Welcome to another season at Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club!

 

It only feels like yesterday that we were celebrating the end of a great 2023/24 hockey season at our end of season party back in May. As we come to the end of our summer league fixtures, having played some fantastic hockey under the summer sun (on occasions), we begin to concentrate our preparations for the upcoming season.

 

Please ensure you read the following, you should find all the information you need to pay your membership and training fees, get the important dates in your diary, and much more. Please especially take time to read our updated safeguarding, transport, photography and filming policies.

 

For those of you who were unable to attend the AGM, please also take the time to read the Chairman and Vice-Chairman reports, so that you are aware of the work that went on last season both on and off the pitch. Some positions are still to be filled so if you feel you have the skills to help our club, please let us know. If any member would like a full copy of the AGM minutes, then please contact the Club Secretary, Caroline Marsh via the following email address: WLHCsec@outlook.com

 

Captains

It is our pleasure to introduce ourselves as the team captains for the upcoming season. Our contact details, and the league information for each team, are as follows:

 

1st Team          Kate Dennis                   07790 812356              West Women's Division 2 Central | West Hockey (englandhockey.co.uk)

2nd Team         Flo Wring                         07989 406635              West Women's Brunel Division 1 | West Hockey (englandhockey.co.uk)

3rd Team          Rachel Wallace           07725 850867              West Women's Wessex Division 2 | West Hockey (englandhockey.co.uk)

4th Team          TBC                                    TBC                                    West Women's Brunel Division 2 | West Hockey (englandhockey.co.uk)

 

The captaincy team will be supported by vice captains, who are there to help you as much as the captains.

 

Communication

We will continue with the team WhatsApp groups, as this is the most efficient way for captains to post messages to all and to monitor who has received and read them. You must be at least 16 years old to be in the groups. If you are under the age 16, the relevant parent or carer for that individual will be added.

 

The club uses Teamer for all training and match communication. You are responsible for updating your own availability and responding to messages in a timely fashion. Captains and coaches rely on this information so it must be accurate. Please respond to your match and training Teamer message by Monday 6pm. This allows coaches sufficient time to plan their sessions and captains time to deal with any changes. If you do not respond to your Teamer message by the deadline, captains will have to assume you are unavailable, which may result in someone else being asked to play in your place. In this situation, and if someone else has accepted, captains cannot then guarantee you/your daughter a place in the team for that week. Refer to the Teamer user sheet attached if you are unsure how to use it.

 

Pre-season Training (Match play)

As we prepare ourselves for the upcoming season, we’d like to invite all members to our new pre-season training. This will be free of charge to all members, starting on Wednesday 7th August from 19:00 - 20:00. These sessions will involve match play so please look out for your weekly Teamers for further information.  It will continue weekly on Wednesday nights through to and including Wednesday 28th August. We look forward to seeing you all there!

 

Training for the 2024/25 season takes place from w/c 2nd September 2024 through to w/c 31st March 2025. Training runs from 19:00 - 20:30 with the 1st and 2nd teams training on a Wednesday and 3rd and 4th teams training on a Thursday.

 

Club Day

Our annual Club Day will take place on Saturday 7th September. This is a key date for your social calendar as it’s one of the only opportunities where we get the whole club together on one pitch. Don’t forget it’s also free for all club members. Invitations will be sent by Teamer. The day will be filled with various drills and skills work and gives you an opportunity to meet members across the whole club.

 

Please arrive at the pitch for 12:30 where you will be welcomed by Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club President, Bernie Richardson. Once we’re done on the pitch, please stick around for teas in the pavilion with the afternoon finishing at 16:00.

 

Matches & Match Selection

Matches are usually played on Saturdays, either home or away, with all details and information available on Teamer. Friendly matches start from 14th September and league matches from 28th September through to April.

 

Squads will be reviewed a minimum of four occasions throughout the season and players will be moved according to the selection criteria. Please refer to the selection criteria document attached. Selection for matches is completed on a Sunday by the captains, with all those selected receiving an invitation via Teamer for the team they have been selected for. Please note this could be from a team that is not the squad you are part of.

 

Membership & Training Fees

The annual membership and training fees have been combined again this season. This will be split into three equal payments across the season, payable by BACS. Click here  to access the membership form where you will find specific costs and due dates for your membership type. This includes free pre-season fitness training in August and Club Day! Match fees will remain as cash, payable on match days to your captain.

 

Equipment

Players are required to have a suitable stick, shin pads and gum shield. Proper hockey shoes are considered most suitable for wear on the astroturf, but trainers can be worn in emergencies. No studded footwear or blades are allowed on the astroturf. Water is also very important to bring along to matches and training – please do not rely on being able to get it close to the pitch. Please also ensure that if you require any inhalers or other medical equipment, that these are brought with you to both training and matches.

 

Kit

The first kit window is open now and will close on 7th September at Club Day. Payments need to be sent to the club by this date to ensure your order is completed.

Click here to access the kit order form. Captains will post a message into your squad WhatsApp group with order updates and further kit windows throughout the season.

 

In the meantime, a reminder that our preferred kit is red shirts with red socks and in the event of a clash at an away game, we wear white shirts with navy socks. Kit colour should be mentioned on the Teamer invitation.

 

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 07964 191244.

 

Important Dates

We’ve included a lot of information in the letter above, so we wanted to highlight some of the key dates for your diary below:

 

·        7th - 28th August 2024 - Pre-season Match Play @ 19:00 - 20:00

·        W/C 2nd September 2024 - Training starts @ 19:00 - 20:30

·        7th September 2024 - Club Day @ 12:30

·        14th - 21st September 2024 - Pre-season friendly matches

·        28th September 2024 - League games start

·        W/C 9th December 2024 - Last week of training for the Christmas break

·        W/C 6th January 2025 - Training resumes @ 19:00 - 20:30

·        5th April 2025 - Last league game

·        7th May 2025 - AGM

·        10th May 2025 - Annual End of Season Party

 

As well as captains updating the WhatsApp groups, please keep an eye on our social media platforms for all relevant club updates.

 

The club would like to thank our kit sponsors Thatchers, and our facility providers Sidcot School, for their continued support.

 

Good luck for the season and enjoy your hockey!

 

Any questions please do not hesitate to ask your captains,

 

Kate, Flo and Rachel