Just a reminder that our Spring/Summer Programme starts next week (mon 13th) and runs for 6 weeks (with a week's break for half term, so 7 weeks including the week off!)

Details all below as a reminder

Please email to register your children for the U10, U12 and U14 leagues

Thanks

Emma


Mondays:
5:30-7 - U10s intra club fun league - open to ALL Under 10s, boys and girls
7-8:30 - U14s intra club fun league - open to ALL under 14s, boys and girls

Tuesdays:
7:30-9 - Ladies Back to Hockey Session - adults only

Thursdays:
5:30-7 - U12s intra club fun league - open to ALL Under 12s, boys and girls
7-8:30 - Family hockey evening -for parents, juniors, new players, current players, bring the whole family and have some relaxed hockey fun!

Friday:
8-9:30 - Mens back to Hockey Session - adults only

Mondays:
5:30-7 - U10s intra club fun league - open to ALL Under 10s, boys and girls
7-8:30 - U14s intra club fun league  - open to ALL under 14s, boys and girls

Tuesdays: 
6-7:30 - U12s going to Lille on tour in May - training sessions for just those players, NOT open to all Under 12s
7:30-9 - Ladies Back to Hockey Session - adults only

Wednesdays:
7-9pm Ladies 1s/2s Summer League - umpiring opportunities for those who have done their Level 1 course and want practice

Thursdays:
5:30-7 - U12s intra club fun league - open to ALL Under 12s, boys and girls
7-8:30 - Family hockey evening -for parents, juniors, new players, current players, bring the whole family and have some relaxed hockey fun!

Friday:
8-9:30 - Mens back to Hockey Session - adults only


Please register your interest in any of the Junior Intra Club league nights with Emma Hewitt - emmasarahhewitt@gmail.com, as we need to know numbers prior to the night so we can allocate people to teams and plan a schedule of matches.  Deadline for registering interest is 30th APRIL

Please also register your interest for the family hockey evenings with Emma Hewitt - emmasarahhewitt@gmail.com

We hope you will enjoy any sessions you attend! :-)

Emma Hewitt
Junior Coordinator
Amersham & Chalfont Hockey Club

U8s - U14s, boys and girls, outfield or goalees, £25 a day or £40 for both days!  Places for each age group are limited so book early!

To book your child/ren on to the camp please print and complete booking form and post to address on form ASAP :-)  Open to non-ACHC members too, so bring your friends!

Easter 2013 Hockey Camp Booking Form.doc

Dear ##firstname##,

Unbelievably, the summer season will be starting soon (Mid May) and we need to make sure everyone who wants a game gets a game.  So we will be entering a ‘Club XI’ as usual (Captained by Andy Maloney) into either the Ashford league or a potential new Wycombe league and a 1’s / 2’s team into the OMT summer league.

However, on this email list, we are looking to see how many of you are interested (or not) in having a run around in the summer for the 1s / 2s so want to know whether to enter 1 or 2 teams into the OMT league.  Last season there were a few occasions where there were around 16 of us turning up and we don’t want to do that again as we all want a good, friendly run around.  The games last year were on a Tuesday and Thursday. 

We are also planning on setting up a Friday night inter men’s section welcome back to hockey session which will also feed into the various summer teams.

Can you let us know as soon as you can whether or not you will be playing – along the lines of :

• I would love to play in a team week in week out
• I might be around for the odd game depending on work
• I will be around from (specify date) after my exams
• I’m back from University on (specify date) and would love to have a run around assuming I haven’t got a job somewhere else
• I’m not coming back from University and have burnt my A & C shirts in a rite of passage a few years ago
• I’m injured, you know I’m injured and don’t want to play, but I would love to keep my hand in and laugh at some of you old lags who think you can keep up with the youngsters by umpiring (there are some Level 1 courses in the summer)
• I haven’t got a clue yet – but keep me posted
• I would love to but am playing softball / cricket / lawn tennis / running / darts / pims o'clock

If we can have a rough idea of numbers fairly soon that would be great as we have to commit to OMT by April 19th - we would love to have two teams though.

There will also be a newsletter later in April with more information on the summer leagues, umpiring courses, back to hockey sessions, family hockey evenings, on tour, marketing, hockey agm and much more (ideas welcome).

Hopefully see most of you at the dinner dance this Saturday.

Cheers

Andy (Watsy) Watts

andy@watsy.com / info@achc.org.uk

All,

A short note to let you know about some building work that is taking place at the Chalfont Park Clubhouse over the next few weeks. The CPSA Board has decided that to optimise the facilities at Chalfont Park, that two of the changing rooms (currently the Men's) at Chalfont Park will be converted into a downstairs members bar.  The two current Ladies Changing Rooms will be adjusted to unisex changing facilities.

This is because we almost never need more than 2 changing rooms at any point in time, and this allows better use of the space.  Creation of a Downstairs Member's Bar allows full external rental of the upstairs bar area, particularly during the in-demand summer months, and we therefore anticipate better financial returns from the use of the facility.

The Hockey section will still primarily use the upstairs bar area, although occasionally we may relocate to the Member's Bar.

If those changing at Chalfont Park (Men and Ladies) could therefore use the Ladies changing rooms for the last 3 weeks of the season, just check to see who is in there first. Next season, it will be properly adjusted for unisex use, but please bear with us for a few weeks.

Mark McCree
Acting CPSA Chairman

Lost Property
There is a lot of lost property that has built up since September, including ACHC hoodies, named water bottles and clothes, and a selection of gumshields (near the pitch gate).  After half term we will be sending anything that is left to Bag4Sport who pay us money per kg of clothing/bedding/linens that we send them.  Please have a look through the lost property (inside the main pavilion door on the right hand side) it will be there until Sun 24th then gone.

Dear players and parents,

We are very excited to announce our first ever Junior Tour to Oz!!

The tour will be during the summer holidays of 2014 and will be minimum 2 weeks long, costing around £1900

This will include lots of excursions, hockey fixtures, trips, travel, accomodation, some food and more!

Now we know this is a lot of money, so we have planned well ahead so there is plenty of time to save and we will also be happy to support any fundraising ideas any of you have...maybe a sponsored silence? a car wash, a car boot sale, dog walking, grass cutting, you name it we will help you make it happen.

So if you think this sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity that you would not want to miss, put your name down on the interest list (this doesn't commit you to going) so we can keep you updated with dates, costs, plans etc.

If you want to see a bit more about the location and the company we are touring with, go to http://www.teamlink.co.uk/sports-tours/australasia/australia and have a look at the various Australia tour options (this will be decided further down the line).

The tour will be open to anyone who will be in Year 8 and above at the time of the tour, open right through to Year 13s.

We are hoping to take a large group which means players get to play in their normal age group teams and it also brings the cost down significantly.

So....have a great Christmas and don't spend all of that Christmas money!  Get your piggy banks out and get saving!! :-)

Happy Hockey

Emma and all the team at ACHC

Message to all the Men.

Every week your captains spend a chunk of their very valuable free time sorting out teams. The hitssports system we use should make this easy, but the captains time is soaked up by late or no confimation of availability or unavailability for a particular match selection, and very poor forward visibility of availability. Hitssports has a good and easy to use way to show your future availability.  If your availability is specific to a time eg after 3pm, then please just let your usual captain know.  Any advance notification is massively helpful, whether a yes, a no, or an unsure.

This week late confirmations meant we unexpectedly had one team with 15 players and another with 6 late in the week. It was too late to rejig teams, and so we had to cancel a match, resulting in two teams forfeiting league points, as well as upsetting another club.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE:

UPDATE YOUR AVAILABILITY, at least 2 weeks ahead, including Unsure if that is what it is.

CHECK YOUR EMAILS AND REPLY TO THE SELECTION EMAILS PROMPTLY EVERY MONDAY, and if you are unsure, drop your captain an email as to when you will know, so that he knows and doesn't have to chase you.

I for one would rather not spend my Friday evenings ringing round, and I know the other captains feel the same. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP this little bit. Personally I find Captaincy rewarding, but it can be very frustrating because of this one issue, which is so easily resolved.

I am sorry for the blunt nature of this, but while the Ladies seem to manage, the men's section has been frankly rubbish.

PLEASE REMEMBER:

AVAILABILITY

CONFIRMATION PROMPTLY

Thanks, in anticipation that despite the fact Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, we can show that we can do this.

Mark McCree
ACHC Chairman and 5ths Captain