The whole club is looking forward to a full season of hockey and we would like to welcome new and old members back to the pitch.
For obvious reasons, the last year has been difficult for many and despite the restrictions we faced when we came together to play hockey (and enjoy others company) it was of escaping from the stay/work/play-at-home messages we had become used to.
We start (have already started!) with the usual pressures of finding out who is available, who has moved clubs/house and welcoming new people to the club and working out who plays where! This year is so much harder so I would encourage everyone as soon as possible to renew membership, reply to that WhatsApp message or give some indication to the club captains or teammate that you are intending to play hockey, or not, as the case may be.
The amount of work that goes into planning your training session, working out who can play where each week and scrabbling around for another umpire at 8pm on a Friday night etc etc is something that your committee, captains and coaches have been looking forward to again!! Again, let's make their lives easier by communicating your availability as soon as possibly. And an eve-of-the-season thank you to those that will undertake these tasks.
Throughout the summer the committee meet and plan for the new year. We welcome Laura Harriss as your Communications Officer, Anna Hall is Secretary whilst Hannah Bond moves into the Ladies Club Captain position. All I do is turn up and chair the meetings, the committee do an extraordinary amount of work in between meetings.
Each year the committee agree the priorities and ambitions for the club. For me personally there is only one thing on my mind - the pitch - but at the same time just getting people back into the swing of things, providing a healthy, safe and enjoyable experience for all of our members - playing or volunteering - has to be the ultimate aim.
The pitch will be re-laid - the Council and the School are working on the agreements behind the scenes - and therefore I hope to provide good news on this before or at the AGM in April 22.
We continue our partnership with Hurricane Sports and thank Gary and Jason for their continued support and advice. Jason will step into the training of the Men's 1 & 2 for the time being, and we thank Glynn for his efforts and dedication and wish him well for the future.
So, good luck to everyone for the season ahead. Please remember this is your club and it is run by volunteers - most of whom are players too (and the odd umpire 😉) who go over and above the call of duty to ensure everyone can enjoy their hockey.
If you think you are able to offer constructive suggestions, financial support, time or anything else please get in touch!
Arran Coggan
Chair