Important Info for U8 & U10 Parents

Welcome back to all our young players and their families. A special welcome to all our new players. We hope you all enjoy your time at the club.

Just a few points to mention in relation to training at The Watershed. As you would all expect, child safety and protection is a top priority and it's important to mention a few points on that. Please be aware that The Watershed is a very public place. The club is simply hiring the sports hall. We have no control over who comes and goes from the facility while we are there. With that in mind we have a few simple rules to keep our younger players safe.

1. We ask that you please take your child to the toilet before training and encourage them not to ask to go out to the toilet unless really necessary. If they do need to go, please be aware that coaches cannot accompany them. We insist that all children use the "designated" toilet only. That is the one in the corridor outside the sports hall. NOT the ones in corridor leading out to the pitches. Please explain this to your child. Also please be aware that the toilets have heavy fire doors and are often difficult for children to open, particularly from the inside. We have requested they be left open with a wedge but The Watershed informs us that it's not possible due to fire safety rules. If you are not happy for your child to go to the toilet alone, we ask you stay for the duration of the session.

2. We ask parents to drop children to the sports hall and return to collect after training. Please explain to your child that they are not to leave the hall until you return. We have a lot of children/parents on a Friday night and it can get very busy. Please bear in mind that there are many training sessions following each other so please pick up children promptly to leave courts clear for next session. Please explain to your child that they must return to a coach if parent hasn't arrived. 

3. Aggressive behaviour directed towards coaches or other children from either parents or players will not be tolerated. We ask that everyone is treated with the respect that they deserve. 

What To Wear & Bring To Training

1. Children must be wearing appropriate footwear i.e. runners
2. Please give your child a drink, water is best obviously. We don't encourage sharing drinks for health reasons. 
3. Children must bring their own size 5 basketball. There are a small number available at the club but you can get them in Ken Blacks and Elvery's also. CLEARLY LABEL EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY BASKETBALLS!!!

Housekeeping

With such large numbers of children in the club now, a decision had to be taken to stop providing basketballs for training. The cost is unsustainable. The nature of both the game, our large numbers and such a large training space often mean that balls end up scattered around the hall. While we try our best to keep them in the cage while not in use, it is inevitable that a few will go astray from time to time. Often children watching will pick up a ball to play while waiting for a brother or sister (as is their nature). We ask children/parents to please spend a minute locating their own ball and also make sure you are leaving with the correct ball. Coaches spend many hours on court preparing for the sessions and training the kids. They have their own equipment to tidy away before going home. Most of the coaches also have their own small children present. The coaches are a friendly bunch and are happy to help but please try to lighten the load by gathering your child's belongings yourself. 

We really hope your children enjoys playing basketball with The Kilkenny Stars and have lots of fun. It's important to mention that the club is run entirely on a voluntary basis. All coaches are Garda vetted and certified through Basketball Ireland, have completed a child protection course and have completed at minimum, an introductory level coaching course certified by Basketball Ireland. If you would like to get involved feel free to drop us an email. We can always use some extra help!! Wishing you all the best for the season ahead.