Swan Minkey is a new and improved minkey (mini hockey) program for the Kindy to Year 4 age group, brought to you by Eastern Blades Hockey Club. Blades is the only hockey club where every team is based in the City of Swan and our minkey program is no exception. Help your child develop a life-long love of sport by playing minkey at the club that they can grow with, while belonging to a close-knit community.
When ‘local-ish’ isn’t local enough, choose Swan Minkey.
$50 doesn’t go that far these days but it will get your child two terms of training and games and you’ll still have some left over. Try and find a better value recreation option for your kids, we’ll wait. They’ll even get a free shirt as part of the fees. We are also a Kidsport club and can help you work through the process if you need.
We have put a lot of time and experience into creating training plans that put fun firmly at the centre of everything we do. Your kids will look forward to every session so that’s one less healthy thing you need to force them to do (you’re on your own getting them to eat brussel sprouts). Every child is involved, no matter their age or ability.
Your child can start in Swan Minkey and continue on to playing hockey with Eastern Blades juniors and then seniors. Children can make friends for life through sport and the social and physical outlet it provides can help keep your child happy and healthy as they grow.
Swan Minkey isn’t just for the little ones. Our program helps older children and young adults learn to lead and teach by coaching, backed by our ‘Coach The Coaches’ initiative. Experienced coaches mentor and give feedback in a safe and supportive environment. Coaching develops a range of skills that will help your child in other areas of their lives, as well as being a fun way to help out.
Swan Minkey is part of the larger Blades family and with one venue for everyone, you can be part of something bigger and not an afterthought. Your kids can form friendships that will last for life and build a community around themselves. As a family club, we have multiple generations all playing at various levels and it’s a great way to stay connected.
Being in the community isn’t just about physical location. It’s about relationships and it’s about giving back to the area. We run open community events, as well as cultural and community nights within our program throughout the year. Finding out what is going on in the local area can be difficult at times and we work with other community groups to be able to keep you informed about free events in the area. We belong and we want to help you belong too.
Training is on Tuesday nights at 5 – 6pm and Saturday mornings at 8.30 – 9.30am. The sessions are intended to be alternates to ensure that everyone can make a session per week, although you can attend as many sessions as you would like.
Training sessions will be at Dayton on the grass fields.
Games will run on Friday nights on the turf at Dayton from 5 – 6pm. A small number of games may be held at other venues with other clubs and other clubs will occasionally join in with our games.
Training starts on Tuesday 5th of May and the final session of Term 2 is Tuesday 30th of June. Games will run on Friday nights between those dates.
The first training session of Term 3 is Tuesday 21st of July and the final session of 2026 will be Tuesday 15th of September. Games will run on Friday nights between those dates.
You will need a mouthguard, which you can get from a chemist or through your dentist. You may also be able to get your health cover to pay for it.
You will also need a stick and shinpads, which you can purchase from the club or from a sporting goods store. We recommend Hockey International and be sure to tell them you play for Blades.
You can register here or contact us for more information here to arrange to try it out first.
You can also come down to a Come and Try Day or one of the multiple community events we host throughout the year.
Swan Minkey is split into three groups, based on school years:
Joeys (Kindy and Preprimary)
Wallabies (Years 1 and 2)
Kangaroos (Years 3 and 4)
If your child is pre-kindy, they may be able to join Joeys early.
If you child is in Year 5 or above, then take a look at the junior teams at Eastern Blades.
Whether you want more information about Swan Minkey or playing for Blades, are interested in sponsorship or have a general query, we would love to hear from you. Fill in the form below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
