Welcome to another season at Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club! 

Please ensure you read the following email and important attachments in full. Within this email, you should find all the information you need to pay your membership and training fees, understand our safeguarding policies and much more. 

We’re once again pleased to open our junior membership to girls and boys in school years 5-8.

Training

Junior training sessions take place on Mondays from 6-7pm at Sidcot Astroturf. Starting on Monday 8th September 2025, training will run up to and include Monday 8th December 2025 (excluding 20th and 27th October for half-term). Training will commence again on Monday 12th January 2026 and run up to and including Monday 30th March 2026 (excluding 16th Feb for half-term). This is a total of 23 possible sessions.

This season, we are pleased to welcome back our well-loved coach Joanna Horwood, she is an experienced hockey coach and player with Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club.  As last season, players from the senior section of the club will also be there as volunteers to support Jo.

Membership and training fees

The annual membership and training fees are combined and split into two £50 payments across the season. The first £50 payment is due by 6th October 2025 and covers all the training sessions that run up until Christmas. The second £50 payment is due by 2nd February 2026 and covers all the training sessions that run up until the end of March CLICK HERE to access the membership form.

If you are a new member to the club, we like to offer the first two sessions free of charge so you can try before you buy!

Clothing, kit, and equipment

Please ensure your child wears appropriate clothing for the sport and the weather. The following is essential to participate in training:

• Shin pads
• Trainers or astro shoes
• Weather appropriate clothing - bottoms/leggings, jacket/waterproof, and gloves are essential in the colder months
• Drink - clearly labelled with the child’s name
• Long hair should be tied back

The following items are highly recommended:

• Gum shield
• Hockey stick - we have a few sticks that members can borrow temporarily. If you are buying a new stick, as a size guide they should be level with the child’s hip bone

We aim to keep sessions moving but at times, we must stop to explain exercises and we do not want anyone getting cold. If we consider anyone to be inappropriately dressed, we reserve the right to say they can’t train. 

We do have WLHC branded kit available to order CLICK HERE to access our kit order form. We also have a size guide, CLICK HERE

Important information

Our policies and procedures can be found in the attachments. They are continually updated so please ensure you read these in full. Below are some key points:

• Please ensure your child arrives on time but is never left at the venue before a coach arrives
• Junior members are not allowed to leave the pitch area until an adult arrives, so it is important they are collected on time too. Please note that collection is from the pitch gate – we do not allow junior members to walk across the field or down to the car park to meet a parent/guardian
• We understand that some of you share lifts, but it is important that we, as well as your child, know who is collecting them
• When dropping off, please ensure all junior members are signed in on the register. For safety reasons, it is important we know how many and who are in attendance. If you arrive late, please see a coach/helper before leaving your child
• If we are required to cancel a session, for weather concerns or any other unforeseen circumstances, we will publish this via our Instagram and other social media outputs as soon as possible, so please do check prior to travelling
• Please note that no one, other than the child who is participating the session, is allowed onto the hockey pitch. We respectfully request that all parents remain behind the pitch fence for the duration of the session
• The nearest toilets are in the pavilion at the top of the sports field which is approx. 200 metres away up a lit path. We ensure that all junior members are accompanied by an adult if they need access to the toilets, but we would appreciate you encouraging your child to go before attending the session

Club Welfare Officer 

England Hockey believe that all young people have the right to be safe and enjoy their involvement in hockey and is committed to promoting the welfare of all young people in our sport to protect them from harm alongside the hockey family.   

The Club Welfare Officer is primarily responsible for promoting good practice within the club, to be a named point of contact for young people, parents, coaches, and volunteers, and to follow the correct England Hockey safeguarding procedures if a concern is raised. CLICK HERE to view the England Hockey Safeguarding Good Practice.

Our Club Welfare Officer is Chloe Davis, and she is currently a primary school teacher so is very familiar with safeguarding and child protection issues. Should you wish to contact Chloe, her mobile number is 07964191244. 

Here’s to the 2025/26 season!

Thank you for reading this important email and we hope you’re excited for the start of the upcoming season. The club would like to thank our kit sponsors Thatchers, and our facility providers Sidcot School for their continued support. 

For any general information, queries, or concerns, please contact the coaching team on  winscombehc@outlook.com. We will endeavour to get back to you within a week and any urgent queries being replied to as necessary.

Good luck for the season and enjoy your hockey!