What a great half term we have had at IES hockey! We started as we finished, with intraclub games and fun activities, and with smiles on our faces.

The Club Night in September saw games of hockey for the men’s section and team games - including hockey with the wrong end of the stick and a very competitive game of football - for the ladies’ section. All designed to get our blood pumping and to welcome our new players to the club.

We changed our senior section training to have a ‘club’ training night on Tuesdays involving the Men’s 3s and 4s squads and the Ladies’ 2s and 3s squads. This has seen record numbers at training, of up to 60 players a week. We are also delighted to have welcomed U14s to this training session, to improve the transition from junior to senior hockey. And even more delighted to have welcomed a number of parents who have made a start/return to hockey alongside their children! A real family and fun atmosphere.

On Wednesday evenings our training session is a ‘performance’ session for the Men’s 1s and 2s squad and the Ladies 1st team squad. This has enabled these players to really hone their skills and develop as teams for the season.

Junior hockey has been a popular option on Sunday mornings for our youngest players, with a number of new players joining us, and super numbers in the U10s and U12 girls. There’s always room for more people on our pitches, so if you know anyone aged 6 to 12 who’d like to have a go at hockey, please spread the word.

Finally, our ‘rest’ weekend was a chance for a club development match, with our U14s and inexperienced players joined on the pitch by a number of players from the senior section, all keen to help the development of these players. Umpired by two of our newly qualified L1 (unassessed) umpires, it really was a chance for everyone to improve. Apparently the white team won 5-1, but we weren’t counting scores, just smiles!

Congratulations go to everyone who has pulled on an IES shirt to support their club, and to all our captains, umpires, coaches and committee members who make it all happen. With a Sunday of friendly tournaments coming up for our Juniors, and cup games for our O50 men and O35 women, as well as the usual league fixtures, and a curry and crackers social, there’s plenty to keep us going until Christmas!

Talking of Christmas - if you’re looking for a hockey related Christmas present, we have club hats for sale, or a wonderful book by our Ladies’ Club Captain Wheelie, detailing her battle with cancer in a typical Wheelie fashion. It’s raising money for a Wellbeing Centre at Ipswich and Colchester Hospital, so well worth an investment - and it will make you cry and laugh in equal measure.

#WeAreIES