The new season is here and there are some changes to the coaches of both 1st XIs
Firstly Ben Blackmore joins to coach the Men’s 1st XI, as part of his further coaching development he has recently been accepted onto the GB Hockey Advanced Coaching Programme. He has a team with a mix of young talent and experienced players and so far this season they are undefeated in the league. A great start. Over the Summer Ben Hegan played for the England under 16 team and is settling into the team well. Maciej Pacanowski returns as goalkeeper fresh from representing Poland in European competition over the Summer. Maciej has also taken on the role of Women’s 1st XI coach. The team is undergoing much change and again there is young talent coming through to take their chance at this level. Good luck to them both.
There is still a buoyant junior section with teams being run across age groups from under 8 up to under 18. Linking into this the long running successful Community Programme, which takes hockey into state junior schools across the borough, goes from strength to strength and continues to bring new players into the sport. It is very pleasing to see 2 players who started with the Community Programme now playing at men’s 1st team level.
Every year the club looks to nominate a charity to support, to help those less fortunate and this season is no exception. One of their junior volunteers, Clare Jackson, along with a team of her colleagues from Queen Alexandra Hospital are trecking across the arctic circle to raise funds for The Genie’s Wish whose mission is to enhance the lives of people, up to 40 years old, who are either suffering from a critical or life threatening illness or living with a life-limiting medical condition. The club has decided to support Genie’s Wish as well and the members will have a series of fundraising initiatives running throughout the season.
New members are very welcome and for further information please visit the club website at www.havanthockeyclub.org.uk