orgainse ballboys too you know.
Now how about we look at a more serious topic “the effect of global warming on water based grounds”,I understand this subject almost got on the agenda at the recent G8 meeting.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
hello
i have to say i am in my last year at juniors at mcc and moving onto mcc seniors next year. I have spent my whole life at mcc and have seen the juniors grow and the club grow as well.
the support of the seniors at training and games to teach us skills and tricks has always been something that made mcc so special.
as being in U/17 i was asked to organise the ball-kids for the state league 1 games, discluding the womens at first, but later on womens asking for ball-kids. At first it was diffecult because MANY juniors had school hockey, and even seniors hockey on the times that the SL1 played.
even on friday night(day before the game) it was organised for around 3-4 juniors from either U/15 or U/17 to do ball kid, only to have 1 of them turn up.
i am not using excuses, but the whole mcc club should not be baged out for the laziness of a few individuals.
mcc is a great club and just because we don’t force a junior into going to a game, even having to pay to get into state hockey centre, to do ball-kid out of their own time mcc should not get dissed.
you can say what you want but on the last game mcc had 4 ball-kids in the womens game and 3 in the mens. We hope to keep this up for the whole season.
mcc is a great club and the juniors thank the seniors for the knowledge they share with the young kids and umpiring for our games. We hope to repay the favour with the ball-kids. and we will!
July 17th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
peanut, i like your thnking!agree with you on everything.
i’m sorry this all caused such a big fuss.
i never thought i’d look on here and see 40 comments and dissing such a great club like mcc so much.
we’ll follow this up and hope to make it up for all those people who care so much.
my apoligies.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Hi
Whilst we are a small junior club with only one team in each age group, our experience (we came from a very large club on Auburn Road) is that the coaching the juniors receive at MCC far outweighs any coaching that our children received in their formative years at another club. What other club has the Victorian Mens Coach working with the U11′s or Michelle Flouch coaching U13′s plus all our goalkeepers? We are also lucky enough to have several of the Mens and Womens SL1 players working with the older juniors and actively mentoring them through to seniors.
Have a look at MCC’s M4E team and remember the six juniors who are stealing the ball and making life difficult for some very grumpy old men (TEM, Old Carey, Old Camberwell to name a few)- those kids are part of MCC’s junior program and already they are playing like seniors who have played many years at a high level. (the kids are aged 10 to 13 so have a few years to go at juniors). (Interesting to watch senior players from other clubs playing against the kids – if you can’t beat them with skill, lets beat them physically – which hasn’t stopped the kids at all.)
RE Hotshots – MCC has realised that the only way that it will get more kids into Hotshots is to provide selectors (which it will be doing for 2009) or provide all the kids who trial with orange socks!
Cheers
July 25th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Some really concerning comments MCC parent.
Allowing 10-13y/olds to play seniors particularly in the M3/4 is crazy!I’d check your insurance coverage and the time it takes to get from MHS to the Royal Children’s Hospital.I’d also get legal advice if you’re encouraging children to play against adults because some parents will always find someone to blame/litigate if their little Jonny/Jenny gets badly injured.It’s called a “men’s” competition for good reason.I tried for years at my club to stop 5 foot tall/50 kilo children playing against 6 foot tall/90 kilo boofheads,but to no avail.I’ve seen two broken arms and a couple of bad head injuries to children playing against adults.There is a thing called “duty of care” you know.Unfortunately unknowing parents go along with the brainless coaches and club officials/parents trying to fill teams telling them it will be good for their child’s hockey.It’s not!I stupidly let my son play a few M3 games when he was 13,but soon realised it was too dangerous and he eventually played in a junior state team.No thanks to M3 “grumpy old men”.
RE.Hotshots – My 2 children did Hotshots for 4 years and only recently finished.For 2 of those years only one MCC boy trialled and he got in the team.As for the girls not one MCC child trialled in the 2 years my daughter did it and she wasn’t wearing orange socks.This year MCC got a boy in the State u/13 team which you have failed to mention.How could that be?Maybe he wore orange socks to the hotshots trials or maybe he’s just a pretty good player.Forget organising selectors try getting your MCC kids to trial for everything.How many have put their names down for the U/11-12 Development squads?Remember most of the kids they’re trialling against play A grade so they tend to be stronger players.Some kids look world beaters in P/sth or South underage comps,but in general wouldn’t make an A grade side at a big club let alone the Hotshots.That’s the reality don’t blame the selectors.Plus the selectors I saw at trials were mostly SL1/PA players not parents.They might know a couple of kids if they’ve coach them,but only the player’s name is on the trial sheets not their clubs as far as I know.
Goodluck to MCC I’ve always found them to be a good bunch of people.Please reconsider the playing of young juniors in metro teams there are other sports besides hockey being played on the weekend.