Whilst at the club this weekend with the U14 girls and boys B teams, it hit home how well our junior section is performing compared to other clubs in the region. Both clubs we played against had just 1 team in this age group (so this was their A team), whilst DHC have enough players to fill 2 full squads. This isn’t just the case with our U14s either, it’s the same across many other age groups.

So, I want to take this opportunity to let you know about all the other standout positives just 45 days in.

• We now have a record number of volunteer coaches/helpers on evenings and weekends. Especially on a Friday for our 5–12 year olds. We also have more Youth Coaches than ever assisting at sessions, many of whom are working towards their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Thank you to all of them!

• Since August, a huge 53 new juniors have signed up! 37 of them are already registered on Pitchero.

• Our junior umpires are large in numbers and growing in confidence.

• Annual subs remain lower than at many other clubs, some of which also charge per tournament, something we don’t do.

• We have secured a fantastic 3-year sponsorship for the Ladies’ 1st Team from a junior parent, thanks to Ye Olde Bell! One other parent I approached (who wishes to remain anonymous) donated £3,000!

• Slack’s Butchers, The Angel Inn at Blyth, Rectified Electrical, Sills & Betteridge LLP have all paid for pitchside boards or made donations. Again, all junior parents.

• We have more children trialling for South Yorkshire than any other club in the region.

• We now have multiple external coaches delivering Masterclass evening and weekend training sessions/camps. The camps being at a lower cost than ever before.

• Our keepers have more sessions than last year, across several nights each month.

• We’re lucky to have more volunteers than ever before helping with things like keeping the garage tidy and safe, events planning, fundraising, social media, match days. And you will have no doubt seen how much Colette and Emma are doing to organise our teams and fixtures in their admin roles.

• Barbara and Tim’s long-standing Monday night social hockey is bursting at the seams. If you don’t know what it is and fancy taking a look, come down at 7pm any Monday night, it’s open to all.

• We manage to regularly field 2 Development Teams, and this is where we are seeing real improvements in our younger players. And again if you don’t know what this is just ask one of the coaches at training.

As a club we recognise the need to perform at a high level, striving to be the best. But we also have a firm belief hockey should be for all, and that DHC will always be a place where everybody should feel welcome.

If you’d like to join in and volunteer, please reach out, there’s always a job to do.
Whether you’ve got an hour to spare or a skill to share, we’d love to have you.

Regards,

Kirk Bellerby

DHC Chairman

Thanks to our sponsors:
Ye Olde Bell, Slacks, Coriel, The Angel, Hawsons, The Regent Hotel, Home Farm & Lodge, Rectified Electrical, Print Broker Services, Mortgage Line Services, JHA Architecture, Yorkshire Caravans & Motorhomes, Xeinadin, CF Booth Ltd, Young Guns, Mulberry Accounting, Jenkinson Insurance, One Call Insurance.