And… we’re back!

Written By Helen Rogers

Happy Sunday, Wappers!

With President’s Day, Club Day and start of season rapidly approaching here’s all the info you need to know, along with the summer news from across the club. N.B. This is a long edition but worth a full read.

Things you need to do:

Important updates

Comms and admin

There’s been a lot of thinking around ways to reduce the admin burden on the committee, provide greater transparency and have more effective comms, so…

Wapping now has an uber spreadsheet which links lots of separate ones, auto-populating as much shared info as possible, to help us manage everything including fixtures, umpires, selection and availability, volunteers, Kidds and kit.

We’ve also set up three new club WhatsApp groups for you to join 

  • Wapping HC news and updates (highly recommended that all members join). To reduce work for captains and ensure important info doesn’t get lost in team chats, we've created a new group for all members. Here we'll share a concise weekly bulletin containing all the club updates that you need to know. JOIN NOW 

  • On the fly socials (optional). Heading out for more fun post teas? Planning a trip to TopGolf? Let other Wappers know your plans so they can join too. Only group admins (team social secs) will have access to post. Bridging the gap between locations and teams. No chit chat. Invite link

  • Ad hoc helpers (optional). Would like to help out but can't commit to a committee role? Great. This chat is for you. Whenever the WHC committee need some extra support we pop a message in this group asking for help. Invite link

Costs and membership fee

We’re facing increased prices across the board this season which has put a lot of pressure on the Exec to ‘get it right’ but Jules, our Treasurer, has spent the summer reviewing, forecasting, and budgeting.

Thanks to a successful CAWHL, some positive recruitment, and fabulous work from our Sponsorship Sec, Irini, we are thrilled to let you know that membership costs have been frozen for yet another season however we will be carefully tracking and reviewing costs throughout the year to inform whether we can do the same again. That said, we need to ask for membership earlier this year so we can best manage what we do have, so the payment in instalments option will now be taken over 3 months rather than 4. Deadline for the first payment is 30th September.

Match fees are still being reviewed and we hope to have an update for your shortly. For those who don’t know, membership fees typically cover all our training costs (pitches, coaching etc) and match fees cover match day costs (pitches, teas).

Training and coaching

Our fabulous new Head Coach, Matt Bowen, has spent the summer making plans to improve coach development and we’re increasing the opportunities to get started in coaching, so if you’re interested in getting involved please drop our VCP, Lizzie, a message (wappingvcp@gmail.com).

Lizzie has also wrangled our coaching slots to ensure players have more access to training without increasing the number of slots we need - no small feat. If you’re a player who would like to train more/be considered to play higher please let your Club Captain know.

We were short a couple of coaches for the upcoming season so the L1 and M1 have volunteered to cover the gaps which is absolutely fab, especially since the club lacked female coaches over recent years. They’ll also be supporting the older Kidds sessions on a Friday which will be great for our young players.

Squads and selection

As worked well with the ladies side last season, selection and availability for everyone will now be managed by the uber spreadsheet to cut down on the admin the captains and committee have to do.

For those who don’t know, we’ve replaced our MX with our brand new boys development team, so our MCCs, Chris and Craig, along with the coaches and captains have been working hard to reshape the men’s squads. If you have any questions re squads/selection please reach out to them directly (mcc.whc@gmail.com). 

Our LCCs, Benji and Issy, have approached captains and coaches re potential moves and new joiners, and the ladies’ pre-season is shaping up nicely.

Please note that no squad is final at this point, so, if you’d like to be considered for a higher team, train hard and let your club captains know.

Fixtures

All fixtures info is being diligently added to the uber spreadsheet by our Fixtures Secs, Pete and Eleanor. As soon as fixtures information is available it will be pulled through to individual team spreadsheets. If you think any info is incorrect, or have any updates, please let them know (wappingfixtures@gmail.com)

We want to take a moment to say a HUGE thanks to Solley, our outgoing fixtures sec, who has done the role impeccably for many years. Solley, you really were the fixtures queen and we literally wouldn’t have been able to play without you.

President’s Day schedule (@ JO) 

Please ensure you register here. An opportunity to come together with Wappers past and present to celebrate how far the club has come. Details of the day below.

  • 9:30 - 11:00: Kidds + family + friends session. All ages welcome but under 3s may struggle with the hockey. We'll start with some fun drills and then play some mini games. No previous hockey experience necessary. 

  • 11:00 - 12:30: Older Kidds (U14-U18) showcase game. An opportunity to enjoy a game played by our most promising youngsters alongside some seasoned pros.

  • 12:30 - 13:30: Lunch and official launch of the Kidds Foundation. Wood fired pizza delivery (not free unfortunately but we’ll be taking orders and payment between 11 and 12 and dishing them out upon arrival)

  • 13:30 onwards: Alumni + current members mixed tournament. An opportunity for current and past Wappers to play together. The more the merrier! Please register using the form if you haven’t already and ensure you invite all your old pals. 

  • 16:30 (TBC): Wapping based social

We’ll be running a kit and refreshments stall throughout the day and it would be incredible to have some homemade cakes/snacks on sale, so if you like to bake please do bring some along to help us raise funds for Kidds.

Club Day schedule (@ Lee Valley) 

Our smashing annual Club Day for all Wappers current and new. Stay around all day to make the most of what’ll be a cracker.

  • 11:00 - 12:30: Older Kidds’ (U14-U18) masterclass (LV1). With Head Coach, Matt Bowen, and the ladies' and men's 1s

  • 12:30-14:30: Mixed tournament (LV2). Make sure you register for this using this link

  • 14:30-15:00: Lunch + Mixed tournament final (LV1). Lunch options TBC. Drinks and snacks available throughout the day.

  • 15:00-16:30: L1 showcase game (LV1)

  • 16:30-18:00: M1 showcase game (LV1)

  • 18:30: PARTY - We’ll be moving en masse over to Hackney Bridge to continue the fun. Expect international street food, great drinks and a cracking night. Space for kit bags so no need to drop them home first.

Umpiring 

Following our in-person umpire course at LV, summer league saw two L1 assessments and some promising first games for our new umpires. We have reinstated our Umpire Development Officers so there’s heaps of opportunity to try umpiring and receive support from seasoned pros (and all round lovely chaps) Dan, James and Phil. A reminder that there are weekly online Level 1 courses open to all so get in touch with the lads if you’d like to know more (wappingudo@gmail.com).

We’d also like to say a big thanks to last year’s ULO, Josh, who did a cracking job and Jane who has very kindly agreed to stay on. One of two ULO positions remains open this season so if you’re interested in helping out with some adminstration, let Jane know! (wappingulo@gmail.com)

Kit

Our fantastic Kit Sec, Rob, along with helpers including Corrie, Smithy, Issy, Irini and Dad Rogers have revamped the JO storeroom. Clearing, sorting, removing and cleaning, before building a giant fitted shelving rack to ensure everything now has a home.

There will soon be a QR code accessible Google form to manage our kit borrowing system so we know where everything is if we need it.

We’ll also be allocating teams with specific kit that they will need to look after this season. With tighter reins on our finances it’s imperative that we look after the kit we have, so if you lose something, your team will need to finance it’s replacement at the end of the year. 

And finally it’s worth adding that if you’re in need of new Wapping socks you can buy them from our shop here.

SUMMER NEWS

Recruitment

Following last season’s struggles, especially on the men’s side of the club, there’s been a huge push over the summer to recruit. A big shout out to everyone who’s been plugging Wapping all over town the world (Jenna literally recruiting from Australia), the summer leaguers who have been picking players up left right and centre, our fabulous Recruitment Sec, Katie, and the Club Captains for managing it all.

That said, we’re still short a few ladies keepers, so if you know anyone who might like to play, or give keeping a go, please reach out to the club captains/Smithy and get them involved (wappinglcc@gmail.com/ mcc.whc@gmail.com).

Re. newbies, please ensure all new joiners are invited to all the WhatsApp chats, training sessions, pub trips etc. Being new isn’t easy so let’s make sure it’s Wapping welcomes all round.

Kidds

Kidds celebrated another awesome year with their end of season awards ceremony. The talent which is coming up through the teams really is something to be very proud of. Over the summer there’s also been another year of successful summer camps and the formation of a larger operating committee to help the rapidly expanding group. A huge thanks to Tim, Sandy, all the coaches, team managers and helpers who without which Kidds wouldn’t happen. If you’d like to get involved helping or coaching Kidds this season, please reach out to our new Youth Coordinator, Miranda (wappingkidds@gmail.com).

Back2Hockey

Wapping ran another incredibly successful Back2Hockey programme this summer, So successful in fact that we will now be offering free Back2Hockey sessions all year round. This is a big step forward for us in relation to goals around inclusion and community so I want to formally thank our Head coach, Kiran, who has been utterly fantastic. If you’d like to get involved helping coach those sessions (Tues 8:30 @ JO) please let Lizzie know (wappingvcp@gmail.com)

Summer leagues

We have received SO MUCH feedback on how successful and enjoyable this year’s summer leagues have been (incl. CAWHL, Redbridge and LV), with many reports that the CAWHL EOSD was the best yet. A massive thanks especially to Budgen, Benji, Issy, Smithy, Jules, the many helpers, the captains, and our hero umpires that made it all happen. 

But more importantly, we’ve had some fabulous results!

CAWHL:

Big congrats to our winners, Accenture who beat Bull Design Studio 4-2 in the cup final, Eversheds Sutherland for their victory in the plate final on sudden death strokes against Linklaters, and the Privateers who fought off Heinz 3-1 to take home the bowl. Some stats:

Men’s and ladies’ leagues:

Some excellent results for our men:

  • M1-3 won the league! (Played 8, won 7, drew 1)

  • M3-6 ended up mid table. (Played 8, won 3, drew 2, lost 3)

  • M7-10 came 2nd! (Played 8, won 4, drew 3, lost 1)

  • And our brand new dev team had some incredibly promising first games as a squad including a fabulous final 3-1 win! 

And more for our ladies:

  • L1-2 LV Elite (Played 5, won 2, drew 1, lost 2)

  • L3-4 Gap league (Played 9, won 7, lost 2)

  • L5-7 Redbridge league winners! (Played 10, won 9, lost 1)

Wapping strong girls club

Thanks to the amazing Jenna, summer saw the formation of the Wapping Strong Girls Club. A WhatsApp managed group for all Wapping ladies where they organise fitness based socials and share related posts and encouragement. With en masse sessions at Hybrid and Metabolic, group runs, and banging good vibes, the ladies side of the club start pre-season fitter than ever.

Pride Cup

Earlier in the summer a few Wapping teams enjoyed playing at the fabulous Pride cup, The Royal’s annual celebratory mixed tournament. It had incredible fancy dress, heaps of sun, loads of hockey and a cracking social and Wapping managed to finish 2nd and 3rd overall.

Welfare team

Just a quick note to let you know we’re expanding our welfare team at Wapping to offer further wellbeing support to all our members. More info coming shortly.

Final note FROM CHAIR

I said this at EOSD but everyone was likely having too much of a lovely time to remember so I just want to say a huge thanks again to my Co-Chair last season, Saq, and all the outgoing Exec and Committee members. It was one of the toughest in the 16 years I’ve been at the club and your constant support and good vibes really carried us through. You lot are the beating heart of Wapping and the club wouldn’t have run without you. 

See you all pitchside very soon!

Training times

Grubby meal kits:

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Psycle:

Free Psycle session. Code: PSYCLEFORHOCKEY

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Must use THIS LINK and the following codes to receive discounts!

Sticks: 20% off with code WAPPING20
Bags & Accessories: 20% off with code 20CLUBBAGS
Clothing: 10% off with code 10CLUBCLOTHES

Helen Rogers
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