11/09/2026
MSW UNDER 12 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – 2026 WRAP UP
And that’s a wrap on our 2026 MSW Under 12 Development Program!
Our program kicked off back in April, and across the season we held up to 12 development training sessions, with a simple focus — getting more kids involved, giving them more time on the field, and providing opportunities to develop their individual skills, confidence and game play.
This year was also an exciting step forward for the program. Along with attending our local carnivals at Sutherland, Moorebank and Goulburn, for the first time we introduced travel carnivals, sending teams to the Tamworth York Cup and the Canberra June Long Weekend Carnival.
We hope those experiences gave our younger players a great taste of what being involved in MSW representative hockey is all about — travelling with teammates, playing against different associations and, most importantly, enjoying their hockey.
I am incredibly proud of every child who embraced the program and focused on their own personal development. The biggest measure of success isn’t always a medal — it is seeing something practised at a development session then being put into action during a local club game. Watching that happen throughout the season has been incredibly rewarding.
A massive thank you to all of our volunteer coaches who gave their time throughout the program, whether that was assisting at training sessions, coaching at carnivals or simply being there to encourage our young players. Without volunteers giving their time and knowledge, a program like this simply wouldn’t be possible.
We are also extremely fortunate to have the support of Wests Sports Council, whose funding allows us to provide this entire development program FREE OF CHARGE to participants. That support removes barriers and allows more kids to access additional hockey development opportunities, and we are incredibly grateful.
We capped off the program with our MSW home carnival, which is always one of the events I am most proud of. It gives us the opportunity to showcase our Development Program at home and, importantly, include an Under 10 division.
For the third year running, MSW took home the medals in the Under 10 division. I believe this is a real credit to the inclusion of our younger players in the Development Program, together with our local competition providing an Under 10 full-field competition.
The benefits of giving these younger players more opportunities, more touches on the ball and more exposure to full-field hockey are becoming increasingly evident — and we saw that on display at our carnival.
Our Under 12 Division 1 Boys also finished their program on a high, making the final and taking home the GOLD medal!
We know there is still more work to do, particularly in creating additional opportunities for girls’ competitions and development. This is something we will continue working on, and we hope to find ways to build those opportunities into our local competitions and future Development Programs.
Overall, 2026 has been another incredibly successful year for our Under 12 Development Program.
To every player, parent, coach, volunteer, club and supporter who contributed — thank you.
Most importantly, congratulations to all of our young players. We hope you enjoyed the program, learnt something new, made some great hockey memories and leave the season a little more confident than when you started.
We can’t wait to see where your hockey takes you next.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2026 MSW Under 12 Development Program!
Check out this fantastic video from our MSW Carnival, capturing some of the action and memories from the day — with a huge thank you and credit to Click InFocus for putting it together!
And of course, congratulations once again to all of our medal winners from the day! A fantastic way to finish off our 2026 Development Program.
From the MSW Representative Coordinator,
Lauren Cunningham
