Dear Parents,
We’re so glad you’re interested in giving your child the opportunity to play hockey—or that your child is already part of Steglitzer TK, learning this wonderful sport! Maybe your child has been playing for a while, or maybe you’ve just started exploring the world of hockey. No matter where you are in this journey—we’d like to use this information to help you find your way and provide your child with the best possible support on the field.
Hockey is more than just a sport—it’s about team spirit, physical activity, and lots of fun! In the following sections, we’ll give you an introduction to our club and the fascinating world of team sports. This will make it easier for you to get started and help you support your child in the best way possible.
Steglitzer TK is a true neighborhood and family club —open to all girls and boys from Steglitz, Friedenau, and Zehlendorf, as well as neighboring Schöneberg. With a lot of passion and dedication, we’re bringing a breath of fresh air to hockey in Berlin! Our home is the “Sochos” at the Sochos Sports Complex (Lessingstraße 5–8 in Steglitz) —a place where children and teens come together, regardless of their personal backgrounds, to experience this great sport together.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our hockey family!
Why Hockey Is the Perfect Sport for Your Child
Hockey is more than just a game—it’s a combination of team spirit, physical activity, and technique that helps children grow not only athletically but also personally. It promotes speed, coordination, and endurance, but above all, teamwork: Because hockey is a true team sport that remains a genuine amateur sport. Success comes only through good teamwork.
What’s especially great is that hockey is suitable for all children —regardless of their height or physical abilities. The combination of strategy, sportsmanship, and energy is what makes the sport so exciting. By the way, physical contact isn’t allowed in hockey, which makes it particularly safe for children.
Another major advantage: Hockey is a year-round sport! In the summer, we play outdoors on artificial turf; in the winter, we move indoors. This means variety, no long breaks, and continuous development. Plus, there’s hardly any other sport with such a strong sense of community— both on and off the field. Our club stands for fair, family-like, and respectful interaction, where children can form friendships that last a lifetime. On top of that, the sport offers an incredible combination of athleticism, coordination, and cognitive skills. This is perfect for the children’s holistic development.
We're thrilled that your child is joining this wonderful sport—and that you, as parents, are part of it! 😊
What is important to us?
Age
Generally speaking, children can start training in the “Mini-Minis” and “Minis” age groups starting at around age 4. At around age 7, they move up to the “U8” (under 8) age group; at age 9, to the “U10”; at age 11, to the “U12,” and so on…
We're always happy to welcome beginners—the sooner, the better. To sign up for a trial session, please register HERE.
Hockey has one small drawback: It’s not really recommended to start playing after age 15 at the latest, because the coordination skills required take many years of training to develop—though there have been some exceptions. This is especially true if you’ve already learned team sports or played tennis, for example. So you can always give it a try at a trial practice—maybe it’ll work out?
Nationwide, the age groups are divided as follows during the field season:
Age Groups Starting in April 2024
Equipment
Hockey requires a hockey stick, which can be purchased for as little as 40 euros for younger children. Grass-field shoes and shin guards are also part of the equipment—and a mouthguard is essential for protecting your teeth. Starting at the U10 level, you should consider purchasing a complete uniform set, since you’ll be playing together as a team in your first “real” tournaments. The STK uniform is red and white with green shorts. All of this can be purchased through our partner BHP, Unter den Eichen 108 – 12203 Berlin. For players under the U10 level, red and white T-shirts are often sufficient to help distinguish the children on the field. In summary:
Outdoor season: Sturdy sneakers – weather-appropriate clothing – water bottle
Indoor Season: Indoor sneakers – comfortable athletic wear – water bottle
You can rent a hockey stick to start with.
Starting with the U10s, we always recommend purchasing our jerseys from our equipment partner, BHP, located at Unter den Eichen 108, 12203 Berlin. The store has all hockey gear in stock, and of course, our club collection is also available for purchase online or just to browse:
Training
Practices are usually held twice a week and last between 1.5 and 2 hours. The coaches follow principles established jointly by the group. Most of our head coaches have completed a so-called “C Course in Recreational Sports” and are therefore qualified to lead training groups. Practices take place outside of school breaks, from October through March, indoors. Of course, these practices generally take place even when it rains. Our youngest participants have training sessions lasting between 45 and 60 minutes.
There are no practices on public holidays or during Berlin school breaks. A trial period lasts 4 weeks and is free of charge. After that, you become a member of the club.
Your child will enjoy more than 120 hours of training over the course of a year.
Training times vary between the outdoor and indoor seasons, both in terms of days and times. This depends on the availability of public courts.
Games
In addition to training, starting in the U8 age group, players participate in an increasing number of match days and tournaments. Starting in the U10 age group, there are regular league games with up to 10 match days, which take place within Berlin and the surrounding area. Tournaments can be held nationwide and often involve overnight stays.
It is ESSENTIAL that you, as parents, also do your part—the simplest way is to encourage your child to attend practice and to avoid last-minute confirmations or cancellations for games and tournaments, as this throws the entire organization into disarray. Hockey, as a team sport, only works if you honor your commitments and support the team during games.
Your child will therefore also benefit from care and supervision for approximately 50 hours on the weekends.
Tournaments
Tournaments are the icing on the cake—whether it’s a trip to Munich, Bremen, one of Germany’s hockey towns, or the Netherlands—these trips will remain in the memories of parents and children alike. After all, tournaments take place all over the country and involve overnight stays without the parents.
As described above, this is generally part of the parents’ role in providing support and assistance: searching for opportunities, organizing, and providing guidance—and with the help of a parent coach, this can be planned and carried out. You can explore and plan the available options on the German Hockey Federation’s national hockey exchange:
In this case, it’s important to take a look at the situation together with the coach and actively discuss it with the parents and the club.
Volunteer Work
Our coaches and the entire club form a community based on the principle of volunteerism. Coaches of all ages and in all roles within the club are involved—to a greater or lesser extent—out of a love for the sport or a sense of responsibility toward the volunteer structure, all for the well-being of your children. Everyone involved strives at all times to contribute so that we can play sports together as a united group.
No, we are not a for-profit company that is required to perform a task under a service contract.
Club Structure
You can find information about the leadership roles within the club on the Board of Directors page—in addition to the coaches, our club office is (cluboffice@stk-hockey.de) is generally a good first point of contact for all questions, problems, and minor issues. We also want each team to have an elected parent representative who supports the coaches and the club and serves as the primary point of contact for internal team communication.
Our STK also needs support at any time in the following areas:
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Training Schedule/Game Times/Training Program
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Event Planning
Youth Leadership
The Steglitz TK has expanded the leadership of its youth division in order to address the different goals of each age group more specifically and to train and improve the coaches and training sessions.
The youth leadership team is moving forward with team and coach planning. The focus is on the content and organizational planning of training sessions and games, as well as the planning of our city-wide summer camps.
Hockey Camps
We offer hockey camps during the Easter, summer, and fall breaks. Under the guidance of experienced coaches and following a well-developed training program, your children will spend part of their break with us.
During these vacation days, we provide your children with intensive training through a variety of fun sports activities. As a result, many children see a significant improvement in their own playing skills. It’s also always great for everyone to get to know their older and younger teammates. Many friendships have already blossomed within the camp community.
The Steglitz TK Hockey Camps are known throughout Berlin for their unique blend of hockey and social skills. We want to give our children more than “just” the sport. Personal growth through the sport, the team, and interacting with children of different ages is what makes hockey so unique.
Role Models
Our coaches should be role models—both on the ice and off. But it’s not just the coaches who serve as role models for children involved in sports; the environment and the way they interact with coaches and teammates in their personal lives also play a role. Through sports, children learn behavioral strategies and observe the behavior of everyone on and around the rink—we all need to be mindful in our communication to live up to this role model responsibility.
Cheering from the sidelines is important, too, but parents should not interfere with the coach’s instructions, and they certainly should not coach other players during the game—whether from their own club or other clubs. Sports are meant to give children a chance to try new things and not to learn from poor behavior. Winning and scoring a goal aren’t always what matters most. What does matter is the effort, the shared experience, and working together toward a common goal.
Everyone is a role model: coaches, parents, family members, and everyone on the team.
Child Protection
In March 2026, we also earned the LSB Child Protection Seal after working intensively on child protection within our club and actively pursuing the certification process for the Berlin State Sports Federation’s Child Protection Seal. This is an important step that demonstrates that the safety and well-being of your children are our top priority.
Child Protection at STK Hockey
Parental Involvement
The coaches cannot organize every aspect of the sports program on their own; they already devote a great deal of their time as volunteers to our children. Parental involvement is therefore not only welcome but absolutely essential. Activities off the field, managing the team fund, serving as parent representatives—there are so many ways to get involved in your children’s experiences and sports. Driving to other fields, organizing and accompanying the team to tournaments—these are all ways to get involved for your child, the club, and our community as a whole.
Parents are also their children's biggest fans, which is why—in response to popular demand—we now offer fan merchandise for parents, grandparents, and kids. Check it out here: Fan Shop
The coaches are individuals who always have your children’s best interests at heart, but who also respond to issues on a case-by-case basis. They are all committed to providing your child with a pleasant learning environment, individualized support, and plenty of fun. However, they also keep the team and the team’s best interests in mind.
Parents, coaches, and the STK form a team that works together to create experiences for their children on the hockey field—experiences that will provide them with memories and skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
If you’d like to be part of this effort and help organize these sporting events, please contact us. If not, you’re still very welcome at the STK.
Want more information? 
Please feel free to contact me!
Isa Knudson
STK Hockey Club Office
Phone • +49 (30) 219 77 128
Email • cluboffice@stk-hockey.de
