ISBHF

Age Groups

Age Groups & Levels of Play

Programs available vary from nation to nation with the youngest age groups often commencing as young as five years old. Youth leagues typically run in groupings of two to three years depending on the size of the community and number of participants. A sample program may offer the following age groups:

Under 18 (as at start of year)
Under 16
Under 14
Under 12
Under 10
Under 8
Under 6

Men’s programs usually commence at 18 years of age, with some programs allowing under-18's to play with parental consent if no youth program exists in their community. Nations may offer as many as six senior levels of play based on competitiveness of the player/team, including old-timers (over 30 years of age in most countries).

As players/teams succeed at each level, they are normally expected to graduate to higher competitive levels of play if offered in their communities, in order to keep programs fair and fun for all participants. Some nations offer women's programs with many more to expected to follow shortly.

Divisions for older adults are becoming more and more popular with 30+, 35+, and 40+ age levels common.

In the end, you must decide what is best for the development of your members and your program. Keeping the game fun involves more than just rules for safety but also an effort to keep play fairly competitive so that all participants have an opportunity to succeed or feel fulfilled in the effort to succeed. Self-esteem is an important element of amateur sports at a recreational level, and administrators should keep this in mind when developing programs.

President's note

George Gortsos
ISBHF president

This past weekend I had the honour of becoming the third President of the ISBHF. I believe that as a player and coach I have always strived to play ball hockey in a skilled and team way. Now I have a chance to work with all the great leaders of our sport throughout the World who love the game like we all do. I met some great people in Paris. And I would like to thank the representatives of all our member nations who voted me in on behalf of ball hockey players around the World. This is an honour I will handle with the honesty and hard work that made me a successful player and coach. I want to share the main keys that I will strive to work with my fellow board members to make this game better around the World.
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