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The Thoughts of the Chairman Now

The Thoughts of the Chairman Now

Tim Thompson27 Aug 2018 - 18:57
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https://www.bsehockeyclub.co.u

Another season – A great start

Once all struggle is grasped, miracles are possible
- Mao Zedong

'What makes the difference between a good club and a really great club?' That’s one of the questions that I frequently reflect on.

Last season, Bury Hockey Club was a good club to be a member of. Our facilities, thriving junior section, increased focus on training and a handful of new members added variety to the shake-up of our 1st XI squads and the season finished respectably for most of our adult teams.

We put in the new Pitchero system last year and only really started to leverage the features and power of the system towards the end of the season.

So how do we make this a really great club? Well, I am pleased to report that this has already started, and right from the roots of the Club up.

This year, all our members need to get onto the Pitchero system as the captains are using it to check availability, select and report on all the games and manage the subscriptions.
The new website and the appointment of Press and Comms Officer has made it easier for new players to see what is happening in our club, both playing and socially – as a result we have seen an influx of brand new players this year and we are still getting enquiries every week.

More players mean more competition for places in the top teams. We have seen many of our existing players step up and want to train and play harder than ever.

We have more training for our adult teams than ever before and have realigned coaches to deliver more focused sessions. We recruited Sara Clarke from Balanced Life to raise the fitness levels of the squads.

The men’s and ladies’ club captains are on a mission with team captains to ensure that we get the 1st XI squads to training and that the Club’s teams comprise of the proper mix of players. We also have new selection policies in place which lay a pathway for player development.

We have introduced some new coaches to the club this year. Nick Thorpe will be working with the Ladies 1s squad and Chris Chapman has already started to work with Men’s Club players and Jerry Herod with the Ladies’ Club.

We will be providing more coaches to our junior sections to ensure we never turn away a junior that wants to train. Our 1st XI’s have an attendance rota to ensure that the junior members get to see the kind of skills they will need to acquire to reach the heady heights of the Club’s top teams and to provide extra help and guidance on training days.

We are preparing the way for the Club Satellites at Thurston and King Edwards Schools and ensuring that we have the right resources in place.

Behind the scenes, all this activity requires a huge amount of administration and I have not seen the committee working harder than they are now – for which I am hugely grateful. We have increased the remuneration for umpires from £10 to £15 per game in preparation for a drive the recruit and train more umpires this season. We still need more volunteers to take on Committee tasks and if you feel you can contribute in any way we would be pleased to hear from you.

The cold reality of all this extra activity is that it needs financial support. Our overheads increased dramatically last year, and I do not want to be the Chairman of a club that runs out of cash! We need to find innovative new ways to raise funds to provide coaches, umpires and extra pitch time.

You may have seen the website story about our new Away shirts and the new sponsors that have stepped forward. We are also changing our Men’s and Ladies’ 1st XI club shirts this season with a view to the shirt becoming the standard Club shirt in the following 2 seasons. We are grateful to the sponsors for their trust in our ability to add value to their brands and of course for the money they have provided. The Committee are moving quickly to get the new kit in place for the first matches of the new Season.

The new kit is a move away from our current colour scheme, although since I have been a member of the Club, I have played in orange, brown, maroon and blue so there is precedent for the new colours. We will be releasing images of the new shirts shortly and they will be available to buy on the club website very soon.

I still don’t exactly know what the difference is between a good club and a really great club, but it has been a long time since I have sensed as much energy in this Club and think we have the ingredients to make this season one of the best yet. Please get behind the initiatives that we are rolling out and take advantage of the opportunity to train and play as much as you can this season - and good luck!

Tim Thompson
Club Chairman

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