While the Perth Thundersticks are busy training and preparing for the new Liberty Hockey One season, another national tournament is on the mind of one of our own.
Brodee Foster is set to make his state coaching debut this weekend as he gears up to coach one of the WA Boys teams competing at the Hockey Australia Under-14 National Championships.
The 22-year-old said it was a privilege to have the opportunity to give back to the hockey community by coaching young players through their first national tournament.
“It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years, and I’ve been pretty fortunate to have some very good coaches and mentors coming up,” he said.
“I just really want to give back in some way and I really enjoy coaching so hopefully I can pass one some things to some young kids.”
Foster has been spending time stepping into the world of coaching to take his game to the next level.
Alongside playing in the Stiles Electrical Premier League with the Reds Hockey Club, he has also been coaching the club’s Premier Division 2 side.
“I’ve always been a decent thinker of the game, and I’ve admired some of the coaches I’ve had especially in state sides,” he said.
“Tim Geers, Dom Hird and Cale Walsh are the three that stand out for me, and they have been huge in my hockey.
“I guess I’ve been wanting to in some ways follow their path and be a role model for the kids coming through and hopefully they’ll be able to look up to me like I still look up to my coaches.”
Joining Foster as assistant coach is teammate and “best mate” Cam Geddes, with the tournament set to bring a new challenge after years of playing together in WA State teams, as part of the Perth Thundersticks and for the Burras.
“It’s great to have Cam with me as assistant coach – I love him to bits and we see eye to eye on a lot of things which is good,” he said.
“It is different because we are now responsible for 16-18 kids.
“I’m probably a little bit more of the bad cop and sometimes he just wants to be one of the boys but we’re learning a lot which is exactly what we were after going into this.”
Foster and Geddes will be coaching the WA Boys Black team during the tournament.
“Training has been good so far with lots of learning curves,” he said.
“We are not judged to be the pinnacle going into it, but the boys are so willing to learn, and they have taken everything Cam and I have thrown at them and put it into practice.
“I’m really excited to see what they’ll do and I think they’re going to turn a lot of heads and show a lot of people that we’ve got a lot of depth here in WA – not only with the success we’ve had in the 18s and 21s over the last few years but also right down to the 14s level.”
The Hockey Australia Under-14 National Championships will take place at Perth Hockey Stadium and Melville Toyota Stadium from Sunday 29 September to Saturday 5 October.
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