Junior Information

About Spencer Juniors

Spencer Juniors has over 600 members, with ages ranging from 5 to 18, and is run almost entirely by volunteers, supported by several professional coaches. The Junior Section is organised and run by the Junior Hockey Committee (JHC), under the guidance of our Director of Junior Hockey, Oli Bell. The members of the JHC are all parents of Junior members, and the JHC represents our Junior members at the Hockey Club AGM. Many of our volunteer coaches have played hockey to a high standard, and we have a large number of other volunteers who undertake various roles, without whom we simply could not operate. We are very grateful to them all.

Our Aims

  • To introduce children to hockey, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or belief
  • To provide a safe and fun environment for children of all abilities to play hockey
  • To develop children's skills as hockey players and as umpires
  • To promote physical and mental wellbeing
  • To foster attitudes of fair play and co-operation
  • To offer structured progression from junior hockey into senior hockey

Our Training Programme

Our Training Programme is designed and overseen by our Director of Junior Hockey, Oli Bell. The Training Programme is based on recommendations set out by England Hockey, and offers progression through all skills and techniques, as well as game-play.

Sessions are delivered by our Age Group Coaches, who are mostly parents who volunteer their time and skill, and many of whom have undertaken courses within the England Hockey Coach Development Pathway. Our volunteer coaches are supported by a number of professional coaches, particularly in the older age groups.

We require all Volunteers working with children to be DBS checked and to undertake child safeguarding training. There is a qualified first aider at all training sessions.

Our Player Pathway

Our Player Pathway embraces our Club ethos, and explains how we manage team selection, league choices, county nominations, and the transition from junior to senior hockey. We put the player first.

Competitive Hockey

The Junior teams are entered into competitions appropriate to their age and experience. All players are given equal opportunity to play in teams appropriate for their ability. Generally, children will play in their age groups, but in exceptional circumstances, a child may be able to ‘play up’ an age group, if authorised by our Director of Junior Hockey.

As a general rule:

  • There are no matches against other clubs at U6 and U7 level.
  • At U8, children are introduced to small-sided games without goalkeepers, and are given the opportunity to participate in festivals and friendlies with other clubs.
  • From U9, the format for matches is usually 7-a-side, and this is where goalkeeping is introduced.
  • From U12, some more experienced players will begin to play 11-a-side, but most will still be playing 7-aside.
  • From U14, matches are 11-aside, with teams entered into junior hockey leagues.
  • From U9, competitive teams are selected for certain competitions. Selection is a collaborative exercise between the coaches and is based on a number of criteria including, but not limited to: ability; availability; attendance; team balance & positions and the level of the competition being entered.

Juniors playing for Senior Teams

We are committed to the development of our Junior players, and work closely with our Senior Section to provide appropriate opportunities for Juniors to play in adult teams. Juniors must have reached the age of 13 to be able to play in adult-only competitions, and must be 15 or above to play in the England Hockey League. Junior players will only be given this opportunity if it is considered to be in the best interest of that player, in consultation with our Director of Junior Hockey.

Join Us

How to Join

Spencer Juniors is open to all children from the ages of 5 to 18, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. Children must be in at least school year 1 in September to join.

Our waiting list opens on the 1st of September once a child starts Reception at school.

If you would like to join us, and your child is in Reception through to Year 3 at school, please contact our Membership Secretary, Donna Kirby (Message Donna Kirby) with the following information: 

  • Child's details: name and date of birth
  • Parent/Guardian’s details: name, email, mobile no.
  • If you are a Spencer Hockey Senior member: which team, captain’s name
  • If you have a sibling in the Juniors: their name and team
  • If you want to volunteer: how many hours/week; type of volunteering, eg. coaching, admin., umpiring, first aid, welfare etc. If volunteering as a coach, please include hockey experience, coaching and/or umpiring qualifications.

Please note that we have allocated all our places for next season's squads with the exception of our U16 and U18 squads. If your child is interested in joining the U16 or U18 squads contact our membership secretary, Donna Kirby (Message Donna Kirby).

What Happens Next?

Offers of places are typically made for the next full season, starting in September. Although from time-to-time places become available during the season, this is rare. Shortly after the end of the season, we process renewals of existing members, and at that time we know how many places will become available for the following September.

We adhere to England Hockey’s required coaching ratios and are run almost exclusively by volunteers, including volunteer hockey coaches, without whom we cannot operate. Offers of places at Spencer Juniors are made strictly in accordance with order on the respective age group waitlist, provided that a sufficient number of volunteer hockey coaches has been found from parents of children on the waitlist to meet the England Hockey required coaching ratio for the respective age group. Otherwise, hockey cannot be delivered and the age group cannot run.

If there are insufficient volunteer hockey coaches for an age group to run, a child lower down the waitlist may be offered a place, if that child has a parent/guardian that is a volunteer hockey coach that will coach the age group and enable the required England Hockey coaching ratio to be met. In that event, any child that is higher up the waitlist and would ordinarily have been offered a place but for the need for a volunteer hockey coach will receive a place at the next opportunity. 

As there tends only to be a limited number of spaces after our Under 9 intake (school year 4), it is our policy to dispense with waitlists after that age group. However, we encourage those that are or remain interested in joining to apply/re-apply in May each year, and any places will be assigned in the order in which applications are received.

All offers of places must be authorised by the JHC. Offers made should be accepted promptly, and are subject to payment of the membership fee in full. In case an offer is not accepted promptly, the Club may decide unilaterally to rescind the offer, and if appropriate offer the place to another child.

The parent/guardian of any child not offered a place with Spencer Juniors has the right to appeal against the refusal of membership. The appeal shall be lodged in writing with the Junior Hockey Committee via Message Donna Kirby

Membership Fees

Our Junior membership fee covers all Sunday training sessions and matches from September to March in a particular season. There are no match fees. We offer a discount to members with a Junior member sibling already in the Club and paying a full membership fee.

We additionally offer all players from U9 and upwards the opportunity for midweek training, in the form of sessions that are open to all members. We also run performance training sessions for our stronger players from U11-16. Invitations to performance sessions are decided by our age group coaches in consultation with our Director of Junior Hockey, and are reviewed throughout the season.

Fees for 2024/25 Season

Fee Type

Membership Fee

Junior Membership Fee

£180

Junior Sibling Membership Fee

£165

'Open' Midweek Training

£70/term

Performance Midweek Training (by invitation only)

£70/term

Bursaries

We know that hockey is an expensive sport, and we don’t want this to put anyone off enjoying the sport we love. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to offer bursaries of up to 100 % of junior membership fees, to children in need of financial assistance. Applications for a bursary should be made by email to the Membership Secretary, Donna Kirby (Message Donna Kirby), for consideration by the Junior Hockey Committee, and will be treated in confidence.

Hardship Fund

We operate a Hardship Fund to cover essential kit and equipment, and travel expenses, to children in need of financial assistance. Applications for a grant from the Hardship Fund should be made by email to the Membership Secretary, Donna Kirby (Message Donna Kirby), for consideration by the Junior Hockey Committee, and will be treated in confidence.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND MESSAGES THROUGH THIS WEBSITE - PLEASE SEND ANY MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES TO Message Donna Kirby

Season Dates 2024/2025

Sunday 1st September to Sunday 15th December 2024 and Sunday 5th January to Sunday 30th March 2025. 

There will be NO hockey training on Sunday 27th October 2024 and Sunday 16th February 2025 for the half-term break (although there are sometimes matches for older groups).

Note: Weekday hockey training for the Autumn Term starts from Monday 9th September.

Training Times & Venues

Our main training day is Sunday. We have additional midweek training for age groups from U9 and upwards, for which members pay an additional fee.

We use the following pitches for training and matches on Sundays:

SHC: Spencer Hockey Club; CG: Chestnut Grove Academy; LR: La Retraite School; BP: Battersea Park (far pitch); AELTC: AELTC Roehampton (was the Bank of England Sports Club, Priory Lane); JAGS: JAGS Sports Club, Dulwich.

MU6, MU7, MU8 – SHC, 9.00 – 10.15 am

GU9 – CG, 9.30 - 10.45 am

GU10 – LR, 10.00 - 11.15 am

GU11, GU12 – SHC, 10.15 - 11.45 am

GU14 – SHC, 1:15 - 2:45 pm

GU16 – SHC, 2.45 - 4.00 pm

GU18 – SHC, 4.00 - 5.15 pm

BU9 – CG, 10.45 am – 12.00

BU10 – LR, 11.15 am – 12.30 pm

BU11, BU12 – SHC – 11.45 am – 1.15 pm

BU14 – BP 12-1:30pm

The following groups will train on Friday evenings

BU16 – SHC, 6;30-8pm

BU18 – SHC, 6.30 - 8pm

For further information please check your squad/team page, or contact your age group/team manager.

Managers/Coaching Teams 2024/25 (updates for new season awaited)

Age Group

Manager

Lead and Main Coaches

Mixed U6 (Year 1)

Catriona Foyle (Main)

Daisy Coombs

Lyndsay Meakin & Bruce Halley (Co-Main Coach )

Andrew Crow, Kathryn Cripps, Christina Forrest, David Harrison, Vicky Innes, Nico Kurt, Melissa Jones, Bella Marcelin-Rice, Georgie Petras, James Piper, Florian Richter (backup), Henry Wyld

Mixed U7 (Year 2)

Tor Liddell

Seamus McNulty & Will Leeder (Co-Main Coaches)

Christian Abrahamsen, Alan Crawford, Mark Davis, Sue Davis, Will Leeder, Tor Liddell, Henry Maughan

Mixed U8 (Year 3)

Girls U9 (Year 4)

Girls U10 (Year 5)

Girls U11 (Year 6)

Girls U12 (Year 7)

Ciara Langtry

Chris Booth

Girls U14 (Year 8 & 9)

Susi Simon

Gitte Berg

Ciara Langtry

Xander Veldhuijzen

James Burns

Girls U16 (Year 10 & 11)

Hannah White (Lead Coach)

Dom Gurney Champion

Foye Weatherhead

Girls U18 (12 &13)

Emma Robertshaw (Lead Coach)   

Simon Nicklin

Emma Tonkin

Boys U9 (Year 4)

Boys U10 (Year 5)

Boys U11 (Year 6)

Pieter Staelens

James Piper

Boys U12 (Year 7)

Donna Dempsey

Andrew Crow (Lead Coach)

Boys U14 (Years 8 & 9)

Julia Edbrooke (main) 


Gavin Rowlands (Lead Coach)

Boys U16 (Years 10 & 11)

Mark Hopkins

Mike Norman

Sarah Pusey (Lead Coach)                       


Boys U18 (Years 12 &12)

Julian Alexander

(Lead Coach)                            

John Turner, Steve Brooks, Xander Veldhuijzen

Weekday Training

Oli Bell & Performance/Open Team

Friday Social Hockey

Xander Veldhuijzen

Holiday Courses/Pre-Season Training

Oli Bell

Spencer Lynx

Lynx Co-Ordinators: Charlotte Hucker, Marcia Gurney-Champion, Donna Kirby, Karen Price, Amrita Sheldon

Emma Robertshaw (Director of Hockey)

Joe Farara,

Midweek Hockey

To supplement Sunday training, we offer Junior members from U9 upwards (and sometimes from U7 upwards) optional midweek hockey training with professional coaches, at an extra cost. You must sign up for these midweek sessions in addition to your membership, and confirm your child has a place before attending any of the sessions. Spaces are limited, therefore please sign up promptly to avoid disappointment. All midweek training is at Spencer Hockey Club.

Midweek hockey will start from Monday 9 September, after Christmas from Monday 6 January and after Easter from Monday 28th April.

If we haven’t posted full details of dates and times, please contact your age group or team manager for this information.

U9-U10 - Monday 4:45-6pm

GU11/12 Performance - Monday 6-7:15pm

BU11/12 Performance - Monday 6-7:15pm

GU15/GU16 Performance - Tuesday 6:15-7:30pm

BU15-BU16 Performance - Tuesday 6:15-7:30pm

BU13/14 Performance - Wednesday 6-7:15pm

GU13/14 Performance - Wednesday 6-7:15pm

U7-U8 - Thursday 5-6:15pm

GKs - Thursday 6:15-7:30pm

GU11/12/BU11/12 Open- Thursday 6:15pm-7:30pm

GU13/14/BU13/14 Open - Friday 5:45-7pm

Social Hockey - Friday 8:15 -9:45pm

Summer Hockey

We offer Junior performance members from U11 upwards additional summer hockey training with professional coaches, at an extra cost. You must sign up for these midweek sessions in addition to your membership, and confirm your child has a place before attending any of the sessions. Spaces are limited, due to pitch availability, therefore please sign up promptly to avoid disappointment. If we haven’t posted details of dates and times, please contact your age group or team manager for this information.

Dates, days and times tbc

Holiday Camps

Our Director of Hockey runs a number of holiday camps throughout the year, at an extra cost. The children love them! Details can be found on our page dedicated to Holiday Camps

Goalkeeper Training

It can sometimes be a lonely job, but it takes a lot of courage to get in front of a fast-moving hockey ball. Just as importantly, it can give a team an enormous mental boost when they see their Goalkeeper putting his/her body on the line, and coming up with a dramatic save!

The Club is extremely fortunate to receive specialised Goalkeeper training from professional coaches. Every Sunday during the season, Spencer Goalkeepers from beginners upwards are put through a variety of agility and reaction drills, which is not only great fun but has unquestionably benefitted the Club in terms of match performance.

We also run midweek Goalkeeping training sessions, and if the dates and times are not mentioned here please contact our Goalkeeping Coordinators Gitte Berg and Sarah Pusey.

We encourage all children to have a go at Goalkeeping from U9, and encourage specialisation as a Goalkeeper from secondary school age. We provide Goalkeeping kit while children are making up their minds, but ultimately expect dedicated Goalkeepers to buy their own kit. Please follow this link for our Goalkeeping Kit Policy..

If you have any questions about Spencer Goalkeeping please contact Gitte Berg.

Kit - We play in sky blue, navy and maroon

Spencer Juniors play in sky blue shirts, navy shorts/skorts, and maroon and sky blue hooped socks. Note that our seniors play in maroon shirts, not us, although some of the older teams use these as away shirts.

Our kit supplier is Y1. All kit can be purchased through Y1 at https://www.y1sport.com/collections/spencer-hc.

A hockey-focused brand, Y1 create athleisure and team wear for hockey players, including the sponsor of GB athletes. Y1 have also long been supporters of our award-winning outreach programme Spencer Lynx, which provides free hockey to local state school primary children.

Club kit (old shirts or new) is compulsory for matches - a Club shirt and Club socks are required as a minimum. 

Our shirts bear our sponsors’ logos:

Local estate agents Chelwood Partners https://chelwoodpartners.com/ who will donate a proportion of their commission on each sale of a property referred by Spencer Hockey to Spencer Lynx, and

BCB Group https://www.bcbgroup.com/ a front runner in the world of cryptocurrency.

Protective Equipment

All Junior players are required to wear a well-fitting mouthguard and shin pads for all training and matches. Children will not be allowed to play without them.

From U11 upwards, it is highly recommended for safety that all outfield players wear a protective left hand glove.

As the children get older, it is advisable that they play in astroturf shoes, for protection and better grip.

Kit Suppliers

In addition to supplying out playing kit, Y1 (https://www.y1sport.com/) have a wide variety of excellent hockey sticks, shoes, protective equipment and accessories.

In addition, we have negotiated a preferred supplier discount for Spencer Juniors of 10% on hockey equipment with local sports shop AJ Sports. You can order online using discount code SPENCER10, or visit their shop at 61 Broomwood Road, London, SW11 6HU. 

Holiday Camps and Technical Skills Sessions

Our Director of Hockey runs a number of holiday camps and technical skills sessions throughout the year, at an extra cost. The children love them!

Spencer Hockey Holiday camps are open to both members and non members.

Holiday Camps and Technical Skills Sessions

Bookings are now open for our October Half Term Holiday Camps.

Register on our Holiday Camp Teamo App - click below. Once registered, click on Calendar and buy a "ticket" for each session you would like to attend. Please note that we are now able to offer a discount to families who book for all 4 days - buy one 4 day ticket instead of 4 individual days.

NB if you already use Teamo for another team/club, then one you have registered to our Holiday Camps account you will need to use "switch" from the Teamo Home page to switch between your accounts.


Holiday Camps (morning session)

Time: 9:30am -1pm (drop off from 9am)

School Years: 1 to 6

Age Group: U6 to U11's

Ages: 6-11 years

Cost for Sessions: £33 per session or £110 for all four days.

Location: The Spencer Club, Fieldview, SW18 3HF


Holiday Camps (afternoon session)

Time: 12:30pm -3pm

School Years: 7 to 11

Age Group: U12 to U16's

Ages: 11-16 years

Cost for Sessions: £29 per session or £100 for all four days.

Location: The Spencer Club, Fieldview, SW18 3HF


Dates

Monday 28th October - Thursday 31st October 2024

For any queries, please contact our Membership Secretary Message Donna Kirby.

Young Leaders Programme

The Spencer HC Young Leaders Programme is ordinarily aimed at hockey players in Year 10 and Year 12, to avoid national school examinations.

The focus is to provide training and volunteering opportunities with a focus on leadership skills. These include: Leadership as a player and junior coach; communication and presentation skills; role models and captaincy; strategy and tactics; long-term athlete development, umpiring skills; awareness of physical well-being and mental well-being and current issues in sport, social media use; (including workshops on nutrition, hydration, anti-doping, injury prevention and management. 

The course is a combination of classroom workshops held at Spencer HC, practical on-pitch sessions, portfolio tasks and volunteer roles within junior age groups ages 7-13. The practical sessions run on Sundays in 2-hour blocks.

The courses and assessment are led by Oli Bell, with short written tasks and practical on-pitch assessments. Our aim is to develop and improve the confidence of young people, to help the attendees better understand hockey as a sport and their soft skills which are transferable to school, employment and in the community.

The Course is split into 5 Units: 

  • Leadership
  • Coaching
  • Strategy and Tactics
  • Physical and Mental Well-being
  • Umpiring 

Numbers: 10-15 

Ages: 15-17 years-old / School Year 10 and Year 12.

Cost: £100 

To apply please email Chris Booth on Message Chris Booth providing your Name, Age Group and a short statement as to why you want to be part of the Young Leader Programme. This should include what you hope to get out of the programme and be no longer than 300 words. 

  • Spencer Young Leaders Programme.pdf
    Download

Friday Social Hockey

Join us on a Friday

Join the Spencer Friday Hockey Mailinglist here or email Xander Veldhuijzen

We run a social hockey session for adults and U16 juniors and upwards on Fridays from 8.15 pm till about 9.15 pm at Spencer Hockey Club, throughout the year, weather and numbers permitting.

Social hockey is open to all genders, all ages, and all levels of skill and/or fitness. So, are you radiantly fit and have an Olympic hockey medal on the wall? Join us! You haven't played in 30 years and/or your knee hurts a little? Join us! You’ve never played before, always watch your kids and want to find out how to hold a stick? Join us! 

Social hockey is free for all Junior Hockey volunteers; parents of Junior members; Junior members from U16s and above; and all registered Senior members. On occasion (traditionally at half-term and some other holidays), we allow players younger than U16 to join, but this is by invitation only.

The organiser, Xander Veldhuijzen sends an email round every week, and you decide then and there if that Friday suits you or not (join the mailing list using the link at the top of this page). If yes, press the green button (the button is hard to miss... a pre-filled email pops up when you press it) or reply 'yes' to the email. On the night, bring a dark and a light shirt (so we can make recognisable teams), a stick, shin pads, a mouthguard, and above all a smile!

People from outside Spencer who are looking for social hockey can also get in touch with Xander to join - they can trial a few sessions, and then enrol in a ‘social membership’ which involves payment of a fee as a contribution towards pitch hire, but does not give rise to membership of the Hockey Club.

Spencer Lynx

Reaching Out to Local Children

Encouraging hockey for all, because playing hockey….

  • Promotes positive physical and mental health
  • Involves teamwork, encouraging loyalty and responsibility
  • Makes new friends, and promotes a sense of belonging and self-worth
  • Teaches respect for others

Who Are We and What We Do

Spencer Lynx is a multi Award-Winning Community Outreach Programme launched by Spencer Hockey Club in 2019, to form links (Lynx) between our Club and our Community. Its aim is to deliver hockey coaching to local children who have not had the opportunity to play hockey at or outside school. It has been recognised by England Hockey as an example of ground-breaking outreach and won their National Diversity and Inclusivity Award in 2023.

Through Spencer Lynx, we offer a two year programme of free hockey sessions to State School Primary children in Wandsworth and Lambeth. The sessions are built around fun and enjoyment, while teaching hockey skills and nurturing general sporting ability. Our ultimate goal is to provide a pathway into a mainstream hockey club, providing financial support if needed. We want to inspire the children to play sport throughout childhood and into later life. 

Spencer Lynx is registered with the Charity Commission, as Registered Charity Number 1188217.

Funding

Spencer Lynx is funded thanks to the generous support of various partners and funders, plus their own fundraising activities.  They do however need more help, to continue and extend the Lynx Programme and are grateful for any donations or assistance

Will You Support Us?

With your support we will be able to provide children with kit and equipment (including sticks, individualised mouthguards, shin pads); buy coaching equipment and first aid supplies; and fund more pitch space and professional coaches, as we reach out to more children. Here are some examples of how sponsors might be able to help:

  • Lynx Kit – sponsor’s name and/or logo on kit
  • Equipment – funding for/donations of equipment
  • Website – sponsor’s name and/or logo on our Spencer Lynx page and/or hyperlinks to your company website 
  • Social media – regular postings on Spencer Juniors’ Twitter and Instagram accounts
  • Advertising banners and/or flags at our ground 
  • Event sponsorship, eg. our Spencer Lynx state primary school tournament, our fund-raising Ball


What are the Benefits for Sponsors

  • Giving something back, increasing physical activity and mental wellbeing of local inner city children 
  • Raising brand awareness via kit sponsorship and/or sponsorship of fixtures or events
  • Advertising opportunities via the Hockey Club website to an audience of over 1000 parents/guardians of our Junior members
  • Incentives for our Members and/or Juniors’ parents/guardians to use your business

Please Get in Touch

If you would like to sponsor our Lynx programme, please email SpencerLynxHockey@gmail.com. We’d be delighted to talk through a range of options, to see what works for you. 

A Huge Thank You to Our Supporters

FLYERZ Comes to South West London

Spencer Hockey Club and Spencer Lynx are proud and excited to support London Wayfarers in delivering this fantastic new initiative to bring hockey to a wider audience.

Flyerz Hockey provides fun and friendly sessions for disabled and non-disabled players to play together, along with the whole family, as siblings and parents can take part too.

If you would like to be involved, or know someone who would, please email lwhc.flyerzmembers@gmail.com.

Sponsorship

Help Us Push On to the Next Level

South West London. We run 12 men’s teams and 9 ladies’ teams, and have a thriving junior section of over 600 junior members, ageing from 5 to 18 years old, run by a large group of volunteers. 

These are exciting times for the Club, as for the first time, both our Men’s and Women’s 1st teams will be playing hockey in the National Hockey League - a fantastic achievement, that brings fresh challenges, as we seek to push the Club to the next level.

We continue to grow our junior membership steadily, while continuing to offer high quality coaching in a fun and nurturing environment. Our junior teams perform strongly in their leagues, reaching Regional and National finals, playing against the top teams in the country. And we have a large number of children representing their county, and beyond.

We launched our Community Outreach Programme in 2019, known as Spencer Lynx, which aims to form links (Lynx) between the Club and local state school children in our Community. For more information on this exciting development please click here.

Why Sponsor Us?

Sponsoring Spencer Hockey has never been so attractive. Through sponsorship your business will gain exposure to our Senior Members, including university leavers, young and established professionals, and many more, as well as exposure to 1000 or more parents/guardians of our Junior Members, many of whom are local to South West London. In particular, sponsoring us can have the benefits of:

  • Raising brand awareness, via kit and/or other sponsorship of teams or events
  • Advertising opportunities on the Club website, and on social media
  • Incentives for our Senior members and for parents/guardians of Junior members to use your business
  • Advertising via pitch-side banners and flags, match programmes, reaching visitors from outside the Club
  • Giving something back to your Community through our Lynx Outreach Programme, promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of local inner city children

Sponsorship Options

We have a range of sponsorship options, and would be delighted to talk these through to see what works for you. If you would like to sponsor Spencer Hockey Club, our Juniors, or help us with our Lynx Outreach Programme, please Message CHARLOTTE HUCKER, our External Fundraising & Sponsorship Coordinator.

Umpiring

Umpires - We Need You!

We always need more umpires, and if our Juniors are to continue to compete in the best leagues, we need to have the umpires to enable us to support them. We are lucky to be supported by our Senior players for many competitive matches throughout the season, but they can not cover all our matches. And, we need qualified umpires to cover some of the higher level leagues. We have to grow our own!

The Junior Section Umpiring Initiative requires that each age group have at least 3 people, other than the Main Coach, who have completed an England Hockey level 1 umpiring course. But that’s just the start, as we know that to umpire confidently you need experience. So, we encourage our new umpires to volunteer to umpire the lower age group festivals/matches initially, and to grow with their children, to umpire the higher levels in due time. We support our umpires by providing opportunities to practise, and with mentoring sessions.

We are happy to reimburse the cost of attending umpiring courses, for attendees who go on to umpire for us regularly at the weekend. We will also support umpires to be assessed by the umpiring authorities.

If you are interested in learning more, Message Simon Eddy, our Junior Umpire Coordinator.

Volunteering

It Doesn't Happen By Itself

The Junior Section is run almost entirely by volunteers, with the support of a few staff employed by the Spencer Club, and a number of professional coaches. We hope that you will embrace the Club's ethos by donating your time and skills to help our children enjoy the best possible sporting experience, and make our Club the best that it can be.

Who do we need?

We always need coaches, on-pitch assistants, umpires, and team managers, but that’s just the start. We need help with all kinds of admin, social media, photography, social events, tours, fund-raising, sponsorship, the café, and much much more! If you are interested in volunteering, no matter how little of your time, please Message Marcia Gurney-Champion or Colette Barclay, our Volunteers Coordinators.

Senior Section Volunteers

We are always happy to have Senior players volunteer to coach at our training sessions, and regular volunteers may be rewarded by a significant discount to their Senior subs. For more information, please Message Marcia Gurney-Champion or Colette Barclay, our Volunteers Coordinators.

Young Volunteers

If you are aged 14-21, there is an opportunity to gain valuable experience volunteering for your Club. You can help with coaching, umpiring, organisation and / or fund-raising. We run a Young Volunteers Scheme, which enables you to log your volunteer hours towards, for instance, Duke of Edinburgh Awards. This is run by our Colette Barclay (crbarclay@me.com)

Volunteer Information

DBS Checks & Safeguarding

We require that all our Volunteers that come into contact with children be DBS checked and undergo child safeguarding training.

Our DBS checks are coordinated by Charity Malthouse (Message charity malthouse)

First Aid

We run regular first aid courses at the Club, with external providers. We are happy for as many Volunteers attend as wish to.

Coaching Resources

Our Player Pathway embraces our Club ethos, and explains how we manage team selection; league choices; county nominations; and the transition from junior to senior hockey.

Coaching resources, including session plans and helpful videos/clips are available from our Director of Junior Hockey, Oli Bell.

Managers' Information

Helpful information for age group and team managers includes the Team Manager Handbook; the Team Manager Checklist; and Mini Festival Templates.

External Courses

We are happy to reimburse the attendance of external courses attended by volunteers if they will be using their new skills for the benefit of the Club for at least one whole season. This includes coaching and umpiring courses. Please check with the Junior Hockey Committee (JHC) before incurring any costs, as reimbursement must be authorised by the JHC.

Insurance

Our volunteers and members are covered for Public Liability by the Club's insurance policy as long as they are carrying out Club roles.

Professional coaches should have their own personal cover. Volunteers coaching for organisations outside the Club (e.g. at schools) are not covered by the Club's insurance. Volunteers must make sure that they have their own personal cover in these circumstances.

Welfare & Safeguarding

Spencer Hockey Club follows recommended Child Safeguarding Policies and Best Practice as laid down by England Hockey. All coaches and team managers are DBS checked, and have undergone child safeguarding training.

Child Welfare Officer

The Club's Child Welfare Officer is Julia Oldham. If you have any concerns about the welfare of a child playing at Spencer, or about child welfare or safeguarding in general, or wish to file a complaint, please contact Julia on Message Julia Oldham. If you are unable to contact one of the Junior Hockey Committee.

First Aid

Although hockey is a relatively safe sport, accidents do happen and injuries are incurred from time to time. We offer regular first aid training courses to our volunteers, and a first aider is present at all training sessions. First aid kits are supplied to team managers, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the kits are fully stocked, and that the kits travel to away fixtures.

Policies, Guidelines & Codes of Conduct

For all our Policies and Guidelines on Child Welfare, Safeguarding and Conduct, please visit our Policies and Club Documents Section

All Club members and parents are expected to adhere to all Club policies, guidelines and codes of conduct, and those of England Hockey. Additionally, all our Policies, Guidelines and Codes of Practice apply to all attendees of Holiday Camps, and their parents. If you have any questions please contact our Child Welfare Officer, Julia Oldham (Message Julia Oldham)

Who's Who

Season 2022-2023

Our Age Group Managers, Main Coaches and Assistant Coaches can be found on our Training Dates & Times page, and on the respective age group/team pages.

Our other Volunteers and Role Holders are set out below. A HUGE thank you to every one of them – we really couldn’t do what we do without you.

Director of Junior Hockey

Oli Bell

Junior Hockey Committee

Tony Matharu (Junior Section Chairperson)

Oli Bell

Marcia Gurney-Champion

Charlotte Hucker

Donna Kirby

Chris Booth

Simon Eddy

Andrew Crow

Cait Reynolds

Emma Tonkin

Louise Hardy

Hazel Roulston

Michael Norman

Spencer Juniors Membership Secretary

Donna Kirby

Child Welfare Officer

Julia Oldham

End of Season Medals & Awards

Julia Edbrooke

DBS Coordinator

Charity Malthouse

Project Development Representative

Andrew Crow

Equipment Coordinator

Oli Bell

External Funding & Sponsorship Coordinator

Charlotte Hucker

First Aid Coordinator

Sara Beverly

Fixtures Secretary & Astro Use Coordinator

Donna Kirby

Friday Social Hockey Coordinator

Xander Veldhuijzen

Goalkeepers Kit & Training Coordinator

Cait Reynolds

Holiday Course Coordinator

Oli Bell

Junior Treasurer

Hazel Roulston

Kit Coordinator

NEW VOLUNTEER REQUIRED

Newsletter Coordinator

NEW VOLUNTEER REQUIRED

Social Media Coordinator

Donna Kirby

Social Secretary

Cait Reynolds

Spencer Lynx (Community Outreach)

Lynx Co-Ordinators

Charlotte Hucker

Marcia Gurney-Champion

Donna Kirby

Karen Price

Amrita Sheldon

Spencer Lynx


Co-Lead Coach

Matt Fildes

England Hockey Talent Development/ClubMark Coordinator

Louise Hardy

London League Steering Committee Reps

John Turner

Mid-week Hockey/Performance Hockey Coordinators

Oli Bell, Michael Norman

London Academy/Surrey County Nominations Coordinator

John Turner

Tours Coordinator

Sarah Holmes

Umpire Coordinator

Simon Eddy

Volunteers Coordinator

Marcia Gurney-Champion

Volunteers' Jackets

Emma Tonkin

Website Coordinator

Xander Veldhuijzen

Young Leaders Coordinators

Oli Bell, Chris Booth

Young Volunteers Coordinator

Colette Barclay

Professional Coaches

Oli Bell - Director of Junior Hockey

Holly Blew

George Carson

Joe Chomet

Zoe Jackson - GK Coach

Ciara Langtry

Jared Oliver

Jordan Turnbull

Hannah White

Friday Social Hockey Coordinator

Xander Veldhuijzen

Safeguarding Coordinator

Susi Simon

Teamo Coordinator

Donna Kirby

Our Partners

Chelwood Partners
BCB Group
Y1
Chelwood Partners
BCB Group
Y1
Lonodn Hockey
England Hockey
EH Talent Centre
Lonodn Hockey
England Hockey
EH Talent Centre
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