What a fantastic season of Hockey we had in 2022/2023! We have nearly finished our summer league fixtures with two teams entered in the Bristol league and one in the Clevedon league. We’ve played some great hockey under the summer sun, and we are now looking forward to getting prepared for the upcoming season. 

New for 2023-24 season, we would like to introduce our new Chair and Vice Chair of Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club - Kelly Clark and Kate Dennis. They have been long standing members of Winscombe Ladies Hockey Club and have been elected this year to oversee the running of the club and have some exciting ideas to bring to the committee…watch this space! 

This Season there are some changes in the way you pay your membership and training fees, along with updated versions of our safeguarding, transport, photography, and filming policies.  

Captains 

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

1st Team - Charlie Phillips 07921528313

2nd Team - Tia Rendall 07872175494

3rd Team - Rachel Wallace 07725850867

4th Team - Darcy MacKay Via WhatsApp group

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 a message to all and to monitor who has received and read them. You must be at least 16 years old to be in the groups (this is also WhatsApp policy) and so the relevant parent or carer for under 16s 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 (normally) 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, again usually 6pm Monday , 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. There is a Teamer user sheet included within this mail out so please ensure you know how to use Teamer.  

Training 

Training for the 2023/24 season takes place from w/c 4th September 2023 through to w/c 8th April 2024. 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. The club will continue to use Teamer for all training communication. Training breaks for Christmas between w/c 11th December 2023 and w/e 7th January 2024.  

Club Day 

Our annual Club Day will take place on Saturday 16th 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 at16:00. 

The 1st team will be hosting a friendly fixture in the morning so please come along and support if you’re able to get down a bit earlier.  

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 9th September and league matches from 30th September through to April. 

Squads will be reviewed monthly throughout the season and players will be moved according to the selection criteria. See document attached for detailed selection criteria. 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 

This season we have decided to combine the annual membership and training block fees together. This will then be split into three equal payments across the season, payable by BACS.

Please refer to the below link to the new membership form where you will find the specific costs and due dates for your membership type. This includes free pre-season fitness training in August and free Club Day! Match fees will remain as cash, payable on match days to your captain. 

Membership Form: https://forms.office.com/r/V2c3unmuqw

Please pay by BACS Transfer as follows:

Sort Code: 09-01-50               Account No:  03404994 

Reference - use players surname and your squad number e.g. Whitehead22

If you do not yet have a squad number, then your player surname is acceptable, until you have one.

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. 

Kit 

The first kit window is open now and will close on 1st September 2023, to ensure kit can be delivered in time for the league matches. Payments need to be sent to the club by this date to ensure you order is completed.  

All kit orders can be placed via the online kit form.  

Kit Form:  https://forms.office.com/r/KdtrHYDXWV

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. If you are ever unsure, please don’t hesitate to ask. 

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. A link to the England Hockey Safeguarding Good Practice is attached below within this email. 

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. 

England Hockey Safeguarding Good Practice: England Hockey SafeGuarding Good Practice.pdf

Covid-19 

We follow all England Hockey’s ‘Living with Covid’ procedures. Details can be found on their website (Covid-19 Guidance | England Hockey).  

The Club Covid Officer is Kelly Clark - 07595 312331.  

 

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, 

Charlie, Tia, Rachel, and Darcy.