Following what was a disrupted and short season last season due to Covid-19, it is great to have returned to the pitch in what for the most part seems normal circumstances. It is fair to say we have hit the ground running this season so far. Our coaching structure is in-place, once again led by Danny Berry and we have seen great numbers down at all sessions since the restart. The club open day last weekend had a great attendance and all that came along had an enjoyable day.

Management Committee update
Firstly I wish to thank each committee member for standing once again this season, your devotion to our club is exceptional and without you it would grind to a halt.

The increased workload and restrictions Covid-19 brought unfortunately slowed down some of the progress we hoped to make last season, however we have re-grouped and are eager to pick up where we left off, building on our plans to ultimately drive the club forward.

One of our current focuses is the learning from our failed bid to become an England Hockey (EH) Talent Centre. Whilst my personal view is that a club of our size does not fit the EH mould, I can agree with much of the feedback EH have provided and we must learn from this to improve the club. For example, having formal, structured development for our coaches is something that we are lacking and must introduce. We are preparing an action plan of what we need to achieve and will update on this as we progress.

Playing update
As with any season, inevitably we will lose players. This season we see Olivia Clough, Emily Riley and Alex Clarke leave for University. These four players have been with the club from a young age and have not only committed their playing career to the club so far but they have also been heavily involved with junior coaching on Sunday mornings. On behalf of the club I wish you all the very best with your studies.

Thankfully though, as some players leave others join or return. I'd like to personally welcome the new players that have joined so far: Emma Robertshaw, Jess Freeman, Jordan Brown, Ben Jones, Ben Parr, Kaden and Cameron, as well as the returning players: Lillia Oldfield, Maisie Oldfield, Richard Malcolm and Mike Green. We have also seen a flurry of youngsters wishing to try out the sport on a Sunday morning which is great to see and we have had a number of other enquires so are hopeful more players will join the club in the coming weeks.

As per last season we are fielding four senior Men's teams and two Women's teams. As always player availability each week will play a part, so please help captains by ensuring your availability is up to date on Pitchero several weeks ahead. For our youth players we have entered teams in the main age groups for boys and girls so there is something for everyone.

In the senior squads we have an excellent compliment of captains this season; Fraser Andrews (M1), Pete Sorsby (M2), Tim Baggaley (M3) and Helen Chapman (L1), as well as David Woodward supporting the Ladies 2nd team. Alongside our coaching team this will provide an excellent foundation for the development of players through the club.

Despite the EH Talent Centre programme being launched we will be continuing our internal RHC Performance Centre. The next cohort of ten players will be selected and contacted in the coming days. Sessions will be fortnightly and will be ran by Danny.

Conclusion
This is a members club and as Chairman my main priority is to ensure our members have a voice and an influence in the direction the club takes. So, if you have any comments, suggestions or would like to help out your club please email me here. We also have player reps whose role is to raise any feedback received from members so please speak to them. For the girls we have Maddie and Nairne, the boys Riley and Jacob, the ladies Katie and we have a vacancy for the men. These reps feed into the playing representative on the committee, Pete Sorsby. Pete will next be gathering and reporting feedback to the Management Committee on 27th September

We all play this game for enjoyment so please play with a smile on your face. Good luck to all our player and teams for the season ahead, and thank you to all role holders and volunteers.

Many thanks
James Thomas

Chairman
Rotherham Hockey Club