Club Day Club YAY!

If you came down to JO for President’s day last Saturday, that was only a taste of the club vibe you can expect this Saturday as all teams and the wider Wapping family (cute) come together for Club Day.

If you haven’t already and would like to make sure you:

1. Register for the mixed tournament here: https://forms.gle/VvyaWUkSvnoWmYVn6

2. Register for your impact gumshield fitting - if you are still not convinced at this absolute deal, all purchases generate a 15% kickback for the club and the cost can also be covered by many dental insurance plans. Register here: https://app.impactgumshields.com/#/event/:213

Schedule:

• 9:30-11:00 Ladies 2 v East London 2s (LV2)

• 11:00-12:30 Ladies 3 v Wayfarers 3s (LV2)

• 11:00-12:30 Older Kidds’ masterclass with Matt B and the L1s/M1s (LV1)

• 12:30-14:30 Mixed tournament (all abilities welcome - LV 1)

• 14:30-14:50 Mixed tournament final (LV1)

• 15:00-16:30 L1 v City of Peterborough (LV1)

• 16:30-18:00 M1 v Sittingbourne (LV1)

• 19:00 - late Social at Hackney Bridge (18+, food and drinks available to buy and space for kit bags)

Throughout the day:

• Wood fired pizza will be available between 13:00 and 17:00

• There will be free Sharps sports massages from 14:00

Social media:

• Please tag the club insta (@wappinghc) and team instas on stories and posts throughout the day and make sure to use the hashtags #wappinghc, #wapping and #clubday

• Keep an eye out for interactive stories on the Wapping account and make sure to vote in polls on the socials!

• Please let one of the press team know if you don’t want to be captured in any photos or videos on the day (they will be wearing ‘Press team’ stickers on the day)

Ladies’ Day ! - Saturday 30th September

There is a club wide Ladies’ Day and evening social on Saturday 30th September - get it in the diary! All teams but the L2 are playing at home so it would be great to get as many Ladies down at Lee Valley for the whole day to support each other in their matches (listed below). Teams will then join with the L2 in the evening at Brewdog in Waterloo for a great evening of fun (which includes a great deal on drinks!)

• L5 @10:00 (LV2)

• L4 @11:30 (LV1)

• L3 @13:00 (LV1)

• L1 @14:30 (LV1)

• L6/7 @16:00 (LV2)

Balls galore! 

A huge thank you to Swike who have provided us with new training and match balls at JO.

Swike kindly sponsored the Hog Roast over summer and has now put us in great stead for the new season with bags full of new balls. 

Swike is a new app, designed to be a more positive take on social media. It's based around gamification whereby users can choose the type of content they want to see and swipe-to-like their favourite.

Check it out now: Home - Swike

Now to some (only slightly) less fun admin…

Make sure you register/transfer on GMS

It is crucial that this is done before the start of the season to be allowed to play for Wapping. If you have not played a season for Wapping before you will have to register as a new player or transfer from your previous hockey club. Instructions on how to do this can be found here.

Membership fees are due

This is the first Back Post reminder to pay your membership fees for the season. There are concession rates for those on a low income, students and new joiners. If you have any questions about membership fees or are having difficulty in paying then please do contact our treasurer Jules. Conversations between players and Jules will be kept confidential. For more info and to make payment click here.

Fill in your availability

With 10 mens teams and 7 ladies teams to field each week it is really important for club and team captains that they have everyone’s availability for game days across the season with good notice. Your captain should have shared an availability sheet with your team, please make sure you fill this in as soon as possible. Please reach out to your captain or club captain if you are unsure about your squad for access (wappingmcc@gmail.com/wappinglcc@gmail.com).

L1/M1 Beeston tournament

Last weekend the M1 and L1 squads traveled to Nottingham for Beeston HC’s preseason tournament. Saturday saw teams battle one of the hottest days of the year whilst playing three competitive matches each, followed by dinner out in Nottingham. Sunday’s weather was much more bearable and game pace picked up. Both teams faced national league in every match across the weekend and were competitive throughout. The L1 picked some great results including a 1-1 draw to Harleston Magpies (Div 1 south) and the M1 made it to the final of their group.

Grubby meal kits:

Exclusive Wapping Hockey Club Discount

30% off first 4 weeks + Free delivery on first box, Code: WAPPING

Psycle:

Free Psycle session. Code: PSYCLEFORHOCKEY

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

President’s YAY!

With less than two weeks until the season begins, preseason is in full swing with some jam-packed club weekends ahead to launch the start of the hockey year. This backpost has some key info on President’s day and Club day, as well as a note on how to keep up to date with all things Wapping.

President’s day- THIS SATURDAY!

This Saturday from 9:30 until late President’s Day will be taking place at John Orwell. Schedule and info below:

Schedule

• 9:30: Fun Family+Kidds session run by Kiran Dhoot

• 11:00: Older Kidds showcase game

• 12:30: Lunch and launch of Wapping Kidds foundation with special guest founder Tim Poeton all the way from the US

• 13:30: Alumni game - there’s still time to get involved with this so if you fancy a gentle run around in the sun then pop along.

• 16:30: Drinks and social (location still TBC but will be Wapping based). Will update in the Wapping News and updates group once sorted.

Key information

• If you have time and are feeling kind please bring some homemade treats (with no nuts ingredients). There will be a snacks and merchandise stall to help raise funds for the Kidds.

• Pizza for lunch! Orders will be taken at 11am (at the beginning of the Kidds showcase game) so please arrive in time for that if you would like to put your pizza order in 

• Please register for your Impact gumshield fitting here if you would like one (more details below)

Club day - Saturday 16th September

If one day of club wide hockey and fun isn’t enough then do not fear, next weekend on the 16th September Wapping club day is taking place at Lee Valley. This is always a great day to bring everyone together and start the season off with a bang. Again, schedule and information below:

Schedule

• 11:00: Kidds Masterclass (with head coach Matt Bowen) (pitch 1)

• 12:30: Mixed tournament (pitch 2)

• 14:30: Mixed tournament final (pitch 1)

• 15:00: L1 v City of Peterborough (pitch 1)

• 16:45: M1 v Sittingbourne (pitch 1)

• 19:00: Club social @ Hackney Bridge

Key information

• Scrumptious wood fired pizza will be available to purchase on the day (from 13:00-17:00)

• Sports massages will be available throughout the day from @sharp_movement_massage

• Impact gumshields will again be offering their services, book your slot for the 16th here

Impact Gumshields fittings

If you are in need of a new gumshield for the season then this is a great deal for you from our official gumshield partner, Impact Gumshields. By ordering a gumshield through Wapping, Impact Gumshields will offer you:

• A free digital scan on either President’s Day or Club Day

• 25% off your second gumshield (if you want a spare)

• A free case with your gumshield

• Free delivery of your gumshield to Wapping

• Please register if you would like one of these gumshields on the relevant date below:

• Saturday 9th September at JO (President’s Day)

• Saturday 16th September at Lee Valley (Club Day)

Smithy’s Sponsored Silence: 23rd September

For those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Jordan ‘Smithy’ Smith, you will know he is incredibly talkative. However, on 23rd September, during his first match of the season and the subsequent club wide social, Smithy has pledged his silence!

He is raising money for MIND charity and to raise awareness around mental health ahead of World Mental Health Day at the start of October. Please donate if you can.

FIXTURES

This weekend’s pre-season fixtures can be found on our Instagram account here.

News chat

If you are reading this backpost thinking ‘I’ve read this all before’ - then great news it’s probably because you are in the News and Updates Whatsapp group. If this information is all new to you then you probably need to join the group where a weekly bulletin will be shared each week.

Please join this whatsapp chat through this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GHJWgVJeiSH0jJUOWQ6l5n

Additionally, if there is anything you would like included in this weekly bulletin please email wappingchair@gmail.com.

Grubby meal kits:

Exclusive Wapping Hockey Club Discount

30% off first 4 weeks + Free delivery on first box, Code: WAPPING

Psycle:

Free Psycle session. Code: PSYCLEFORHOCKEY

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… we’re back!

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:

• Sign up to the Wapping HC news and updates WhatsApp group (more on this below)

• Register for President’s Day (more on this below)

• Register for the Club Day mixed tournament (more on this below)

• Register on GMS if you didn’t sign up last year.

• Go to training. With lots of new people joining, and to ensure you’re playing in the right team, it’s important to attend pre-season. If you can’t make it for any reason please let the Club Captains know (wappinglcc@gmail.com/ mcc.whc@gmail.com). New training times are below.

• Plan how to pay your membership fees 

• Join Wapping on Easyfundraising to raise funds for the club as you shop online

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:

Exclusive Wapping Hockey Club Discount

30% off first 4 weeks + Free delivery on first box, Code: WAPPING

Psycle:

Free Psycle session. Code: PSYCLEFORHOCKEY

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 that’s that!

After almost 7 months the 2022/3 hockey season has come to an end. The weekend saw some dramatic matches including a huge win for the L3 to avoid relegation and an agonising 0-0 draw resulting in the L1 losing out on promotion by just 1 goal. However, there is still the EOSD and summer leagues to look forward to and Wapping players to cheer on in the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April.

LAST CHANCE for EOSD

The last chance to buy tickets for the end of season dinner on 22nd April is tomorrow so make sure you don’t miss out and buy your tickets here.

Summer league sign up

Wapping Hockey Club runs London's biggest corporate summer league, the City and Wharf Hockey League, which is back for 2023! It starts from the last week of April and runs to August, including hog roast/6-a-side tournament and black tie EOSD.

There is plans for a "Thank You NHS" team, offering for NHS workers to play free of charge. If you are interested in playing, please join via this link.

To sign-up to play for one of the Wapping teams, please fill out this form.

London Marathon

This year multiple Wapping players are taking on the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April for various important causes, very impressive straight after a long hockey season. Please do come along and cheer on club mates, I’m sure the event will be a great EOSD hangover cure. It would be great if you could take the time to read their stories and donate to their chosen causes if you would like.

Cerys Jenkins-Lowe (L2)

Cerys is running the marathon for Alzheimer's Research UK following the death of her Grandma last year who battle with Alzheimer’s for five years. Alzheimer’s Research is the UK’s leading dementia research charity working to research causes, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

Cerys’ Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cerysjenkinslowe

Ben Bull (M1)

Ben is running the marathon for Khandel Light who work to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged families in Khandel, India. Money raised will go towards work including improving water and sanitation, empowering women in the area and improving infrastructure.

Ben’s Just Giving page: https://fundraising.khandel-light.co.uk/fundraising/LDN-marathon-2023

Ali Jordan (M2)

Ali is running for Spinal Research, supporting the work of Rob Shelton who, after living with a spinal injury for over 20 years, is raising awareness and money to support those living with Spinal injuries. Spinal Research is the UK’s leading charity funding research to develop effective treatments for spinal cord injury.

Ali’s Just Giving page: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/ali-jordan1

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

See it off

As the season comes to an end this weekend, there are still big relegation fights happening with all to play for as well as a shot at promotion for the L1. There’s details about pizza and support for the M1 on Sunday, your last chance to sign up for the EOSD and the social media teams of the year are announced!

Note from the Co-Chairs

Our End of Season Awards are just around the corner so make sure you get your votes in via your captain by Sunday so we can recognise all the amazing people at the club (captains should have received an email from our Secretary, Issy, so give them a nudge if you haven’t been asked for your votes yet).

M1 support on Sunday

The M1's season has come down to one massive game this Sunday. It would be great to provide some sideline vibes to help them keep their very deserved spot in the National League. I know you all probably have a big Saturday night planned, but this is one of the biggest games in recent Wapping history! So please try and encourage as many of your team down.

As a reward for all those who come down we will be running a raffle sponsored by the Mens 1s to win 2 bottles of wine for your table at the end of season! We have also been given the all clear by Lee Valley to order pizzas in entice you into spectating even more.

Game is 2:00pm at LV1

Team social media winners

As the season ends the press team are also happy to announce the winners of team takeovers and overall social media winners for the second half of the season. These points will go towards Team of the Year, the winner of which will be announced at the End of Season Dinner.

• Best ladies’ takeover: L3

• Best mens’ takeover: M9

• Best second half of the season socials: L1

Kidds round up and need for summer coaches

Throughout the year we have been giving updates on the Kidds section who have grown in numbers and has some fantastic results over the season. It's been great to see participation of both boys and girls at all age groups. The U10 boys in particular deserve a shout out as they have been excellent and genuinely competitive at the top level.  

The Kidds section also want to give a huge thanks to volunteers - we've had 35 adult coaches, 15 junior coaches, 7 parent managers, 5 people help at the desk and numerous parents who have driven people all over the place.  

Wapping Kidds is delighted to run summer hockey camps at John Orwell again this summer.  To make it work, lead and assistant coaches are needed. The camps will run for 2h, twice a week in the morning, every week during the summer holidays, beginning the week of 24 July 2023. The coaching roles are paid, and all admin will be done separately.  

This would suit students, or full-time coaches.  Lead coaches must have coaching qualifications and all coaches will need DBS checks. The camps are fun and engaging, with a focus on games.  Coaches have licence to develop the camps as they desire.  The kids absolutely loved them last year. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please drop us a line at wappingkidds@gmail.com

L1/M1 Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who attended the L1/M1 fundraiser at the end of February. As well as the L5 proving they were the smartest team in the club, the event raised £2,200 towards the club so thank you everyone who attended and brought tickets. Please do get in touch by replying to this email or contacting Dan Verity if you have not yet received your prize.

EOSD tickets

A final reminder to buy tickets for the EOSD if you haven’t already which takes place on the 22nd April. The deadline to buy tickets is the 7th April so make sure you don’t miss out. Tickets can be bought on the website here.

Umpiring congrats: James Holmes!

Congratulations to James Holmes who has passed his L2 umpiring qualification. He umpired Richmond W1 in their 2-1 win over Eastcote.

Win a stick! 

It would be great if people could fill out this form to win, and increase the club’s chance of winning 1 of 3 JDH Hockey Sticks signed by Jamie Dwyer (1 of the 3 will be sent at random to winning clubs). It’s a quick form and if sticks are won they can be used as awards or to raise money for the club. 

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley

10:00 - L3 v East London 3 (pitch 2)
11:30 - L4 v Spencer 5 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L1 v Wayfarers 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M2 v West Herts 1 (pitch 1)
16:00 - M5 v West Hampstead 4 (pitch 2)

John Orwell

11:10 - M9 v East London 8
12:30 - M7 v Spencer Titans
14:00 - L6 v London Gamblers 2

Away

10:00 - L2 v Wimbledon 3
10:30 - M3 v Wanderers 1
10:30 - L5 v London Edwardians 3
10:30 - M6 v Wanderers 3
12:00 - M8 v Wanderers 8
15:30 - M4 v Southgate 3
16:30 - M10 v London Wayfarers

Sunday @ Lee Valley

14:00 - M1 v Spencer 1 (pitch 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

Hanging in there

Last weekend saw some good wins for the L1 (4-1 v Chiswick), the M6 (2-1 v Brom Becks) and also for the Kidds with the U12 girls and boys both winning 3 of their matches at the weekend (report below). With leagues coming to a close there are lots of important points to fight for this weekend across the club, please do try and stay to watch the team after you or come earlier before your match to support and be that all important 12th man. As we look ahead there are also some important reminders about EOSD and summer leagues as well as notes on the Women in officiating network, sponsorship and England Hockey Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey.

Note from the Co-Chairs

As the end of season looms we just want to say a huge thanks to all the players and organisers hanging in there. It’s been a tough year results wise but the support and camaraderie across the club has been nothing short of inspiring. Let’s make the most of our remaining games before doing what we do best: P.A.R.T.Y. Undoubtedly there’ll be team socials left, right and centre - Smithy attending them all - and a cracking End of Season Dinner to wrap it all up, so let’s see the season out in style.

Sponsorship/Partnerships

Looking ahead to next season we’re facing increased running costs so have formed a new sponsorship team to help keep fees low and provide great deals for our members. If your employer has a corporate social responsibility budget that aligns with what we do (Back2Hockey, Kidds, Mental/Physical Health, Sport in Tower Hamlets etc) or know a business who might be interested in sponsoring a team/event please do let us know. Additionally, if there’s a business who provides a product/service that’s of interest to our players (performance/social focused) then let us know so we can reach out to see if we can partner for great deals.

Wapping Kidds weekend review

Last weekend U8, U12s and the U14 girls teams all in action across London.

The U8 squad, coached by lead coach Raj and junior coach Akash, produced an impressive performance and showed huge improvements from their pre-Christmas tournament.  The day included lots of goals scored, amazing skills on show, 2 very happy coaches and lots of grinning U8s.

Next the U14 girls were away at Honor Oak.  Featuring the ever present 10 year old Leo W, the 7 outfield players  won 2, drew 1 and lost 1 against very strong opposition.  3 of their number play in the ladies' sides and the experience they have gained really showed, coach Liv Shears was particularly impressed with the structure and their fearlessness facing short corners with no goal keeper.  

Both U12 teams were in the London Plate competition.  The U12 girls, away at Blackheath, played 5 matches in the pool, losing the first 2 but getting stronger through the competition to win 2 and draw one, putting them in the playoff for 5/6th place.  Losing eventually to a very tall (!) Wayfarers team, the girls came away satisfied that they had put their best into the tournament.  Two very happy coaches, Alan D and Sandra A, are confident that this team, most of whom are still U11, have a good base to build on next season.

Finally the U12 boys trekked to Battersea Park for their Plate competition.  They were strong from the start, comfortably beating all 5 teams in their group to make the playoff.  A very competitive final, for a place in the England Hockey Plate finals ensued, with Wapping conceding a goal in the dying minutes.  Coach Grant A notes "Been a while since I’ve coached that group and the talent we have there is very exciting!"

A huge thanks to all who traveled, and particularly to the team managers and umpires Alan D and Alex L who came to Blackheath and Battersea and made everything flow.

Summer leagues sign up

Wapping Hockey Club runs London's biggest corporate summer league, the City and Wharf Hockey League, which is back for 2023! It starts from the last week of April and runs to August, including hog roast/6-a-side tournament and black tie EOSD.

To sign-up to play for one of the Wapping teams, please fill out this form.

Corporate teams frequently need players to fill last-minute holes, and we will be running a ringers' list again. Sign-up for that on the form, and join the WhatsApp group (we promise to keep it focused!) here.

Additionally, If you/your company are thinking about entering a team please email cityandwharfhockeyleague@gmail.com.

Women in Hockey Officiation Network

The Women in Hockey Officiation Network is a pioneering initiative for women in hockey who officiate, whatever level to feel supported as part of a community.

The first event was held on Monday and brought together umpires of all levels across the London network. The session was great and revealed some shocking statistics on how the number of female umpires decreases significantly as you move through the leagues to national league. Unfortunately, some of this decline is due to abuse given to umpires.

The network was shown various hockey incidents including players throwing sticks and reacting to umpiring decisions as well side-line commentary/abuse. In small groups we debated how we would deal with the situation. These responses were shared with the group and we had feedback from international umpires and umpire coaches and assessors on how they would respond or defuse the situation. The most important part I took away from the session was the escalation process and the responsibilities of the captain.

If you would like to sign up to be part of the network click here.

Please remember that we need umpires to play hockey each week. Recently there have been a number of London clubs cited for umpire abuse or misconduct and umpires are being asked to report anything of concern. We are all responsible for treating umpires with respect. We all need to encourage new people into officiating as well as supporting our umpires to progress and achieve their qualifications. We are currently working on a program to increase and support our fabulous umpires, if you would like to find out more please contact Josh Dawson, our ULO.

End of Season Dinner

There are just two weeks left to buy tickets for the EOSD, taking place on the 22nd April. The deadline to buy tickets is the 7th April so make sure you don’t miss out. Tickets can be bought on the website here.

If being the team with the biggest turn out is the competitive nudge you need to buy a ticket then have a look at the graph below to see which teams are currently lagging behind!

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley

10:00 - L5 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 4 (pitch 1)
11:30 - M3 v Surbiton 3 (pitch 2)
13:00 - M4 v Richmond 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - L2 v Surbiton 3 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M8 v East London 5
14:00 - M10 v London Royals 2
15:30 - M6 v Tulse Hill & Dulwich 3

Away

10:30 - L4 v Winchmore Hill & Enfield 1
11:30 - L3 v Ashford 1
12:30 - M7 v Wanderers 5
13:00 - M9 v London Royals 3
13:30 - L1 v Wanderers 1
13:30 - M5 v West Herts 2
13:40 - M2 v West Hampstead 1
15:30 - L6 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 5

Sunday 19th 

14:00 - M1 v Indian Gymkhana

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

Small and mighty

Last weekend saw a massive 8-0 win for the L4, a 2-1 win for the M10 (match report below) and huge wins for the L1 against top of the league Teddington (1-0) and the M1 against relegation rivals Oxford (3-2). On Sunday there were also some great wins for the Kidds (match reports below) and a 3-0 win for the Pirates against East London. This weekend there are lots of matches including six at Lee Valley on Saturday and a big home match again at Lee Valley for the M1 on Sunday.

M1 v Richmond this Sunday

The sideline support across the club has been fantastic over recent weeks. This weekend the M1 are playing Richmond 1 in their battle to stay in East Conference. The M1 got a great 3-2 win against Oxford University last week who are also fighting regulation. They are playing at 1pm at Lee Valley on Sunday so it would be great to get a big Wapping crowd out to support the boys and hopefully cheer them on to another crucial 3 points!

Wapping Kidds 

U10 Boys

The U10 Boys were entered in the London In2hockey Cup, as part of the national In2hockey championship, against local rivals Blackheath, as well as teams from Surbiton, Wayfarers, THD, Brom Becks and Spencer.

The boys were very strong, dominating the first 3 matches with excellent individual skill and defending high up the pitch to quash the attacking options from Spencer, Brom Becks and THD. Against Wayfarers, Wapping again dominated, winning penalty corner after penalty corner, but a breakaway goal from Wayfarers was the decider.  Similarly against BEHC and Surbiton, Wapping earned plenty of penalty corners, but failed to convert, and ultimately lost both 1-0.

Player of the tournament was Edward Crocker, who was outstanding in controlling the centre of the pitch and also his creativity in front of goal.  A special mention goes to 8 year old Arthur Smith Kershaw who made some cracking saves.

U10 Girls

The U10 Girls were entered into the London Plate competition.  Losing the first game with a slow start against eventual competition winners Surbiton, they came back very strongly, beating all other opponents (BEHC, East London, Old Cranleighans and THD) scoring 12 goals in the process. The only goal conceded was in the first match.  

Wapping ended the tournament in joint 3rd place. A special mention to the Old Crans rainbow pony mascot, the girls now have ideas too, feedback was we need mini wapping shirts for whatever they have planned!

U14 Boys

This weekend the U14 Boys faced Honor Oak at John Orwell. A strong performance by all the boys left Honor Oak rueing the absence of their GK, 11 outfield players were run ragged by halftime.  In the spirit of fair play Wapping's GK Nico Newell very sportingly offered to swap teams, and was immediately put under enormous pressure.  Despite a cracking second half performance from him, Wapping ran out 11-0 winners. 

Amongst many fabulous performances from a very strong group of boys, James Wright was player of the match, controlling the game like a pro. To quote his coach, he was "unreal".

A huge thank you to coaches Tim Wright and David Van Stolk, umpires Sandra Akinbolu, Iain McAuslan, Amy Winkelgrund and Alan Donji.

This weekend sees the turn of the U8s, both U12 teams and the U14 Girls.  We wish them well, and look forward to some similarly stunning performances!!

Volunteering

With the success of the Wapping Kidds over the last few weeks, we really want to make sure we give the players of the future the best possible support.  Our volunteer coaches are fantastic, the results prove that, but we are stretched.  We are growing rapidly, and run through the summer term, so need coaches, and in particular assistant coaches, to help on a Friday evening and Saturday morning.

If you think you can help, we would love to have you.  You do not need coaching qualifications or any coaching experience.  All you need is enthusiasm for the game, an ability to enjoy both random questions and seeing the immediate impact of your support, and a bit of time.  All sessions are led by experienced coaches, and all kit is provided.

Whether you would like to come and lead a shooting master class, or join in a game of Bulldog or Foxes and Chickens, please drop us a line at wappingkidds@gmail.com.

Committee positions next year

As it’s nearly the end of the season (boo), election time for captains and committee roles is fast approaching. Next season may seem far away, but to get ahead with pre-season means to think about these positions for next year.
Look out on Wapping social media for more detail about committee positions but in the meantime please do have a look at https://www.wappinghockey.club/exec-and-committee-responsibilities for some inspiration. Please get in touch with a committee member or your captain if you would like to get involved with a particular role next season.

M10 2 - 1 Tulse Hill

The Wapping 10s faced an uphill struggle this weekend after a loss to their league counterparts, the Wapping Mens 9s 4-1. With 10s goalkeeper Shawn Molver and Captain Karndeep Sidhu out due to injury, goalkeeper Graham and defender Rishan had to fill in last minute.

The first 3 minutes of the match saw 11 outfield players for Wapping as goalkeeper Graham was unable to be ready in time for push back. This gave TH&D early chances to land the first goal but they were unable to capitalise on this

With a Wapping goalkeeper now on the field, Wapping went on the offensive. The first goal, coming from a penalty corner, saw Douglas Shipton injecting into the D, all for Alex Jacko to be given enough time and space to perform a scoop shot which landed in the net.

The second goal came from Emiel Occidental pressuring the TH&D defender into playing the ball out in their own half. A mistake allowed Alan Dorji to aerial the ball into the D. After a few passes, unmarked Patrick O’Malley found himself with the ball at the top of the D and was able to double Wapping’s league.

Wapping continued to attack in the second half. Drama came from Emiel almost scoring an own goal. To his relief a back stick foul was called, disallowing the goal. Moments later, TH&D grabbed a goal through a counter attack with many Wapping attackers committed up front. This saw a 2 vs 1 with the keeper, all to be passed around Graham and into an empty net. 2-1!

In the final 15 minutes. TH&D went on the ultra offensive looking for the equaliser, while Wapping had to stay resolute in their defending. This saw all players defending in and outside the D. Which also saw Graham being green carded and sent off for 2 minutes, a heart in mouth situation! With countless foot fouls and decisions going to the away side. Wapping managed to weather the storm and came out on top with a close 2-1 win. Queue the Maroon celebrations!

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley

10:00 - M4 v East London 2 (pitch 1)
10:00 - L5 v London Edwardians 4 (pitch 2)
11:30 - L1 v PHC Chiswick 1 (pitch 1)
13:00 - L3 v Southgate 3 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M5 v PHC Chiswick 2 (pitch 1)
16:00 - M2 v Southgate 2

John Orwell

11:10 - L6 v London Wayfarers Foxes
12:30 - L7 v Tulse Hill & Dulwich 6
14:00 - M9 v HAC Sutlers
15:30 = M7 v Tulse Hill & Dulwich 4

Away

10:30 - L4 v Southgate 4
13:45 - M6 v Bromley & Beckenham Cardinals
15:00 - L2 v Wayfarers 2
16:00 - M3 v Wayfarers 2

Sunday 19th 

13:00 - M1 v Richmond (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

Wonderful Wapping Women

Last weekend saw some hard fought wins on the ladies side for the L5 (3-2), the L7 (4-3) and the L4 (2-1) as well as an important 1-1 draw for the L3. The M9 also came out on top against the M10 (4-1). As the end of the season comes nearer there are some big matches this weekend across the club including a derby for the M2 against East London 1 and a big match for the M1 against Oxford University on Sunday.

International Women's Day - a reflection from Vice Chair of Performance, Lizzie Salmon

As it was International Women’s day this week, it’s a good time to reflect how far we have come and how far we want to go - both in our club and in our sport. 

It is pretty cool to be part of a sport that sees a fairly even gender split from grassroots all the way up to pro level. Particularly after the success at the Rio Olympics, the conversations I have in the hockey world, see conversations in the hockey space easily flip between how excited players and supporters are to watch or develop in the male and female teams.

Personally, I love also being part of a club that sees strong female representation on committee. I am inspired by the women who run our club everyday. It emboldens me to step up, contribute and pass on inspiration (hopefully) to my fellow hockey friends. Having played L5s, L2s & L1s, I am also so chuffed to feel whichever team I get to play in as the years go by, they are full of supportive, legendary women who back each other on the pitch and off. 

It is also been great to see the L1s be supported by Makers who are looking to also develop more women in the tech space.  With this partnership we can support each other in our different spaces to empower more women.

But, we are not there yet, but I am also proud to be part of a club that is continually asking can we do and be better. 

Wapping and Hockey, more generally, need to keep asking the hard questions. How can we have better representation in coaching? How can we make sure the whole club/hockey is a safe space for everyone? Although I have found most people well meaning, there are systematic issues baked into all clubs and Wapping is not different.

It would also be ridiculous of me, as white cisgender woman, not to point out that this comes from a perspective of privilege and assumptions. As we talk about moving forward towards a more equal world we must bring as many voices as possible so our actions do not just act as band aids to real, far greater issues. 

From an ally-perspective, it can be easy to hide behind fear or ignorance rather than to act. Pass the mic, listen and be open to challenging your assumptions. I don’t believe most people are malicious but being scared can make us blind to growth.  

Let’s invite as many different people to the table as we learn what real equality looks and feels like. Let’s find better words to express ourselves and be inclusive. Let’s challenge ourselves to be be more open and more awesome together 

It’s great to see how we have progressed this IWD at Wapping and in hockey. More please. After all, hockey always wins!

End of Season Dinner

Another reminder to grab your tickets for the End of Season Dinner on the website here.

Also please make your food choices if you haven’t already for the event.

Easy Fundraiser app

Last week we reminded you that Easyfundraising is the easiest way to raise money for the club. When you shop online a percentage of your total is donated back to us. The site also provides one-off deals on things like changing utilities or taking out a phone contract.  It costs nothing to sign up and so far 104 supporters have raised £2,450.46 for the club. As well as being able to sign up here and add the extension to your browser there is also an iphone app if you shop on your phone (unfortunately no android app at the moment :( ).

Download the app here

Summer league sign up

Wapping Hockey Club runs London's biggest corporate summer league, the City and Wharf Hockey League, which is back for 2023! It starts from the last week of April and runs to August, including hog roast/6-a-side tournament and black tie EOSD.

To sign-up to play for one of the Wapping teams, please fill out this form.

Corporate teams frequently need players to fill last-minute holes, and we will be running a ringers' list again. Sign-up for that on the form, and join the WhatsApp group (we promise to keep it focused!) here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BeQgwxm6T0H5vzL504eDJO 

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley

10:00 - L2 v Southgate 2 (pitch 1)
10:00 - L7 v Royals (pitch 2) - friendly
11:30 - M2 v East London 1 (away) (pitch 1)
11:30 - M3 v Epsom 1 (pitch 2)
13:00 - M6 v London Academicals 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M8 v London Academicals 3 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M10 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich
12:30 - M4 v Indian Gymkhana 2
14:00 - L4 v PHC Chiswick

Away

10:30 - L3 v UCL Rums 1
11:00 - L5 v Wanderers 6
13:30 - M5 v Barnes 2
14:45 - L1 v Teddington 1
15:00 - M7 v Kings and Alleyns 2
15:00 - M1 v Oxford Uni on Sunday

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

Play safe

Last weekend saw a huge 3-1 win for the M3 and some great results for the Kidds. The U12 girls were unbeaten in their tournament (winning 4 and drawing 1), the U14 girls won 2, drew 1 and lost 1 and the U14 boys came from behind to win 3-2 against Brom Becks. All but two teams are back in action so lots of hockey to be looking forward to this Saturday!

Thank you to everyone who came to the L1 and M1 raffle and quiz on Saturday night. Congratulations to everyone who won a prize and the Ladies 5s who emerged as quiz champions! Please get in touch with Dan Verity, Jenna Maclaren, or by replying to this email if you have not received your prize yet.

Note from the Co-Chairs

England Hockey have updated the safeguarding guidance on their website. There is now a wealth of information for parents, young people, coaches, organisers, umpires, committee members and players. With increasing numbers of excellent young people playing for us we recommend everyone reads the Adults on teams with young players guidance. Please do take a quick read when you can - Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

On the topic of safeguarding, it’s also worth a couple of general reminders:

• all contact for U18 should be via their designated parent/carer. If someone who is under 18 contacts you via email or whatsapp without their adult looped in, please loop the parent/carer in and gently remind them of the protocol.

• we have a page about Safeguarding at Wapping on our website, including contact information for our welfare officer, Sandra Akinbolu. Going forward, we are looking to expand our safeguarding team so if this is something you’re interested in helping with let us know.

Club google drive

The press team would greatly appreciate it if club members could upload pictures and videos they don’t mind sharing to this club wide Google Drive folder. Pictures from matches and socials are really useful for promoting the club through our social media channels and website so it would be great to get as much uploaded to the drive as we can. Please ensure there are no U18s in the photos.

Link to Google Drive folder here

Easy Fundrasing

A Back Post reminder that Easyfundraising is the easiest way to raise money for the club. When you shop online a percentage of your total is donated back to us. The site also provides one-off deals on things like changing utilities or taking out a phone contract.  It costs nothing to sign up and so far 104 supporters have raised £2,450.46 for the club. To do this please:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Download the browser extension, the plug-in pops up automatically when you shop to let you know when a donation is available.

3. They also have an iPhone app for people who shop via their mobile (no android version yet though)

Track your donations to see how much you’ve raised in your account and they’ll send updates oh how much the club has raised.

End of season dinner

Another reminder to purchase your ticket for the end of season dinner at the De Vere Grand Connaught rooms on 22nd April if you haven’t already. It will be a great way to round off the season with the whole club so make sure you don’t miss out!

Fixtures this Saturday

Lee Valley

11:30 - M2 v Purley Walcountians 1 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L1 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 1 (pitch 1)
14:30 - L3 v Harrow 1 (pitch 2)

John Orwell

11:10 - L5 v Kings and Alleyns 2

Away

12:45 - L7 v Remnants 1
13:30 - L2 v Wanderers 1
13:30 - M3 v Ashford 1
13:45 - M6 v Spencer 6
14:30 - M4 v Hampstead and Westminster 3
14:30 - L4 v East London 4
15:30 - M5 v Old Merchant Taylors 2
17:15 - M1 v Guildford

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

DC’s Done it! *Whistles*

After a slight pause for slip week, almost all teams are back in action this weekend including a M6 v M7 derby clash at John Orwell. This weekend the L1 and M1 are also holding a club fundraiser at Hackney Bridge with a quiz, brilliant raffle and great food and drink. It would be great to see as many from the club as possible there as well as friends and family. The menu for the EOSD has also been revealed and we have a big congratulations to our club’s first national league umpire!

Note from the Co-Chairs
Firstly, it was a pleasure to catch up with Tim (Wapping HC’s founder), Suzi and Alix Poeton at the Moretown Belle the weekend before last.

We can proudly announce our intentions to establish The Kidds’ Foundation - a huge thanks to Tim and family for the idea and intentions to bring this into creation. Thanks also to Alex Bristow, Tim Wright, Sandy Akinbolu and David van Stolk whose expertise and support is indispensable in achieving this proposal.

If anyone has any experience setting up/running charitable organisations please let us know as we’d love to pick your brains!

Secondly, it’s summer league prep time. Our City and Wharf Hockey League is bags of fun and helps raise essential funds for the club so the more teams we sign up the better. If you work for a company (or know one) who might want to field a team for some social summer fun, please can you let the CAWHL team know so they can get in touch.

Raffle fundraiser

This Saturday evening the L1 and M1 are running a club fundraiser quiz and raffle at Hackney Bridge from 7pm. Come along for great food, better drinks and an even better raffle.

The quiz will start at 8:15pm run by Chedd and Rankin from the M1 with a cash prize for the best team.

Whilst we count up scores we will then hold the raffle where prizes include 5x Pscyle spin classes, lots of hockey stash and equipment, a diamond necklace, Printworks and Leyton Orient tickets, Hello Fresh boxes, a physio session, a personal training session, food, drink and more!

Please bring your team, housemates, family and friends along for what will be a great night.

End of season tickets

A reminder to keep buying tickets to the End of Season Dinner on the 22nd April to round off the season as a club. 

If you have bought your ticket: 

• Please use this Google form to choose your food.

If you have not bought your ticket:

• Buy it here! The standard cost of a ticket is £65. 

  There is the option to make an additional contribution to cover the rise in costs however this is not expected at all; we would love to see as many people there as possible.

We love umpires!

Following on from last week’s umpire promotions, last Sunday Dan Carter (pictured below) smashed his L3 assessment, moving from the Development Panel (NPDP) to men’s B Panel. In the process he becomes the club’s first ever National League umpire!

Dan passed his assessment by umpiring Lichfield M1 v Birmingham M2 in Conference Midlands.

Summer league sign up
WHC runs London's biggest corporate summer league and the City and Wharf Hockey League is back for 2023!

It starts from the last week of April and runs to August, including hog roast/6-a-side tournament and black tie EOSD.

Supporting summer league - whether through your company team, umpiring or coaching at Back 2 Hockey - is a great way to contribute to the Club. No matter your background or experience, please get in touch if you would like to help out or would like more info on entering a team.

To sign-up to play for one of the Wapping teams, fill out this form.

Corporate teams frequently need players to fill last-minute holes, and we will be running a ringers' list again. Sign-up for that on the form, and join the WhatsApp group (we promise to keep it focussed!) here.

Matches this weekend

Lee Valley

10:00 - L6 v Kings and Alleyns 3 (pitch 1)
10:00 - L2 v Kings and Alleyns 1 (pitch 2)
13:00 - M4 v West Hampstead 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M3 v Old Merchant Taylors 1 (pitch 1)
18:00 - M1 v Bromley and Beckenham (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M10 v Bromley and Beckenham Hawks
12:30 - L7 v East London 8
13:40 - L3 v West Hampstead 2
14:00 - M6 v Wapping 7
14:00 - L1 v Surbiton 3
15:30 - M8 v Kings and Alleyns 3
12:00 - L4 v Richmond Ravens

Away

12:45 - M2 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 1
15:00 - M9 v London Wayfarers Barbarians
16:00 - L5 v East London 5

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

Thinking caps on

Last weekend saw a massive 7-1 for the M10 over East London 8, a crucial 3-0 win for the M5 against Harrow and a 4-2 win for the L1 who now sit second in an incredibly tight London Prem league with only 4 points separating the top 4 teams battling for promotion.

This week is slip week for most but seven teams are still in action with multiple postponed matches being played.

Umpire assessment

Congratulations to those who have recently passed umpiring assessments: Sam Peel (outdoor: Level 1) 🥳 and Phil O’Hagan (indoor: Level 2 indoor, outdoor: London Prem Panel) 🥳 🥳

It is really crucial to the club that we have a few umpires per team so please do support and encourage team mates to sign up to one of the England hockey online hockey courses below. It only takes a couple of hours, is hosted online, and run by umpires with heaps of experience, so a great way to pick up some hints and tips. This month there are courses running on Tuesday 21st and Sunday 26th of February.

Sign up link here

L1/M1 fundraiser

Next Saturday (25th February) the L1 and M1 are running a quiz and raffle at Hackney Bridge from 7pm. Come along for food, drink and lots of prizes. Raffle prizes include:

• A 24 pack of Neck Oil IPA

• A £150 formal dress voucher

• Gym class passes and classes

• Various pieces of hockey stash

• Restaurant vouchers

• Many more!

Make sure to come along with your team and any friends who may be interested as well.

End of Season Dinner tickets

A reminder to keep buying your End of Season Dinner tickets on the Wapping website shop here. It’s the event of the season so make sure you don’t miss out! Dinner will take place from 6pm-1am at De Vere Connaught Rooms and tickets include a sparkling wine reception, a two course dinner, wine, the awards ceremony and a DJ until 1am.

Matches this weekend

Lee Valley

13:00 - M10 v London Wayfarers Barbarians (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - L4 v Hampstead and Westminster 5
12:30 - M6 v Wanderers 3
14:00 - M8 v Wanderers 6

Away

10:30 - L6 v London Wayfarers Foxes
12:00 - M7 v Bromley and Beckenham Cardinals
12:30 - M5 v West Hampstead  4
16:00 - M1 v London Wayfarers

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

Hockey. Camera. Action.

Last weekend saw a massive 9-1 win for the L1 (match report below), a very big win for the M2, 4-3 against Chiswick, a 4-2 win for the M6 against Tulse Hill and a 2-0 win for the L4 as well as some good draws for the L3, L5, M5, L7 and M10. The Kidds also dominated on Sunday, particularly the U10 boys with both their A and B team being unbeaten!

Note from the Co-Chairs

This weekend we’re very lucky to have founder of Wapping HC, Tim Poeton (pictured below in 2016 with then Chair Stuart Burnside), in town along with ‘former tea lady’ Suzi, and daughter, Alix (also Wapping alumni!). Tim lives in the US but follows Wapping very closely and has been instrumental in helping us set up a foundation for Kidds this year. They’ll be in the Moretown Belle from around 4:30pm (and perhaps pitch side at JO beforehand), so do say hi if you see them!

New club video!

This week we launched a brand new promo video to help this year’s recruitment drive. It’s now live on the website and will be released on social media later today. Please do check it out and share if you can. A HUGE thanks to Jenna MacLaren, James Budgen and James Sweetman for all the footage and an extra special thanks to Budgen for the many hours spent editing it all together. I think you’ll all agree we’re very lucky to have such talented and dedicated members in the club.

M1 and L1 fundraiser reminder

A reminder that the L1 and M1 will be running a quiz and raffle on Saturday 25th February at Hackney Bridge to raise money for the club. All teams, friends and families welcome so get inviting and keep your eyes peeled on social media for some raffle prize teasers!

City and Wharf Hockey league

CAWHL is a corporate summer league run by the club through the Spring & Summer. The league starts in late April and runs until August, it includes a 6-a-side tournament and a black tie EOSD. All experience levels are welcome so please get in touch with CAWHL (cityandwharfhockeyleague@gmail.com) if you or your company would like more information!

Also see the links below to sign up: 

Corporate League sign up here

Wapping Team Sign up

Wapping Whatsapp

L1 v  Kings and Alleyns 1 match report

Despite the 3pm push back ruining everyone’s pre-match routines, thanks to some motivation from Cher in the changing room, Wapping 1s were ready to dominate. 

Pippa got the L1 off to a good start by converting a short corner, which was followed by a lovely passage of team play by Lucia, Tash and Nicole, which led to Nicole expertly finding the back of the net.  Tash also found the back of the net with an expertly taken p flick, while Sarah got her first goal of the game thanks to a lovely ball in from Shears that she tapped in on the back post. 

Despite the dominant performance from Wapping, the opposition exploited a lack of concentration from Wapping and converted a short corner to get themselves onto the score sheet. 

Not letting this affect the L1’s play, throughout the game Lucia gave Kings’ defence a headache down the baseline, as did Sarah and Pippa who both got two further goals each (including a particularly ridiculous backhand from Pippa, and a textbook deflection from Sarah). Not to be left out, Jenna also nabbed herself a stunning tap in on the post, taking the total goals to 9.

Result: 9-1

MOM went to Lucia for her tenacious play running through the opposition left, right and centre.

DOD was this week won by Pippa for her questionable 5m despite being 9-1 up…Special shout out to Nicole, who is taking time to recover from the disappointment of having her request for “a spin in the midfield” denied by Matt.

The L1 now sit 3rd in an incredibly tight London Prem league, just 1 point off the top spot. This weekend they play Southgate who are sitting in 7th.

Matches this weekend

Lee Valley

10:00 - M10 v East London 8 (pitch 1)
11:30 - L3 v West Herts 2 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L1 v Southgate 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M2 v Spencer 2 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - L5 v London Academicals 2
12:30 - M5 v Harrow 1
14:00 - M7 v Wanderers 3
15:30 - M9 v London Royals 2

Away

10:15 - L4 v West Hampstead 3
11:00 - L7 v London Edwardians 5
12:15 - M8 v Bromley and Beckenham Harriers
12:30 - M6 v Wanderers 5
13:30 - M4 v Southgate 4
14:00 - M3 v Croydon and Old Whitgiftian 1
14:30 - L2 v PHC Chiswick
17:00 - M1 v Surbiton

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

The future of hockey is now

Last weekend saw some great wins for the club. The M5 got their first win of the season coming from behind to beat East London 2-1. Similarly the M7 picked up their first points with a 3-1 win over Brom Becks. The L1 and L4 also had good wins over West Herts and London Royals. This weekend there are lots of teams in action. The M1s are back in action as the East Conference restarts, the L5 have a derby clash against East London 6 and the U10 and U12 kidds have tournaments on Sunday afternoon.

Note from the Co-Chairs

This week representatives from East London HC, London Royals, Tower Hamlets HC and Wapping HC all met for a round table at Mile End Stadium to discuss the future of hockey in Tower Hamlets. There was some very positive news about an increased focus on sport within the borough and along with the other clubs we’ll be forming a joint committee to help inform development within it. If you have any suggestions for improvement or things to be considered/discussed please let our Vice Chair of Community, Alex Corrie, know.

Printers mixed hockey

After a forfeited and postponed match, the printers mixed team finally have their first match of the season on Sunday 12th February in the plate tournament against Romford. Please get in touch with Hugo (+44 7775 670032) if you are interested in playing!

Umpire courses

A reminder that we could always do with more umpires and there’s a really great online course you can join to get started. Umpiring is a great way to improve your understanding of the game, get involved in the club and earn some bucks (regular umpires receive £15 per game and pool umpires, £40). The course costs £30, runs for two hours and is an interactive zoom call facilitated by a couple of very experienced umpires. As soon as the course is complete you’re ready to give it a go and we have lots of experienced umpires to help when you first start out. If you have any questions, or any U18s are interested in umpiring, please contact the ULOs (wappingulo@gmail.com) who’ll be happy to provide additional support.

Social reminders

This Saturday we’re encouraging teams to come down to JO to support the afternoon games (L7 at 14:00 and L6 at 15:30) and then head together to the Moretown Belle for the England v Scotland 6 nations game kicking off at 4:45pm. Please also come down for drinks later if you are playing a later game.

On Saturday 25th February the M1 and L1 are running a raffle and quiz at Hackney Bridge to raise money for the club. Anyone is welcome so get the dates in your diary and invite your friends. Keep your eyes peeled on socials for teasers of some of the prizes you could win. Also please get in touch if you have a prize/experience that could be donated.

A reminder to keep buying your tickets for the End of Season Dinner on 22nd April (6pm-1am) at De Vere Connaught Rooms. Tickets can be bought on the wapping website here.

Matches this weekend

Lee Valley

13:00 - M3 v Teddington 2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - L2 v West Herts 1 (pitch 1)
16:00 - M10 v London Royals 3
18:00 - M1 v Hampstead and Westminster (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M6 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 4
12:30 - M8 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 5
14:00 - L7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 7
15:30 - L6 v Wanderers 7

Away

10:00 - L5 v East London 6 
11:00 - M7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 3
12:00 - L3 v Wanderers 2
13:00 - M5 v London Royals 1
14:30 - M2 v Chiswick 1
15:00 - L1 v Kings and Alleyns 1
14:45 - L2 v Teddington 1
15:00 - M4 v London Wayfarers Vikings

Sunday - Lee Valley

14:30 - L2 v Wimbledon 3 (pitch 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

Save a life. Play hockey.

This Saturday all 17 teams are in action (with the M1 playing a friendly) including a 10am M5 derby against East London 3 for any early risers who want to come and support. This Back Post there is another reminder about upcoming socials (get them in your diary!), an opportunity to get first aid trained and introductions to some of the newcomers on the men’s side of the club from the M3, M7 and M9.

Note from the Co-Chairs

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers so far this season. There’s still room to help run our summer league (CAWHL) should you like to get involved. We’ve had couple of volunteers for it but could do with a couple more so please do get in touch if you can help (cityandwharfhockeyleague@gmail.com).

Fingers crossed the frozen pitches are behind us now but a bunch of cancelled matches last weekend made for some excellent sideline vibes for those whose games were on, so let’s continue the love this week. The M7, M9 and L5 are all playing at JO on Saturday, with the M7 confident they’re gonna win, so pop over and show some support if you’re about.

And if a full day of hockey on Saturday doesn’t satisfy your appetite, the Super 6s finals are on at the Copper Box Arena this Sunday and England Hockey TV will be live streaming the event for the first time. More info on that here.

Socials !

A reminder that the first social of the season is just over a week away on Saturday the 4th at the Moretown Belle. Come along to watch the L6 and L7 playing at John Orwell from 2pm, the six nations kicking off at 4:45 and drinks being drank throughout.

Also excitingly we have the L1 and M1 fundraiser raffle and quiz at Hackney Bridge on Saturday 25th February. Get inviting your friends as there will be great food, drinks and prizes!

Also keep buying tickets on the website here for the End of Season Dinner on the 22nd April. A reminder that if you’d like to pay in instalments the first payment needs to be made by the 2nd of February.

First aid training

There will be a first aid course taking place (QNUK Level 3 award in emergency first aid) towards the end of February, start of March (details to be confirmed). It’s really important we have first aid trained people in each team so please get in touch with our VCC, Alex Corrie (wappingvcc@gmail.com), if this is something you would be interested in doing.

Meet the newbies!

Following on from introductions to the new L1, L5 and L6 teams last week, this Back Post we are meeting some new players on the men’s side.

M3

We’ve had a huge influx of 13 new players into the 3s this year, which is great to see. A couple of mentions include Corey Martin, joining from Hampstead and Westminster, his Taylor Swift fandom is unparalleled.  The dynamic duo, Matt Smart and Jack Humphrey, schoolboy friends and lovers joining us from the back waters of Shropshire. 

Sitting at the bottom of the table on 0 points. The second half of the season is looking hopeful with new players cementing themselves into Wapping’s play style. We are looking to take the league by storm!

M7

Two new key assets to the M7 this year are Boden and Adri. Adri has come into the midfield, a very tidy player who used to play for Woking and was told about Wapping by an ex-team mate. Boden insists on umpiring only in his pink shirt, lacks performance at socials and was recruited straight off the train from Liverpool by Smithy. Apparently he travels past 6 other hockey clubs to play at JO. Make of that what you will but he is also a great player.

M9

Newbie Euan Reed has been a perfect fit for the M9. His time keeping has been the standard we expect - he has an exceptional ability to sleep in on match days as 'his alarm clock has broken' (there is a peculiarly strong correlation between him on the sesh and his iPhone alarm being faulty). He scored his first two goals recently in an 11-0 romping (both poorly struck deflections, again another moment of pride for our team). He was a regular player at Liverpool Sefton before joining.

Matches this weekend

Lee Valley

10:00 - M5 v East London 3 (pitch 2)
11:30 - L3 v Chiswick 2 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L1 v West Herts (pitch 1)
14:30 - M2 v Barnes 1 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M10 v HAC Sutlers
12:30 - M9 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 6
14:00 - M7 v Bromley and Beckenham Cardinals
15:30 - L5 v Wanderers 5

Away

10:30 - L6 v London Wayfarers Jaguars 
12:00 - M8 v London Gamblers 2 
12:30 - L7 v London Academicals
13:00 - L4 v London Royals 1
13:30 - M3 v Hampstead and Westminster
13:30 - M6 v Kings and Alleyns 2
14:45 - L2 v Teddington 1
15:00 - M4 v London Wayfarers Vikings

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

New year, new you?

Last weekend we didn’t get the greatest results of all time except for a good win for the Ladies 4s. This weekend there are 4 (!) derbies against East London and a L1/L2 derby at Lee Valley - it would be great to have supporters for these matches so why not watch the team before/after your match to shout out your choice of encouragement or constructive criticism.

Note from the Co-Chairs

As we start the second half of the season, the M6s are storming the Team Of The Year race with over TWO THOUSAND points so we just wanna give a massive shout out to the chaps for all their winning ways and help volunteering (especially with umpiring of which they’ve done an ENORMOUS amount).

But it’s now time to shake things up. Inspired by all the sideline loving, and to reward club-in-club love, we’ve got some new ways to get yourself some points. Teams will now get 10 points per player for supporting half another team’s game, 25 points per player for supporting the whole thing, and a WAPPING 150 points per team for organising a joint all team social. Let club secretary, Isabel Ringrose, know if you’ve completed this challenge (she can’t keep tabs on everyone…) at wappingsecretary@gmail.com or 07519187677 and points will be added accordingly. Let the battle recommence.

Get these dates in your diaries now!

As mentioned last week, the social secs have done some great work to get socials lined up for the second half of the season - clear all your social plans and get these Saturday dates locked in your diaries ASAP!

• February 4th: 6 nations social @ Moretown Belle + Lower Ladies Lovefest. Drinks and kick off at the MTB from 4:45 / head down to John Orwell earlier to support the L6 and L7 on the sidelines (first PB 2pm).

• February 25th: L1 and M1 fundraiser quiz and raffle/auction (tbc) from 7pm at Hackney Bridge. More info on this shortly!

• April 22nd: End of Season Dinner 6pm-1am at De Vere Connaught Rooms. Tickets can be bought on the website here with various payment options

New Year’s resolution?

I’m sure many of you have set a New Year’s resolution of getting more involved at Wapping. The club is always looking for more coaches and umpires and is currently in need of some volunteers to help run CAWHL - details below if you fancy learning a new skill or offering your experience:

Kidds coaching

• Contact email: wappingkidds@gmail.com

• Coaches available on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday on an occasional or full time basis are greatly appreciated.

Umpiring

• Contact email: wappingulo@gmail.com

• Please get in touch if you would like to do an online course to become a L1 unassessed umpire, if you would like to get assessed at a match to increase your qualifications, or if you are a qualified umpire of any level and keen to umpire!

CAWHL

• Contact email: cityandwharfhockeyleague@gmail.com

• The club runs a mixed summer league for corporate and Wapping teams which helps us attract new players, keep playing over the summer, and support the club financially. It is run by volunteers and we need some new people to get involved in a variety of ways this year. If you would like to help out pleas get in touch. It’s one of the best ways to meet people from all around the club.

Meet the Newbies!

It’s great to have so many new joiners to the club this year - keep your eyes peeled in the backpost each week for some of these new player profiles. This week we are starting with the L1, L5 and L6!

Ladies 5

​​Absolute babes Miranda Russell and Megan Cousins have joined the Ladies 5s this season. Joining us from Clapham Common & Cambridge Uni they have become steadfast fit fives and loved by all. Both playing in midfield they bring all the running and can celebrate a goal like we've won the world cup, even if they take each other out in the process!

We’re also super lucky to now have newbies Sarah Jackman and Issy Mahoney join us post Xmas shuffle. Sarah is an absolute speed demon in defence, having just got back into hockey after being out a while, and Issy putting in some great upfront performances, so we’re super psyched to see how the second half of our season goes.

Ladies 6

Scout - Recently moved from Australia to London to work as a paramedic, has played hockey for 12 years and wanted to continue here. She’s absolutely loved playing for Wapping so far, it’s been a great way to stay active, reduce stress and also meet new people outside my profession!

Jess - Originally from Scotland but moved down to London earlier this year and joined the 6s as goalie and has been loving Wapping HC so far, from the girls on the team to the coaching. She is particularly loving the goalie specific training for skill development!

Katherine - from Chicago and has been living in London for two years now but joined Wapping this season. Plays forward and defence so could literally be anywhere on the pitch, hopefully scoring or saving a goal!

Juniors - we’ve also had 4 lovely U14s join us in the L6s this year, bringing lots of energy and skill from their time with Wapping Kidds! It’s been great to see them grow in confidence as the season has progressed and become part of the team.

Ladies 1

The L1 is stacked with great new talent this season. Kiwi Nicole and Aussie Amelia have added some international flair to the team. When they are not partying or going on hinge dates, Nicole is found scoring both great and village goals and Amelia is rock-solid in defense, even if she spends most of the time on the floor. The L1 should be known as Mr Worldwide as we also have Masters student Lynn from Germany who has torn up the midfield and dished out a few German insults to her opposite players.

Brombecks girls Charlotte and Sarah have brought huge amounts of fun as well as skill to the team with Charlotte in the running for our top man of the match and Sarah scoring undoubtedly one of the best goals of the season against top of the league Wayfarers.

With 50% of our squad new this year  there are still three more players to introduce! When Lydia isn’t baking cakes, enjoying free concert tickets or getting hit in the face by short corner masks she's making tackles and firing the ball down the line from half back. Finally we have our two doctors: doctor phd shears from Cambridge who never stops running around the midfield and doctor doctor Monika with her slick skills up front.

Blast from the past!

Many thanks to Chris Gould from Guildford who wrote to us this week to share the above photo from the early years of the Hockey Club. This photo was taken in the year when the M1 earned their first promotion and the M3 were formed! Chris was chairman for two years and remembers great tours to Dublin where ‘Wapping ruled the social if not the game’ - great to see that that legacy has continued until today!

Fixtures this Saturday

Lee Valley

11:30 - M4 v Crostyx 1 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L1 v L2 (pitch 1)
14:30 - M3 v London Academicals 1 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - L4 v Hampstead and Westminster 5
12:30 - M9 v East London 7
14:00 - L6 v East London 7
15:30 - L7 v East London 9

Away

12:00 - M2 v Wimbledon 2
14:00 - M5 v Crostyx 2
14:30 - L3 v Eastcote 2
15:30 - M7 v London Academicals 2
16:00 - M8 v East London 6
16:45 - L5 v Spencer 6

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

Back at it.

Hockey is back! Hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas/New Year break and didn't miss hockey too much. Time to cancel out all the festive food and drink with some hockey! 

A few teams played rearranged matches last weekend including the U14s with the girls getting two well deserved wins.

This Saturday 15 teams are back in action so lots to look forward to.

(A rather long) Note from the Co-Chairs

Firstly, thanks for all the feedback you shared during the break. It was really helpful to get a feel for how things are going across the club and gave us plenty of things to work on this half season.

Secondly, we want to share a message of support for Tower Hamlets Hockey Club and anyone who has been subject to racism playing hockey. Wapping HC stand firmly against discrimination of any kind and were saddened to read THHC’s club statement last week. We are lucky to be part of an open and inclusive club but that was a stark reminder that not everyone is made to feel welcome playing sport. Please remain vigilant against those perpetrating such behaviour so we can continue to make hockey a place for all.

And finally, a note on April’s End of Season Dinner.

As most of you know, the highlight of our social calendar is the WHC black tie dinner and dance. It’s one of the things we’re known for. It’s always a complete blast, and this year will be no different.
The club has always made a financial contribution to make the event accessible but with increased hospitality prices across the board we’re facing higher costs than previous years so need to think a little more creatively about how we use our budget. We felt that simply adding the increase in costs on to last year’s ticket price may make the event inaccessible for some, so after a lot of thought we’ve decided to offer two price points this year. One inline with last year’s event and one slightly higher to help cover the increase in costs. Members are free to pay whichever price they want and there’s the option to pay in instalments for both. Please do make the most of the flexed pricing as we’d love to have as many of you there as possible. More on the event below.

Grab your garms

A host of pretty exciting news from Rob our kit sec. The Moretown Belle sponsored home shirts have arrived, meaning all those teams playing at JO in collared skin tight shirts have some brand new adidas tops to start the year in. He’s also sorted us some serious new stash to make sure we’re starting the year looking fresh (including heaps of socks now colour matched to the new kit as modelled by Rob below).

On sale NOW in the shop:

• Brand new Home and Away socks

• Official Wapping HC bobble hats and scarves

Rob will also be selling stash in person at LV next week (at the M3/L1 Mon and M1/M2 Tues training sessions). If you train at JO and place an order by Tuesday night it’ll be delivered to the JO storeroom for collection by your captain from Wednesday evening.

Social dates for the diary!

We had lots of feedback requesting more inter-club hangouts so the social secs have been hard at work over the festive break to get socials confirmed for the second half of the season. Get these dates in your diaries now!

• February 4th: 6 nations social + Lower Ladies Lovefest

  Help ring in the second half of the season at the Moretown Belle. Come along for drinks from 4:30pm. The England v Ireland game will be showing for those who’d like to watch.

  Should you be free earlier in the day, the L6 and L7 are playing back-to-back at JO (with the L5 in the stands supporting) so come along early for some better than Bestival, more glam than Glasto, vibes once you’re done with your game. First game PB at 2pm.

• February 25th: M1 and L1 fundraiser 

  From 7pm the M1 and L1 will be running a fundraiser quiz and auction at Hackney Bridge to raise money for the club. All friends and family of the club welcome so get sending out invites - more details to follow shortly.

• April 22nd: End of season dinner

  The end of season dinner will take place on the 22nd April from 6pm to 1am at the De Vere Connaught Rooms. Expect good food, good drink, a great DJ, and exquisite company. It would be great to see as many of you there as possible to help round off the season. Tickets are on sale in the shop now including the option to pay in instalments. To pay in instalments, the first payment will need to be made by the 2nd of February.

  Included with tickets are the following:

  • Sparkling wine reception drink

  • Two course dinner

  • Half bottle of house wine

  • Tea, Coffee and petit fours

  • Mineral water

  • Awards ceremony 

  • DJ til 1am

Fixtures this Saturday

Lee Valley

11:15 - M2 v London Edwardians 1 (pitch 2)
13:00 - L2 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 1 (pitch 1)
14:30 - L3 v Hampstead and Westminster 4 (pitch 1)

John Orwell

11:10 - M5 v West Hampstead 3
12:30 - M7 v Spencer 6

Away

10:00 - M10 v East London 7
12:00 - L4 v Eastcote 3
12:00 - L7 v Kings and Alleyns 4
12:15 - M3 v Bromley and Beckenham 2
12:15 - M6 v Spencer Titans
13:45 - L1 v Wimbledon 3
14:00 - L6 v HAC Sabres
15:15 - M9 v Bromely and Beckenham Hawks
16:00 - M4 v Hampstead and Westminster 4

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

Happy holidays!

This is the last edition of The Back Post before the winter break so we have some updates on Team of the Year, the current league standings for each team, and a request for feedback from the Exec. Additionally we have some exciting fundraisers and social updates to keep you entertained over the holidays. 

Last weekend most matches were postponed but the M9 absolutely destroyed East London 11-0 and the L1 fought hard for a 2-1 win against top of the league and previously unbeaten Wayfarers. This weekend there are a few matches as well as indoor tournaments for the M1 and L1.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Wapping HC and The Back Post!

Note from the Co-Chairs

Since we’re halfway through the season, the Exec would love to get some feedback on how you think Wapping is doing, and what might need some work, so we’ve created this (one field) form to collate your thoughts. Feel free to tell us anything you’d like us to consider for the remainder of this season and moving into the next. (It could be performance related, social ideas, suggestions for sponsorship, thoughts on training/club management/comms etc. - if you’ve got thoughts we want to hear them.) If you’d like us to follow up on anything feel free to leave your name and email address but we’re equally happy to receive anonymous feedback should you feel more comfortable sharing that way.

And finally, a huge shout out to everyone for all your help and patience this half season. Wapping simply wouldn’t exist without all the amazing people in it, and those helping run it, so sending big festive love to you all.

Save the dates

• February social
  Come and ring in the second half of the season with us on February 4th at the Moretown Belle. Join us to watch the Six Nations kick off with England vs Scotland at 4.45pm - if rugby isn't your bag, come along after it's finished for a night of drinks, games and good vibes. 

• January training

  Training restarts the week commencing 9th of January UNLESS your captain has arranged for a session the previous week (eg. the L3 and L5 who have games on the 7th).

EOSD fundraiser - Last One Standing (Premier league edition)

With some much deserved downtime in the coming weeks, we thought we'd keep you entertained with a game.... 

Welcome to Last One Standing: £5 to enter buys you 3 lives. You have to select a Premier League football team each week to win their match, each team can only be used once. A draw or loss and you lose a life. Last one standing wins. 

£30 prize, the rest of the money goes towards the End of Season Dinner which we hope everyone is getting very excited for.

First picks are to be done by Dec 28th 2022, to start on Dec 30th 2022. 
Sign up form and more details here.

League standings

As the first half of the season is almost complete, except for a few postponed matches from last weekend, below is an update of where our teams stand in the London Leagues. Particular shout outs to the M6 who are currently topping Div 4 East and the L1 who are pushing for promotion into National League, with 3rd place in London Prem.

Team of the year update

We also have an official mid season update on Team of the Year. As mentioned previously, Team of the Year points can be gained for a variety of things including: volunteering as a coach, umpiring, activity on social media and at club socials, match results and goal scored.

Below are the current top 5 teams:

1. M6 on 2195 points

2. M7 on 1320 points

3. M8 on 1080 points

4. L3 on 975 points

5. M1 on 850 points

There’s still half of the season to go so I’d especially encourage the Ladies teams to try and join the L3 in the top 5. Unfortunately one team are also currently on 0 points but it’s not too late to get climbing up that table!

Fixtures this week

This weekend the M7 are playing Brom Becks and a few teams may be playing rescheduled matches after lots of pitch freezes last Saturday. Additionally both the Ladies 1s and Mens 1s are playing in indoor tournaments on Saturday and Sunday. Best of luck!

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

Not Kidding around

Last week saw big wins for the L1 (3-0) and L3 (2-1). Additionally the M6 beat Tulse Hill 3-1 to replace them as top of the league and the M2 earned their first win of the season with a convincing 3-0 win over West Hampstead 1s. This week three of the men's teams have clashes against Wanderers, the M9 and L3 have derby matches against East London and the L1 are looking to get a win against top of the league Wayfarers. This backpost includes some of the best outfits from the Christmas social and has some updates on how the u10 boys, the u12 girls and the u14 girls have been getting on this half of the season.

Note from the Co-Chairs

As the winter weather’s arrived this week, a reminder that our bad weather policy can be found on the members’ area of the website (your captain should be able to share the password for this if you don’t know it).

And guidance from the London League:
“The London league Regulations are here: London Hockey League Regulations & Supporting Documents

Note that a League fixture is not actually postponed until the pitch becomes unplayable, which is likely to be either on Saturday morning or perhaps late on Friday evening.

Please also note the advice below, from our 2022/2023 Guide to the League Regulations:

Home team to contact the opposition early (use details on GMS) and confirm:

• the start time, pitch location, surface type and what facilities are available at the pitch

• if bad weather is forecast, set out your bad weather procedures too

If you are the opposition captain, please respond to the home captain’s email and confirm:

• receipt of their email

• arrangements for bad weather procedures, where applicable

Kidds updates

U12 girls tournament

Wapping Kidds' U12 Girls were hosted by Bromley & Beckenham HC in a well-organised and fun tournament.  Spurred on by the presence of their new goalkeeper, the girls were fast, organised and determined, and ran out as well-deserved winners, with 3 wins and 1 loss, 3 clean sheets and 5 great goals.  The coaches were very proud and happy to see the u12 girls playing attractive and build-up hockey as a team as they’ve been working on this in the last few training sessions.  Huge thanks to Brom Becks for hosting and being great opponents and to Honor Oak for such a fun day.

U10 boys update

The Wapping boys u10 team are looking to enter the into hockey championships in 2023, and in preparation have played tournaments with some of south London's finest, including Bromley & Beckenham and Blackheath.  The boys have matched their A team counterparts all the way, winning once, drawing three and losing 1, on a highly disputable penalty shuffle!  

U14 girls update

The Wapping U14 girls have had a great first half of the season, dominating all their games in Sunday tournaments so far (won 6, lost 1) and scoring loads of goals.They're a really talented and exciting side - its been great to see some their attacking flair as they've stepped up to the ladies leagues too!

Christmas social winners

A big thank you to the social secs who organised a brilliant Christmas social in St Pauls last weekend. Whilst I can’t remember much of it, from the pictures I have it looks like I had a lot of fun. As decided by the DJ the team fancy dress winners were the Ladies 7s for their nativity outfits, winning bragging rights and lots of team of the year points. More pics of team outfits below dressed as: Mean Girls characters, sexy santas, nutcrackers, alcoholic drinks and the Lidl bear…

Easy fundraising reminder

With Christmas shopping lurking around the corner, 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          

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley schedule
10:00 M10 v London Wayfarers Barbarians (LV1)
11:30 M3 v Wanderers 1 (LV2)
13:00 L2 v Wimbledon 3 (LV1)
14:30 M4 v Southgate 3 (LV1)

John Orwell schedule

11:10 L5 v London Edwardians 3
12:30 M8 v Wanderers 6
14:00 M6 v Wanderers 3

Away schedule

10:00 L3 v East London 3
10:15 M5 v West Hampstead 4
10:30 L6 v London Gamblers
13:00 M9 v East London 8
13:15 L4 v Spencer 5
13:30 L1 v London Wayfarers 2
15:00 M2 v West Herts 1
15:15 M7 v Spencer Titans

Sunday schedule
13:00 Boys u14 @JO
14:30 Boys u10 tournament @ JO
14:40 Girls u12 tournament @ JO

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

Sleigh all the way

Last weekend saw great wins for the L4 (2-1), M6 (4-3) and M4 against East London 2 (2-1) as well as an unbeaten u10 boys team on Sunday! This week’s Backpost includes a final reminder about the Christmas social on Saturday, more information about the Liverpool 7s tour and final results from the M2 and M3 Movember effort.

Note from the Co-Chairs

The Kidds have another tournament this Sunday at JO and are in need of some umpires to help. It’s a great way to get some practice for anyone who’s new to umpiring, and being out in the fresh air with heaps of smiling faces will wipe those hangover blues away. Get in touch with the ULOs if you can help.

Christmas social

This Saturday the Christmas Social is taking place at Patch in St Pauls, team social secs should have tickets which include entry, a free drink and nibbles. Team of the year points are up for grabs for best dressed. Halloween winners were the Ladies 1s so make sure to finalize team outfits that are coordinated, creative and christmas-y to knock them off the best dressed top spot!

Movember final results

As mentioned throughout the month, the M2 and M3 have completed 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 1250 men’s health projects since 2003 and the M2/3 would love any final donations to their justgiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/wappinghc23 

Final look at their hair-growing efforts!

Formby tour

As mentioned a few times in the Backpost, we are hoping to get some teams formed for a mixed 7s weekend in Liverpool from April 7th-9th. Sign up link is here and some answers to FAQs below.

“Do I have to be really good at hockey to come?”

People of all abilities are welcome to play. We have social teams that enter, people that play at a very high standard, and people that have never played before in their lives!

“What do we do when we’re not playing hockey?

When you’re not playing, the bar is open all day. We show whatever footy is on, beer pong tournament will be up and running, and some comfy couches to chill on. Weather usually looks on us very kindly for our festival so most people tend to sit by their tents or round the side of the pitch having a beer and watching the hockey.

“What about food and drink?”

We offer breakfast (prices range from 2.50-5) and we have vegan, GF and halal options. Any other requirements let us know. Dinner and tea wise, there are plenty of takeaways you can order from, a pub round the corner does great food, and we will have a caterer on site that will be selling food too. Of course you are welcome to bring your own food but we do ask that you don’t BBQ and no glass on the pitch, and no campsite beers in the clubhouse.

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley schedule

10:00 L4 v Winchmore Hill (LV2)
10:00 M8 v East London 5 (LV1)
11:30 L3 v Ashford (LV2)
13:00 L1 v Wanderers 1 (LV1)
14:30 M2 v West Hampstead (LV1)

John Orwell schedule

11:10 M9 v London Royals 3
12:30 M7 v Wanderers 5
14:00 M5 v West Herts 2
15:30 L6 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 5

Away schedule

11:00 M6 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 3
11:25 L2 v Surbiton 3
12:30 L5 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 4
12:55 M3 v Surbiton 3
13:00 M10 v London Royals 2
13:45 M4 v Richmond 2
15:30 L7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 7

Sunday schedule
13:00-14:30 Kidds (U14) Tournament @John Orwell

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

Go Wapping!

Last week saw some great wins as the L1 beat Teddington (1-0), the L4 pumped Chiswick (4-0), the M5 overcame Barnes (2-1) and the L7 fought for a 2-1 win against the L6. The M2 also gained themselves a hard earned point in their 1-1 draw against East London. This week’s matches include the L2 playing top of the league Wayfarers and a M4 derby clash against East London 2. This week’s backpost has a shout out for all the sideline support, a reminder about the Christmas Social next week, an update on team of the year and a L1 match report.

Sideline support

Recent weeks have seen some incredible support from the sidelines. Lots of teams in the stands at LV, the L7 delayed their teas to support the M4 who turned up early to cheer them on, and both the M5 and the L5 seen were on the sideline for the M7 last week. There’s rumours of cross team socials upcoming and the more we can do to support and get to know each other the stronger we’ll be as a club. As a club with two main locations, it’s not easy to bump into teams you don’t play/train with, so if you see your game’s next to a team you don’t get to see much, why not combine your teas and post game festivities?

Christmas social

There is just over a week to go until our club Christmas social on the 3rd December at Patch in St Pauls. Tickets are £10 and include entry, a free drink and nibbles. Let your team social secs know ASAP that you’re coming if you haven’t already. Also make sure to get planning your festive team outfits!

Team of the year

As we are almost half way through the season, we have an update on team of the year. The award is given at the end of the season dinner to the team that has not only had a great season of hockey, but more importantly has gotten stuck in and involved with the club. Last year, the L1 took home the trophy and the glory at the end of season. This season, as of last week, the top 5 teams are:

1. M6 on 945 points

2. M1 on 730 points

3. M3 on 485 points

4. M7 on 460 points

5. L5 on 415 points

However, the end of the season is still a long way off and everything could change. Below are some ways that your team can try and up their points to knock the M6 off the top spot:

• Volunteer as an umpire or Kidds coach, every week gains your team points!

• Get a hat-trick and be the top men’s/ladies’ goalscorer of the week

• Win team best dressed at the Christmas social

• Have the best social media and team takeover each half of the season

• Hold a team fundraiser/event for a good cause

Match report: Wapping Ladies 1s 1 V 0  Teddington Ladies 1 

Goal scorer and MOM - Tasha Greenstein 

Wapping had the stronger start, keeping the ball and holding possession for large portions of the game, with the Teddington press being able to get near the ball. 

There were many short corners in the first half, leading to a thrown short corner mask, a bizarre facial injury and a DOD, but neither team were able to capitalize on their first half chances, meaning it was 0-0 at half time.

Second half started with the Wapping midfield picking creating threatening attacks, where the forwards were being met by a determined Teddington defence. 

Tash broke, running through the defence , taking on the keeper, sliding it round her and slotting it satisfyingly into the backboard. A BIG 1-0, later earning her a deserved MOM. Teddington upped the pressure for the rest of the game, visibly getting more and more frustrated when their efforts were slapped down.

We successfully played down the clock and took the three points on home turf this cheery November afternoon.

Send your match reports to wappingnewsletter@gmail.com to be featured in the backpost

Fixtures this week

Lee Valley schedule

10:00 L2 v London Wayfarers 2 (LV1)
11:30 L4 v Southgate 4 (LV2)
13:00 M4 v East London 2 (LV1)
14:30 M3 v London Wayfarers 2 (LV1)

John Orwell schedule

12:30 M6 v BromBeck Cardinals

Away schedule

10:30 L5 v London Edwardians 4
12:00 L3 v Southgate 3
12:30 L6 v Wanderers 7
12:30 M7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 4
13:00 M5 v PHC Chiswick 2
13:30 M2 v Southgate 2
14:00 M9 v HAC Sutlers
14:30 L1 v PHC Chiswick 1
14:30 L7 v Tulse Hill and Dulwich 6
16:15 M1 v Spencer 1

Sunday schedule

11:30 Pirates mixed v East London @Lee Valley
13:00-14:00 Kidds (U10) Tournament @John Orwell

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