Hockey in Platja d'Aro

Safe, inspiring and scenic, Platja d'Aro offers the ideal opportunity for students to ignite their passion for hockey outside the UK and beyond the school grounds.

Platja d'Aro occupies an enviable location on Spain's Costa Brava coastline, within easy reach of airports, training sites and fixtures.

Students will appreciate the close proximity to Barcelona (a 90 minute drive), where Spain's Olympic stadium can be experienced.

Staff can relax in this safe and welcoming resort, where amenities and Blue Flag beaches are conveniently located within walking distance of the hotel.

Free-time is taken care of, with superb shopping and entertainment opportunities in Platja d'Aro. A wide choice of sports and cultural excursions are also on offer. Evening entertainment is on hand at the disco, karaoke bar and Magic Park amusement centre, or the bowling alley is just a five minute drive away.

With its Mediterranean climate, Platja d'Aro is a year-round destination; we suggest visiting in May Half Term or at Easter, when the weather is warm and there is a large choice of teams to play. For a quieter stay with milder weather, October and February half terms are also recommended.

Wider curriculum links: Offering superb sports facilities alongside welcoming Catalan culture, medieval architecture and an inspiring coastal location, Platja d'Aro communicates a natural link between sports and other curriculum areas, including Languages, History, Art and Geography.

Pavilion's Hockey Tours

Pavilion's in-country agents can expertly match players' ages and abilities, ensuring that all students benefit from valuable training sessions.

Our in-country coaches and official referees demonstrate enviable skill and professionalism, offering 90 minute training sessions that aim to generate positive learning outcomes through challenging players' decision making skills and enhancing their performance.

Teachers can choose to add as many training sessions as they desire, and are more than welcome to coach students themselves, if they prefer.

Playing on water or sand based Astro pitches, superb stadiums complement each pitch and non-playing teams are actively encouraged to support competing players. Matches can be played in Barcelona and are managed by official referees.

Students will enrich their cultural understanding and communication experiences further by playing two fixtures against local Spanish teams.

During their stay, teams can choose either:

• 2 x 90 minute training sessions plus 2 x fixtures against local Spanish sides
• Or...4 x 90 minute training sessions with a pro-coach plus a mini UK tournament

Curriculum Values

Recognising the varied and valuable role Physical Education plays in the lives of young people, Pavilion encourages players to become responsible, reflective and successful team players.

In-line with National Curriculum Key Concepts and Processes, our programmes encourage players to:

• Improve Performance, stamina and strength
• Gain confidence in making and applying decisions
• Develop precision, control and fluency
• Integrate tactics, such as outwitting opponents, into their game
• Improving the range and quality of core skills: Receiving – open and reverse stick, stationary and on the move. Dribbling – change of pace, dodging. Passing – push, hit, slap. Shooting – flick, push, hit, slap
• Developing and refining key techniques: Marking, intercepting, tackling and jockeying, Goal keeping and distribution, Shot stopping and taking crosses