You spoke, we listened.

Update on World Cup bookings:

We’ve decided to cancel the club bookings for the football games mentioned in previous newsletters. After considerable discussion with club members, including our D&I group, around the human rights and LGBTQ+ issues highlighted in the media, we feel it’s not the right time for the club to be supporting the World Cup. We want to thank all those who shared thoughts with their captains/the committee, and to those who engaged in follow up discussions surrounding the right stance for us as a club. 

We acknowledge that members may still want to watch the games together but going forward that will need to be organised by those involved rather than supported and promoted by the club. We hope you understand. If you would like to acquire one of the pre-booked tables, please let the social secs know before Saturday else they’ll be cancelled.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further please let us (Saq/Rogers) know. We’re now exploring ways we can use this time to spread awareness/raise funds for the issues discussed. More to come shortly.

It’s also worth flagging to all our new members that we have a Diversity and Inclusion group where we discuss topics such as this. If you’d like to be a part of the chat let us know. The more voices we have the better we can represent our club and communities.

Movember update

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the M2 and M3 are taking on the annual Movember fundraiser to raise money. Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health, aiming to take on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The charity has funded over 1,250 men’s health projects since 2003 and the M2/3 would love your support by donating to their justgiving page here.

See picture below for progress so far!

Umpiring 

A few weeks into the season now, and a big thank you to all those who have answered the call and picked up their whistles to umpire for the club. In particular, big shout outs to James Budgen, Peter Towers, and Iain McAuslan, who between them have umpired 17 games since the start of the season (and shown even more cards).

We're always after more players to give umpiring a go, and if you want to follow in Pete's footsteps and do your level 1 course, you can find them here.

Women in officiating

This season, London Hockey is launching the Women in Officiating Network, a pioneering initiative to support, develop and celebrate women in Officiating in London. Last season out of the 1,100 neutral appointments in the London Area just 65, or 5 per cent, were filled by women. This is in stark contrast to the almost equal split between men and women undertaking the Level 1 course. As part of London Hockey's ongoing effort to be at the forefront in driving equality, they are exploring ways to bridge this gap, starting with a 45 minute call to introduce the aims for the Women in Officiating Network and discuss plans for future engagement as a group. 

The virtual call is scheduled for Monday the 21st November at 8pm. If you are unable to make the call you can still register your interest in being part of the Network on this registration form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB8RVXC_S17RwXVyhGuza_3qCOwT7c9yN5DTfvdcAr0PbO0w/viewform]

As always, if you have any questions about umpiring at Wapping, feel free to drop our ULOs Holly and Josh a line at wappingulo@gmail.com

Formby tour 

As mentioned a few weeks ago, Formby hockey club are hosting their mixed 7s hockey easter festival between Friday 7th and Sunday 9th April 2023. More details and information on how to register on the poster.

Fixtures 12/11

Lee Valley Schedule

11:30 L3 v UCL RUMS 1 (LV2)
13:00 L1 v Teddington (LV1)
14:30 M2 v East London (LV1)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 L6 v L7 friendly
12:30 L5 v Wanderers 6
14:00 M7 v King’s and Alleyn’s 2
15:30 M5 v Barnes 2

Away Schedule

11:30 L4 v PHC Chiswick 3
12:30 M8 v London Academicals 3
13:00 L2 v Southgate 2
13:00 M4 v Indian Gymkhana 2
14:00 M6 v London Academicals 2
14:45 M3 v Epsom
15:30 M10 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 6

Sunday 20th November

13:00 M1 v Indian Gymkhana (LV1)

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

DIY S.O.Storeroom

Last weekend saw a great win for the M1 2-0 against Oxford University (match report below) and a 5-2 win for the M6 against the M7 in a club derby. This week the L1 face Tulse Hill who sit below them in 4th in London Prem, the L4 have a derby against East London and there is a M9 v M10 clash. This week’s Back Post has some big social updates and an Easy Fundraising reminder.

📢 Shout out from our Kit Sec, Rob: 📢

If you’re a carpenter/labourer/builder/decorator and would be happy giving up a day or two to help revamp the JO storeroom please get in touch (wappingkit@gmail.com). Equally, if you have any contacts who may be able to donate materials such as timber/paint then let us know 🙏

Socials update

Congratulations to the Ladies 1 who won best dressed at the Halloween social for their zombie wedding featuring a priest, choir boys, a German cake and a wedding band. A special mention to the groom who looked particularly handsome. Time to get planning more team outfits for the Christmas social at Patch St Pauls on the 3rd December. Tickets are £10 from your team social sec including a free drink and nibbles.

Additionally, the amazing social secs have organised venues for us for England’s upcoming evening world cup matches which kick off at 7pm:

• Friday 25th November England v US @ Feeney’s (limited tables issued first come first served)

• Tuesday 29th November England v Wales @ Wapping Tavern

• Sunday 4th December England’s first knockout game @ Wapping Tavern

Easy fundraising reminder

With Black Friday coming up on the 25th November and Christmas shopping shortly to follow for organized members of the club, here is an important reminder about Easy fundraising, a site which turns your everyday shopping into free donations. This browser extension is an incredibly easy way for the club to earn a few pounds just by buying some fun and flirty items for yourself, your friends and your family. Please see the link below to guide you on your Easy Fundraising journey by watching the demo video and installing the chrome extension, once downloaded search for Wapping Hockey Club to start fundraising. Alternatively, there is a highlight on @wappinghc instagram that has more detailed instructions on how to sign up!

Click here to add to your browser

M1 match report: 2-0 win v Oxford Uni

The M1 played a great game under the lights of Lee Valley on Saturday night, for some live action check out the reels on Wapping instagram. If any other team would like their match report included in an edition of the backpost, please email wappingnewsletter@gmail.com !

“After 3 successive draws, the maroon men faced Oxford University. In cold and damp conditions, the marauding Wapping forward line proved their worth as Ben Bull won a PC inside 5 minutes. The first goal came from a deflection by Jonny Verity with Warren D’Souza providing a straight strike to get on the end of. Soon after Wapping won the ball high up the pitch, and Dan Verity squeezed a cross in for Ollie Bull to deflect goalward. 

Wapping remained relatively untested, dominating but failing to convert, with short corners being sprayed wide and Dan Verity giving the Oxford keeper an easy save from a stroke. Wapping picked up the 3 points and a clean sheet. 

Next week they face top of the league Richmond away.” 

Goal scorers - Jonny Verity (PC) Ollie Bull (FG)

Fixtures 12/11

Lee Valley Schedule

10:00 L4 v East London 4 (LV2)
10:00 M9 v M10 (LV1)
11:30 M3 v Ashford Middlesex 1 (LV2)
13:00 L2 v Wanderers 1 (LV1)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 M6 v Spencer 6
12:30 M8 v London Edwardians 5
14:00 L7 v Remnants 1
15:30 M4 v Hampstead & Westminster 3

Away Schedule

13:00 L1 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 1
13:30 L5 v Kings & Alleyn’s 2
14:00 M2 v Purley Walcountians 1
14:00 M5 v Old Merchant Taylors 2
14:30 L3 v Harrow 1

Sunday 13th November

13:30 M1 v Richmond away (Quintin Hogg Memorial Ground)

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Movember. Mo’ male members.

Last weekend saw some great results for the club. The L1 beat Southgate 2-0, the L2 got their 1st win of the season (1-0), the M10 won 6-1 and the M6 continued their winning and unbeaten streak (more on that later). Equally as impressive as the hockey on display were the team outfits at the Halloween social, many thanks to the social secs for organizing a great night. This backpost has a shout out for male members, information about Movember, the Poppy Appeal, and an insight into the winning ways of the M6s. Matches this Saturday include a M6 v M7 clash and a L5 derby against East London.

Note from the Co-Chairs

We need more men! The ladies side of the club have availability levels any club would be envious of, but we’re finding ourselves short on the men’s side. So hit up your old team mates, current and past work colleagues, mates of mates you remember being vaguely sporty, and let’s see if we can plug some gaps. Reminder that all new joiners can attend three training sessions and play three games before having to pay membership fees, so that should be enough time to win them over with your Wapping charm. Also worth noting that should they wish to join (why wouldn’t they?) the ‘New Joiner’ subs are at the concessionary rate of £160. Any newbies please put them in touch with the MCC, Ben Bull (mcc.whc@gmail.com), and get them along to a session soon.

Cheers all! R&S

Movember: growing moustaches for good

Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health, aiming to take on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The charity has funded over 1250 men’s health projects since 2003 by asking men to grow out a moustache during the month of November each year.

The M2 and M3 from Wapping will be taking on this annual Movember fundraiser and would love others to get involved by participating in the challenge or donating to their justgiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/wappinghc23

Here are a few ‘before’ pics from the M2/3, keep your eyes peeled for updates and the final ‘after’ results at the end of the month on Wapping socials and in the backpost. 

Royal British Legion: Poppy Appeal

The Poppy Appeal is the Royal British Legion’s biggest fundraising campaign held every year in November during Remembrance. With Remembrance day coming up on the 11th November and Remembrance Sunday on the 13th, teams/players may wish to wear poppies on their shirts (as seen below), this Saturday and/or next saturday. Peel and stick poppies for shirts can be found here: https://www.poppyshop.org.uk/products/iron-on-poppies-for-kids-15-pack

Team spotlight: Meet the M6

Having won every game of the season so far the M6 sit 2nd in the div 4 East table with a game in hand. Last week they won 4-0 and as they look to continue their winning streak we caught up with them (very briefly) to discover the secret to their success.

Describe the M6s in three words

“Better than M5s”

What is the M6s’ aim for the season?

“We want to win team of the season and, more importantly, make the front pages of the backpost.”

How is your season going so far?

“We have seemingly been humiliating other Wapping teams by discussing all of our wins.”

What is the secret to your success?

“Over the course of a number of seasons, the team has finally learned how each other likes it.”

Which team do the M6 think had the best Halloween costume on Saturday?

“The M6 consider the best fancy dress to be that worn by the M6 (evidence below).”

What has been the best goal of the season so far?

“Gregor from 1 yard out. Alex Corrie dribbled past 4 players, reverse stick strike on target, ruthless poach from Gregor”

Recommend me the best hungover brunch spot in London

“Polo Bar 24, Liverpool Street”

Fixtures 5/11

Lee Valley Schedule

10:00 L5 v East London (LV2)
11:30 L3 v West Hampstead 2 (LV2)
13:00 L1 v Surbiton 3 (LV1)
14:30 Tulse Hill and Dulwich 1 (LV1)
18:00 M1 v Oxford University 1 (LV1)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 M9 v Wayfarers Barbarians
14:00 M6 v M7

Away Schedule

10:00 L7 v East London 8
11:45 M8 v King’s and Alleyn’s 3
12:00 M4 v West Hampstead 3
13:30 L2 v King’s and Alleyn’s 1
13:45 L4 v Richmond Ravens
15:00 L6 v Kings and Alleyn’s 3
15:15 M10 v Bromley and Beckenham Hawks
15:30 M3 v Old Merchant Taylors 1

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Spooky Saturday

After a weekend to recharge and actually see non-hockey friends, hockey is back with all teams but the L6 playing this weekend. Perhaps more important is the Halloween social 👻 coming up on Saturday night. This backpost features important updates on socials, reminders about the Formby tour and Rainbow laces campaign, as well as a spooky ghost story to get you in the mood for Saturday!

Note from the Co-Chairs

Thanks for all the volunteering offers! Great to hear so many of you are keen to get involved. Please keep letting your captains know if you’d like to start umpiring/helping coach Wapping Kidds or get involved with fundraising. On a related operational note, your captains will shortly be chatting to you about ‘team roles’. It’s likely you’ll have some of these in your teams already (team treasurer, social sec. etc) but we’ve come up with a list of roles all teams should have to make the club run more smoothly and get more people involved. Watch this space!

Socials updates!!

👻 Halloween 🎃

The Halloween social is this Saturday at The Reliance pub in Shoreditch from 7pm (food to be served from 8pm). We hope you've got your innovative fancy dress planned, there is a prize for best dressed! Tickets are £4, collected by your team social sec.

🌎 World Cup ⚽

We have tables booked for the evening England games (7pm KO), here are the details:

• November 25th vs USA from 6pm at Feeney's Irish pub

• November 29th vs Wales from 6pm at Wapping Tavern

• December 4th vs TBC from 6pm at Wapping Tavern

🎄Christmas 🎅

The Christmas social is on December 3rd - get the date in the diary as it's a busy time of year! It's at Patch St Pauls, with more details to come soon. It would be fantastic to see as many people there as possible to round out what has been a brilliant year for Wapping.

Formby tour: as mentioned last week, we are hoping to get some groups up to Liverpool for this mixed 7s weekend from April 7th-9th. More information and sign up details in the link below

SIGN UP HERE

Rainbow Laces Campaign: another reminder that Stonewall’s Lace Up and Speak Up campaign is encouraging players to wear Rainbow Laces in matches this Saturday in support of, and in alliance with, the LGBTQ+ community. Wapping has bought laces so contact your captain on how to get your hands on them for just £2. More information at Stonewall

Fixtures 29/10

Lee Valley Schedule

10:00 L7 v London Edwardians (LV1)
11:30 M4 v Southgate 4 (LV2)
13:00 M3 v Croydon and Old Whitgiftian 1 (LV1)
14:30 L2 v PHC Chiswick 1 (LV1)
18:00 M1 v Guildford (LV1)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 L4 v West Hampstead 3
12:30 M6 v Wanderers 5
14:00 M8 v Bromley and Beckenham Harriers
15:30 M10 v East London 8

Away Schedule

10:00 M7 v Wanderers 3
10:30 M5 v Harrow 1
10:30 M9 v London Royals 2
11:30 M2 v Spencer 2
12:00 L3 v West Herts 2
13:30 L1 v Southgate 2
15:30 L5 v London Academicals 2

A ghost story: The Haunting of Hackney Wick

Wednesday 22:36 

Holly sits at the Beer Merchant’s Tap enjoying a few Floris’ with her teammates after training. They laugh at Shelly’s failed aerial last weekend and deeply discuss the pros and cons of chamois grips. As the group part ways outside BMT to go home Holly catches a glimpse of a small boy in the window of the flats opposite, with slicked back hair as greasy as oil, a face as white as snow, and a suit as smart as an investment banker. Holly quickens her pace to Hackney Wick but she feels his eyes follow her as she disappears into the night.

Thursday 13:03

Holly is countif-ing all over an excel with TayTays Midnights on repeat when she hears a stern knock at the door. Could this be her Halloween costume? Her hello fresh box? Her new Wapping stash? She opens the door expectantly but there is no one there. Just as she goes to shut the door with annoyance she sees the small boy on the other side of her road, pointing at her with intent. She turns back for a second look but a bus whizzes by and, as it clears, he is gone.

Saturday 13:42

Holly is killing it against Hampstead and Westminster. She rolls strong from midfield, attacks many left feet and wins a short. As she lines up at the top of the D to take the corner she feels nervous but excited with butterflies in her stomach. This goal will make her joint top goalscorer with Lucia and put her on track to win player of the season. As the ball is injected and stopped she takes one final look at the goal to take aim when her eyes lock with the greasy boy standing behind the goal. She freezes and her body locks up. As play shifts to the other end of the pitch she runs over to the umpire to ask what he saw. Unsurprisingly, he admits he wasn’t really looking, but Holly knew what she saw.

Saturday 15:47

Holly is feeling better at match teas, content with a soggy sausage roll and smug that she just managed to successfully open three ketchup sachets in a row at Lee Valley. However, this fleeting happiness is shattered when she sees the greasy suit boy on his scooter out of the window.

Saturday 22:04

After a successful pres, Holly is loving the Halloween social at the Reliance. She is breaking out the dance moves, heavily judging other people’s outfits and screaming She Wolf by Shakira at the top of her lungs. However, then she glimpses a small man weaving through the crowd. Surely the greasy boy didn’t make it to Shoreditch? Surely it’s just a ghostly looking M4? Holly sticks with her team, she’ll be safe with them.

Saturday 23:12

Holly goes to the bar to get another drink but feels like someone is looking at her. In the corner of her eye she glimpses a suit. She immediately turns and weaves back through the crowd grabbing her hockey kit and making an exit through a window and, without looking back, she marches to the nearest bus stop. As the bus pulls up she feels a hand grab her shoulder. Instinctively she swipes back with her hockey stick, jumps on the bus and doesn’t look back.

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Children in need

Last weekend saw a much better batch of results for the club with the W1 winning 5-1, the L6 1-0, the L7 2-1, the L5 4-2 and the M6 3-1. This weekend is slip week aka Halloween planning week. With just over one week to go until the social at the Reliance next Saturday, it is crucial that teams use this weekend to rest and relax and to finalise their Halloween costumes. We also have some exciting news about an Easter tour to Liverpool, Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, and some information about Wapping Kidds HC.

Note from the Co-Chairs

This week’s note is a shout out for the Kidds whose coaches need support. If you’re regularly available on either a Friday evening/Saturday morning/Sunday afternoon and can help please let wappingkidds@gmail.com know. The Kidds are great and it’s a fab way to meet more of the Wapping community. The roles they need help with at each of their sessions are:

• Team manager - comms with opposition, availability and match details

• Payments desk - attendance and payment on day, merchandise sales / management

• Session liaison - New starters, minor injuries, general enquiries
  

Easter tour 2023: Formby, Liverpool

Very excitingly we are planning to get some teams formed to play in this mixed 7s tournament in Formby from April 7th- April 9th. There is more detail on the google sign up form below. It would be great to get a big group from Wapping going together for what will be a very fun and social weekend so please sign up and get other teammates interested!

SIGN UP HERE

Lace up and speak up

Sport and physical activity can bring so many benefits to our lives – not just in terms of our wellbeing, but also in the ways they bring people together. People from all walks of life can gain a sense of belonging and community through shared passion. LGBTQ+ people deserve to be a part of this. We shouldn’t feel excluded or shut out just because of who we are.

Stonewall's iconic Rainbow Laces have become a symbol of inclusion across sport and fitness. This is why we are encouraging our players and teams to Lace Up on Saturday 29th October in support of this great cause. Wapping Hockey Club is a welcoming and supportive club to all current and future members.

The club has supported this campaign by purchasing the laces from Stonewall. You can get your hands on some Rainbow Laces for just £2 from the club, ready for your game day on the 29th October. Contact your captain for information on how to get your hands on some!

More information at Stonewall

Wapping Kidds HC

Wapping Kidds HC began in January 2016 with two kids, four coaches, and six hurriedly purchased sticks on the newly re-laid John Orwell astro, fulfilling a goal we had had for many years. This launch was a key part of the local authority's commitment to hockey and the pitch is kindly provided free to us on a Saturday. This keeps costs low, enabling much needed accessibility to the sport.

Nearly six years on and we have over 130 kids and 50 volunteer coaches from across the club. We have managed to achieve this growth whilst maintaining accessibility. Our sessions are enabled by our volunteers as well as generous donations of hockey kit, which are crucial in supporting the 80+ U13s on a Saturday morning and 30+ 13-18 year olds on Fridays. In addition, we have been able to run free hockey camps in summer, again providing a brilliant space for young local children during the holidays. 

We are also incredibly proud to see Wapping Kidds players feeding through into senior teams with some even featuring in county squads. We are proud to be able to offer bursaries to help talented young players afford county and performance centers if they need assistance.

As highlighted, Wapping Kidds runs on a low cost basis, facilitated by volunteers and generous donations. We are desperate for more coaches and umpires to help the development of these enthusiastic young people by giving up a couple of hours each weekend. The bigger the pool of volunteers we have, the better. If you would like to help out in some way, please do reach out to Tim and Sandra at wappingkidds@gmail.com, or ask your captains to do so.

Matches this week

John Orwell

Saturday
12:30 M9 v Bromley and Beckenham Hawks

Sunday
12:00 Wapping pirates friendly

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Wapping needs you!

Last weekend saw mixed results for the club including a tight 4-4 draw for the M1 against Wayfarers and a good 4-2 win for the M6 against King’s and Alleyn’s. This weekend there are a lot of big away days to contest and the upcoming Halloween social to get excited about. There’s also more information about opportunities to get involved in the club.

Note from the Co-Chairs

We need help! The committee are doing an absolutely cracking job but managing a club the size of ours takes a lot of work and we’re currently short of umpires, Kidds volunteers and fundraisers. Volunteering is a great way to meet people from all around the club, and contribute to its success, so if you’d like to help please let your captain or us know! - Helen & Saq 🍻

Fundraising

The more funds we raise, the more we can do, and the more affordable we can be. There are heaps of grants and initiatives we could be getting involved with but don’t have the man power to do so right now. Our Hon. President, Burnside, has offered to kickstart this year’s efforts with a workshop so don’t worry if you’re short on experience - we’d love you to get involved.

Umpiring

We’re always looking for people to join our cohort of umpires who tirelessly support the club every weekend. It’s essential that we have volunteers to ensure games continue to run. As a club we request that each team volunteers at least four umpires, a quota that we are not currently meeting. If you’re interested in picking up a whistle and cards as well as a stick at a weekend, it’s easier than ever to do so.

England Hockey are continuing to run Level 1 umpiring courses online, at a cost of £30. In a couple of hours, you cover key areas of umpiring, at the end of which you’ll receive your level 1 unassisted certificate. With the ability to earn £15 per game, you’ll quickly make this cost back.

Courses can be found here (congrats to Pete Towers who recently passed his!) If you would like any more information, you can get in touch with Holly and Josh, Wapping’s umpire liaison officers at wappingulo@gmail.com.

For those already qualified as level 1 assessed who wish to progress further, we’ll be getting assessors along this season to progress people along the umpiring pathway. Let Holly and Josh know if this is something you would be interested in exploring.

Kidds Volunteers

Our Kidds section is incredible and going from strength to strength, but they’re regularly finding themselves short of volunteers. They train at John Orwell on a Friday night (6-7:30) and Saturday morning (9:30-11) and take part in competitions for which they require travelling coaches. If you’d like to get involved, or would like to know more, Tim and Sandy would love to hear from you (wappingkidds@gmail.com).

Goalkeepers

In a similar vein we are also looking for more goalkeepers across the club. Whether you fancy giving it a go or know someone in London who could fill the gap, there are plenty of reasons to keep you interested….

• Goalkeepers pay 0 subs

• We have lots of kit free for you to borrow and use

• We have dedicated keeper coaching regularly

• We facilitate OBO master classes if you want to progress your goal keeping

• Everyone loves and needs a keeper

Subs reminder

Subs are now overdue and your captains should be chasing you for payment. If you’re having any financial issues or have any questions please let the treasurers know, otherwise please make payment as soon as possible. Thank you.

Fixtures 15/10

Lee Valley Schedule

11:30 L3 v Wanderers 2 (LV2)
13:00 L1 v King’s and Alleyn’s 1 (LV1)
14:30 M2 v PHC Chiswick 1 (LV1)
16:00 L5 v East London 6 (LV2)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 M10 v London Royals 3
12:30 M5 v London Royals 1
14:00 M7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich

Away Schedule

12:00 L4 v Old Merchant Taylors 1
12:30 L6 v Wanderers 7
13:00 M3 v Teddington 2
14:00 M6 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 4
15:00 M4 v Richmond 3
15:00 L2 v West Herts 1
15:30 M8 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 5
15:30 L7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 7

Away schedule 16/10

14:30 M1 v Bromley and Beckenham

Halloween and socials reminder

The Halloween social is only a fortnight away on October 29th at The Reliance pub in Shoreditch from 7pm. There is a DJ, food, games and a prize for most creative fancy dress. Tickets are £4 and are collected by your team social sec, so let them know you’re coming and get to work on team outfits!

Christmas social: The Christmas party will be held at Patch St Pauls on the 3rd December, further details will be announced in due course.

World cup: We have tables booked for the evening England games. Tables are booked at the Wapping Tavern from 6pm for the matches on November 29th and December 4th, more details to be confirmed about the match on November 25th.

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Let there be light!

Last weekend saw mixed results for the club but some good wins including the M9 in a derby clash against East London and the L3, both teams winning 3-0. This week the club will field all of its 17 senior teams so there is lots of action to watch at Lee Valley and John Orwell.

Note from the Co-Chairs

Short and sweet this week. Two big shout outs:

• 1st for Dom Oliver who said, Let there be light: and there was light. And Corrie saw the light, and it was good; JO divided the light from the darkness. Thank the hockey gods that be for all those who now see.

• 2nd for all those who attended the Committee meeting and for everyone’s input. Minutes can be found in the members’ area of the website (which your Captain should be giving you the password for if they haven’t already).

Helen & Saq 🍻

Subs

Thank you to all those who have already paid their subs, a reminder to everyone who hasn’t to get their payments in ASAP. The process is very simple through the club website and can be found here, but please do contact the treasurers if you have any problems. The treasurers would like to reiterate that they are more than happy to have a confidential conversation with any member who may be facing financial difficulty, particularly in the current cost of living crisis. At Wapping we want to make hockey as accessible as possible and don’t want subs to be a barrier to playing.

A reminder

It’s L’Ump month! All umpires should wear pink if possible and encourage oppo to do the same if they can. It would also be great for teams playing at LV to don something pink for their games (ribbons, socks etc) so any photos taken can be used to help publicise the campaign. Team and umpire donations for L’Ump month link can be made here.

Fixtures 8/10

Lee Valley Schedule

10:00 L4 v London Royals 1 (LV1)
11:30 L7 v London Academicals (LV2)
13:00 L2 v Teddington 1 (LV1)
14:30 M3 v Hampstead and Westminster (LV1)
16:00 M4 v London Wayfarers Vikings (LV2)
18:00 M1 v London Wayfarers (LV1)

John Orwell Schedule

11:10 M8 v London Gamblers 2
12:30 M6 v Kings and Allyens 2
14:00 L6 v London Wayfarers

Away Schedule

11:30 L3 v PHC Chiswick
11:30 M5 v East London 3
13:30 L1 v West Herts 1
13:45 M2 v Barnes 1
14:00 M10 v HAC Sutlers
15:30 M7 v Bromley and Beckenham
16:00 M9 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich
16:30 L5 v Wanderers 5

 Halloween social - 29th October

As October has begun, it is critical that teams start thinking about the Club Halloween Social on the 29th October. We will be meeting in The Reliance pub in Shoreditch and creative (excessive) team fancy dress is highly encouraged. So get your creative juices flowing now to ensure your team takes the top prize! See pictures below for some inspiration from previous years.

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

And so it began…

Last weekend saw the first league fixtures take place with some notable wins for multiple teams including the M1 v Hampstead and Westminster (2-0), L1 v Wimbledon (2-0), M6 v Spencer (4-2), L4 v Eastcote (3-1) and L7 v Kings & Alleyns (1-0). There are lots more juicy fixtures coming up this Saturday including a L1 v L2 derby and four clashes against rivals East London. This week also marks the start of team Instagram takeovers on our Instagram, more on that later.

IMPORTANT: SUBS DUE 1/10 (Sat)

The start of the league also means subs are due. Membership fees were frozen this year (cost of living innit) and can be paid in full or in 4 monthly instalments.

We want to make hockey as accessible as possible so please reach out if you are facing financial difficulties for a confidential conversation to discuss options. If any member of the club has any questions or problems please contact our treasurer Juliet Drake.

Club membership fees can be found and paid for here. There are concession rates available for students, those on a low income, members of the club committee and new joiners. Players who have not purchased membership (or are not in discussion with the treasurer) will be ineligible to attend training or matches from 7th October.

Notes from the Co-Chairs (Rogers, L5 and Saq, M7)

Why hello there! If you hadn't noticed, things are a little bumpy right now but bear with us! We've got a committee meeting Monday to try and smooth things out (not GMS, we’re not miracle workers).

Headline things to note:

• Clubhouse - we have one! It's The Moretown Belle, but this time with a 10% discount at the POS (5% for customer, 5% for the club) and a big chunk of sponsorship. More info will be shared at the committee meeting, so captains can update you fully, but in the meantime don’t forget to use your e-discount cards at the bar! (your captains should have these)

• Comms - we're aware that communication across the club could be improved. This is something we're tackling at Monday's meeting. Any questions/concerns/suggestions - we're new to all this and wanna know, so please email wappingchair@gmail.com (before Monday ideally so we can discuss if necessary).

• Lastly, we picked up the reins rather late in the summer - we are willing, just playing a little catch up - so thanks for your patience bearing with us while we get up to speed.

Looking forward to a cracking season.

Fixtures 1/10

Lee Valley Schedule

10:00 M5 v Croystx
11:30 L3 v Eastcote
13:00 L1 v L2
14:30 M2 v Wimbledon
14:30 M4 v Croystx
18:00 M1 v Surbiton

John Orwell Schedule

10:00 M9 v East London
11:10 M8 v East London
12:30 M7 v London Academicals
14:00 L5 v Spencer

Away Schedule

10:00 L6 v East London
14:45 L4 v Hampstead and Westminster
15:30 M3 v London Academicals
16:00 L7 v East London

Instagram takeovers

This weekend, team takeovers will be beginning on our Instagram @wappinghc, starting with the Ladies 1s. Be sure to give the Instagram a follow and check out last year’s highlights to see some quality content and get ideas flowing for when it’s your team’s time to shine!

WHC @ The London Marathon

Wapping members Tori Horobin, James Mahon and Will Cairns will be running the London Marathon this Sunday (2nd October) in support of three very worthwhile causes...

Tori for Mind, who provide advice and support to empower anyone struggling with their mental health - a charity close to Tori’s heart and also one that Wapping supports for mental health day. Donate to Tori’s JustGiving page here.

James for The Society For Mucopolysaccharide Diseases (The MPS Society), the only UK charity at the forefront of supporting people and families affected by Fabry Disease. Donate to James’ JustGiving page here.

And Will for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) whose ‘phenomenal, and truly life changing, work’ supporting, researching and treating T1 diabetes has benefited Will’s life immensely. Donate to Will’s JustGiving page here.

If you’re around for it be sure to cheer them on!

Tits.

Four of them, to be precise.

No, this isn’t another remake of Total Recall, but a reference to the four original founders of L’Ump Month, which turns 5 this year. Got your attention though…

Springing from a one-off idea to umpire their neutral pool games wearing pink shirts, and then donate their expenses to Breast Cancer Care, L’Ump Month, the concept has evolved into a month-long initiative to raise vital funds for breast cancer charities, and other related women’s health causes.

Wapping HC have been stalwart supporters of L’Ump Month since day 1, organising bespoke branded stash, wearing pink to umpire, play, support and party - all in the name of charity of course!

This year the club will be finding more ways to get involved… so keep an eye on social media, emails, and get ready to #WearItPink again this October!”

L’Ump month link donation link here.

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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

Welcome back!

Hockey is back with a bang! So good to have seen so many of you at Club Day. Looking forward to seeing the rest of you in the coming weeks, hopefully on the pitch, more likely in the bar.

Now the Back Post! This week you’ll find the most up to date updates you’ll ever be updated with, a review of the Men’s 1s successful Beeston tournament, reflection on a sombre weekend, and an exciting preview of the first social of the season. But we’re kicking off with things you need to do to make sure you’re ready for the season.

You need to:

1. Ensure you’re registered on GMS. Only registered players can play this season. If you’re having trouble registering please let Issy (our Club Secretary) know.

2. Register your membership - payments are now live. If you have any issues/questions please drop Jules and Adam (the Treasurers) a message.

3. Get the social dates in your diary now - We already have a packed social calendar thanks to Irini and Hannah, our fab new Social Secs.

4. Check out the new website which we’re hoping will streamline comms and act as a hub - making as much information available and accessible in one place as possible. If you can’t find something or have feedback, please let us know.

5. Follow us on Instagram (if you don’t already)

Wapping sting at the Beeston Pre Season tournament

The Lads in the 1st have been working hard over the summer and were looking to show their intent for the new season as they travelled up the M1 to Nottingham.

Handed a tough group containing Notts Uni, Beeston 2s and Deeside ramblers, the Lads battled to 2 wins and 3 draws nicking 2nd place conceding only 4 goals across the 5 pool games. A tough 3rd place play off against Nottingham Uni 2s, they continued to show their defensive nous to keep the students out and sneak a goal to take bronze.

A strong showing beaten to the top spots by 2 premier league teams in UoN (need clarification?!?) 1s (who they took a point off) and Beeston 1s. Everyone’s favourite headband wearer Sam Kirk told us “Genuinely a successful weekend, Jonny and Dan both getting a few goals, Callum and Dom grabbing one each too”.

What’s that coming over the hill? Is it the first social of the season?

To celebrate the start of season we'll be heading down to The Moretown Belle after the opening matches on September 24th. Join us from 7pm in the evening for good drinks, good vibes and a chance to celebrate our first wins of the season.

Whether you’re running out for the first time at Lee Valley or trudging over to Barnes your start of the season is special, and it’s worth joining in the social for. Get your smartest socks on, slick your hair back and make sure you get in a decent round! It’s time to party like its 1989.

Paying our respects

With all teams falling silent before each game, adorned with customary ribbon and bands, we echo England Hockey in thanking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her tireless efforts over decades of public service and for all that was given to communities across the UK and the world.

Thanks to all our members for the respect shown during this period of national mourning. A reminder that no hockey activity will take place on Monday 19th and that the guidance from England Hockey is as follows:

• It is recommended that you continue with training, pre-season friendlies or other hockey activities as you see fit during this period of mourning

• If you decide to continue with activities, we recommend the use of black armbands or black ribbons and a two minute silence before the activity commences as a mark of respect

• It is recommended that all non-essential activity to pause on social media channels and websites during the period of mourning

Dragon Hockey Discount Codes

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