All of our senior XIs have already been in action and our junior training sessions are now fully-subscribed, with a waiting list system now in place. Soon, it will be the turn of our Youth teams (Boys Badgers and Girls Vixens) to begin their campaigns. Thank you to all of our volunteers ,and the committee, for all of their help in getting the season off to a flying start. We welcome supporters to our senior home games at New Road, particularly as the league campaign gets underway this weekend. You can view a full list of fixtures on the website by clicking on ‘information’, then ‘documents’, then ‘general’ – this will be updated periodically, and with more junior fixtures as they are confirmed. The club also has a Twitter account @wottonhockey and a facebook fan page so you can also stay in touch with us via social media.

Stuart Emms
Chairman, Wotton under Edge HC
stuartemms@hotmail.com
07974-256380

Discipline
Before the 2015-16 season gets into full swing, I’d like to remind you of the club’s disciplinary policy (adherence to which is a condition of membership, via the sign up process) and with particular reference to respect for officials.

In case I’m accused of starting the season on a negative footing, I should stress that this email is not in response to any particular incident or is it perceived that the club has a particular problem with discipline. Indeed, the introduction of such a policy was to ensure that we maintained our good record in this area. I’m also mindful of the good feedback we had from the appointed umpires from HGWHUA regarding the conduct of our Mens 1st XI in their games last 2 years which is pleasing.

Nevertheless, we need to acknowledge that lack of respect for officials is a growing problem in sport generally and one which we all have responsibility to deal with. From my own experience, umpiring is a rewarding experience that can boost your greater understanding of the game, as well as putting something back into the club; we will always need more umpires as the club expands.

This doesn’t mean it has to be all ‘jolly hockeysticks’ – good umpires understand that players want to play hard; and that’s fine – I’ve been known to frequent the sin bin on occasions myself; but there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Contrast the attitude toward officials in rugby/cricket compared to that in football. Hockey needs to continue to mirror the former and not allow bad habits from the latter to creep into our sport.

Our club has a hard earned, outstanding reputation in local hockey circles – as well as in the community as a whole. Anything that puts that at risk will be dealt with appropriately by the committee.

Match Day Pitch Access, changeovers and Footwear
On match days: ONLY players and officials (e.g. umpires/coaches/managers) involved in the current match should have ANY need to enter the playing area on the new pitch. Parents, children and other spectators should remain behind the waist high fence for their own safety, particularly during senior matches. Dugouts are provided only for substitutes and officials. Of course, we are happy that smaller children and others play on the outfield at half time, but they should return to behind the spectator fence once the game re-commences. I would also ask that prams, bikes etc are not brought on to the playing area. We lobbied hard to keep the spectator fence in the specification of the new pitch for these very reasons (primarily safety) so please can I ask members and supporters to respect this. Members should note that compliance with some of the above is written into the rules for some EH Competitions anyway, such as the Men’s Trophy. So it makes sense to get in to good disciplines. Umpires also like a ‘clear path’ down the touchline not encroached upon by spectators or kit: I know this is a problem at other grounds but we have a spectator fence to mitigate: lets use it...

Please can we also all take care during training night changeover periods to ensure the safety of members. Players should not enter the playing area until their allotted session time has started. Similarly can we please ensure that players on the outgoing session clear the area of themselves and their kit to behind the spectator fence as soon as possible so that the incoming session can start promptly.

Finally, can we take care to ensure that shoes worn on the playing area are appropriate for the surface (i.e. no football boot style moulded studs or cleats) and are free of mud or dirt – there is a brush next to the gate for this purpose. This will ensure the longevity of the current carpet.

Upcoming Events
Saturday 16 April 2016: Our BIG end of season event – the Annual Dinner-Dance & Awards at Tortworth Court Hotel. More details to follow as confimed, expect tickets to be on sale early Feb 2016!
More social and fundraising events to be added in the coming months.

Club Kit
A reminder that a raft of club kit, including playing shirts, training shirts, socks and hoodies in a range of sizes are all available from our clothing supplier: Goose and Gander on Market St in Wotton under Edge. http://gooseandganderltd.com/collections/wotton-under-edge-hockey

Representative Honours
The Club is very proud to announce that the following players have been selected by West Hockey for further Autumn sessions at JRPC (Junior Regional Development Centres):

Boys u17s: Michael Buist and Ash Lingham
Girls u15s: Lauren Jones

Commiserations to those who didn’t make the cut but even to be considered at that high level is an achievement in itself. Next up for these guys are further assessments/Tier 1 competitions in September followed by –hopefully – HiPac National assessment centres and selection for the Wessex Leopards in the Futures Cup – from which National squads are chosen - in October. Good luck!

Payments
Don’t forget if you haven’t (re) signed up as a member yet, and paid online – you need to do so now. If you click on the ‘news’ section of the website there are all the details you need. Remember that for players in senior XIs if you are not fully paid up by 30 September then you will not be eiligible for selection.