New joiners and returners
We were delighted to welcome a number of new players at the start of the season, and the enquiries keep coming. It’s also been lovely to see some returners to the club from the ever-expanding group of alumni who go to university – we especially look forward to seeing you at the first Christmas Rebellion Cup on Thursday 21st December – further details are on Teamo. I hope you all have a long and happy time at ACHC.
Selection
Many of our new players have joined at the most senior level which has strengthened the playing side all the way down. This means that some players are in lower teams than they may have expected or been used to. Please do support our incredibly busy coaches and captains who do their best to make the difficult selection decisions fairly and openly. They’re always happy to discuss what you or your child needs to do to be considered for selection for higher teams.
Primary schools programme
Our first festival for local state primary schools was a great success. We will be running more before the end of the season and with strong interest from other schools will look to expand the programme next year. With external funding we provide the schools with sticks and balls and coach their teachers in how to teach hockey, so that we can introduce hockey to juniors who may otherwise never try it. Thanks to Emily Sharps for organising and to Jacko and the Young Leaders for making the day go so well.
Club Finances – please pay outstanding subs and match fees!
The club’s finances remain sound, with big thanks to Richie Martin and Sarah Watts for managing them so professionally. We do still have a number of outstanding subs and match fees even though they’re really easy to pay on Teamo. Please do settle up anything you owe before we have to start factoring it into selection decisions as it’s not fair on those who do pay. If your financial situation makes it difficult then do reach out to Sarah Watts and we will do what we can to help.
Talent Centre
Our application to be recognised as an England Hockey Talent Centre is progressing well and providing lots of useful food for thought about things we can do better.
Grand Masters
Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Trevor Wood we hold regular round robin tournaments for over-70s. These are hugely popular (and rapidly deplete our stocks of Rebellion!). We also enjoyed hosting the England Over 80s training camp and look forward to welcoming them back. It’s humbling watching an 86 year-old doing a thirty yard aerial!
Umpiring
Our umpiring set-up remains the envy of other clubs. Thanks to Heidi R, Evelyn M and Richard W for all their organisational efforts and Mark R for the training.
Club development
The proposed development of AWC is still caught up in planning wrangles which is limiting our ability to do anything. I hope that it will start moving in the new year but I’m not holding my breath…
People
Lastly a huge thanks to the following not mentioned already:
- Coaches – Great coaching has always been central to who we are. Huge thanks to Jacko, Mark, Rich, Wattsy, Thoryx, Lucy, Charlotte, Colin, the Young Leaders and so many others who all go over and above to help the club to flourish.
- Club Captains – special thanks to Jo D for throwing herself so fully into the Ladies Club Captaincy, and to Annie Dunster for kindly agreeing to take it on after Christmas. Same thanks to Stuart B who’s doing a fantastic job with great good humour in the face of a big workload, which also goes as ever for Lou H.
- Team Captains – too many to mention by name but thank you all for all you do.
- Woody – has been a rock sorting out so many things behind the scenes that we need to make the club run, from Teamo to fixtures, to schools pitch bookings to… All that and she volunteered to play in goal for the L1s which means she can’t play in her preferred position on pitch. Just the sort of club first mentality we should all aspire to!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Rob
