🔵 Introduce yourself and say how long have you been working with junior hockey kids?
🔹️ I am Alireza Mahdavi, the goalkeeper of the national ice hockey team. For two and a half years, with the help of Arshia Ghafouri, a player of the senior national team, and Parsa Jalali, a player of the national youth team, I have been leading the men's under-10 national team.
🔵 How do you choose the players?
🔹️ Every three months, we make a call and take tests from all the players under the age of ten, and the best ones are selected from among them. Those who are not selected have the opportunity to be selected in the next test.
🔵 How many days a week do you practice?
🔹️We have been training one day a week for almost four months.
We have practice on Fridays in the morning, and our practice is divided into three parts. In the first part, we got the help of a bodybuilder who specializes in children, and we work with the children in the off-ice.in the second part, we have hockey practice for an hour inside the ice field, and then in the third part, the child psychologist talks with the children.
🔵 How do you see the acceptance of hockey by children and families?
🔹️ With the efforts made by the hockey association, it has been able to draw people's attention to the sport of hockey, and now the children show interest in hockey in a strange way and train with all their efforts to participate in this sport. Those who were selected want to stay in the camp with more training and it is interesting that those who were not selected have understood this issue with their young age, they should train in such a way as to reach the next round selection.
🔵 Are preparatory games also held for this age group?
🔹️ Yes, every two weeks we hold preparatory games. Either we play with the girls' national team under the age of ten, or they are divided into two teams and play together, which is very attractive for them and is welcomed. We even have spectators in the preparatory games.
We intend to organize friendly games with neighboring countries with the support of sponsors who are attracted by the hockey association or families.
🔵 How are the team's expenses covered?
🔹️ The ice field, which is available to the national teams for free with the efforts of the Hockey Association and the cooperation of Iran Mall.
The bodybuilding coach and team psychologist also work with us for free for the sake of the children.
Clothes and other expenses, which are not too much, are paid by the families and sponsors that the association and sometimes the families themselves attract.
🔵 In your opinion, considering the reception of this sport, only one Iranmall ice rink will be the answer?
🔹️ The only ice rink that has the ability to play hockey in it by observing all the standards is the Olympic size ice rink, which does not respond to the high volume of people's acceptance of this field, although with the careful planning that the Hockey Association and the Iran Collection have. Currently, the national teams in all age groups are doing regular exercises without any problems, but I hope that with the attention of the authorities, more ice fields will be built that all people can use and promote the growth and development of this sport.
🔵 How do you predict the future of hockey from the amount of talent and ability you see in the children?
🔹️ Children's ability and talent in hockey is so high that it surprises us. Definitely, with the support of this talent and potential, the future of hockey will be brilliant.
🔹️ Names of players aged 10 years and under 10 years:
1- Takin Roohafza
2- Bardia Ataollahi
3- Iman Shajari
4- Ehsan Pouriani
5- Ali Talebi
6- Ilya Nagheli
7- Tiam Zar Peyma
8- Mohammad Hossein Balotf
9- Mehrsam Izadmehr
10- Taha Dehghani
11- Mahyar Mavini
12- Hossein Majd
13- Parsa Amin Tainat
14- Radin Amiri
15- Behrad Babazadeh
16- Arshiya Hashemi
17 Hirad Abedi nia
18- Mehrsam Sharifi
Goalies:
1- Danial Afshar
2- Toheed Rahimi