3..2..1.. New Season!
Welcome back! A big Back Post HELLO from your new author, Co-Chair Issy. There’s lots to get up to scratch on, so keep scrolling and make sure to take it all in.
Dates for the diary
Derby Night (W2 v W3 & M3 v M4): October 9th
Slip week: October 24th
Halloween social: October 31st
Christmas social: December 5th
Content for 2026/27 season’s first Back Post
Help us to save John Orwell 🙏
Meet our Sponsors ❤️
Grays 20% off discount code 🏑
Get involved with Kidds coaching 👧
Thank you Coaches 🤩
Club Day Round-Up 💫
Week 1 Results 📅
Reminder
Join the Wapping Community on WhatsApp to receive all club related announcements.
Save John Orwell Sports Centre
Tower Hamlets Council is proposing to build houses around John Orwell that could have a serious impact on the pitch. The plans have now reached the next stage of consultation, so this is our opportunity to make sure the Club’s voice is heard before they progress.
What can you do?
Arm yourself with the latest updates on the plans
Sign up as a Friend of John Orwell
Attend the consultations this week… Please register for the events using this link. You don’t need to register to attend, but the more people registered, the stronger message we send to Tower Hamlets.
There are two consultation events at John Orwell where you can have your say:
1. Tuesday 22 September @ 16:00–19:00
Get down to the consultation before training if you can and especially if you're local to Wapping. Any member not training on 26th (and even those who are) should try and attend.
2. Saturday 26 September @ 11:00–14:00
This is the big one. We want a strong hockey turnout to show the Council how we feel about the plans. We’re asking all teams playing at JO on 26th to attend in big numbers, alongside their oppos. If you’re playing anywhere else earlier or later in the day, please also try to make it down!
We’ll be in touch with captains to help coordinate the turnout at both events. Everyone is encouraged to come along.
Even if you are LV based, what happens at JO affects all of us. East London pitches are already packed, so any disruption here will have a knock-on effect across the whole club.
Money Makes The Club Go Round
Over the summer, our Treasurer Adam has been working hard to keep costs as low as possible so that we can continue to provide hockey at a reasonable price. Rising pitch costs, fewer JO slots available for Wapping, and higher England Hockey fees all mean more money out of the bank. But there is A LOT to celebrate this season:
Match fees staying at £11 across the club
Umpire fees rising to £20 per game
Higher discounts for Committee members and Captains
Club funded Home Game coaching
As advised at the AGM our annual membership fees will be increasing but by the minimal amount of only £10, in line with inflation (3%). Please buy your membership here.
Concession rates are available for students, first year graduates and members with an income of £24K (we have raised this threshold from last season). We’re also offering increased reduced rates for Committee members. Goalkeepers will continue to have free membership.
Social membership will now be reduced to 3 games across the season. Under-18s playing in adult teams can purchase Youth Membership, and are entitled to pay £5.50 match fees.
If you are facing financial difficulty for any reason, our Treasurer is always happy to have a confidential conversation about individual arrangements. Our priority is to keep hockey at Wapping open, inclusive, and accessible to everyone. Please contact Adam at treasurer.wapping@gmail.com
The deadline to pay membership, pay a first instalment or get in touch with Adam to make alternative arrangements is 24th October. All membership options will then be increased by £5.
Any questions, issues, or concerns can all be directed to the Treasurer!
Exec, Committee members, Captains and Keepers will receive their discount codes directly.
Thank You Sponsors
We are extremely lucky to have three Club Sponsors again this season, as well as sponsors for each team.
We are delighted to welcome back Simon Wright Jewellery, E1 Crossfit and Moretown Belle as official Wapping Hockey Club sponsors for the 2026/27 season, as well as Savills, Feeney’s, Lunaria Partners and the Northcote E11 for teams.
A big thank you to:
Simon Wright Jewellery. Simon has been a proud sponsor and passionate member of the club for seven years, and this season sees him return as official sponsor of the Men's 1st XI, Women's 5th XI and Men's 7th XI.
E1 Crossfit. It’s their second season as a Club Sponsor and sponsor of the Women’s 1st XI, Women’s 7th XI and Men’s 8th XI. E1 Crossfit are also our Primary Fitness Partner.
Moretown Belle. Our Club House since 2017, the MTB is a Club Sponsor and sponsor of the Men’s 3rd XI, Men’s 5th XI, Women’s 6th XI and Women’s 8th XI. Join the fun for teas on a Saturday, or head down any day of the week to claim your 5% off!
Savills. Welcome back to our Women’s 3rd XI sponsor. They offer a full range of property services, including agency, planning, development and consultancy.
Feeney’s. Welcome back to Feeney’s, an Irish pub in the heart of the city, and sponsor of our Women’s 5th XI and Men’s 6th XI. Pop down for a Guinness and a spice bag!
Lunaria Partners. Our Men’s 4th XI and Women’s 4th XI sponsor is a specialist legal recruitment agency with people at the heart of what they do.
The Northcote. For the third season, our LV teas partner The Northcote hosts us for teas, karaoke and pints! It’s their second year sponsoring our Men’s 2nd XI and Women’s 2nd XI.
Live, Laugh, Love, Merch
Grays have once again offered us 20% off all their equipment! (sticks, bags, shinpads etc) as part of our partnership.
Code: A_WAPPING20-26
For this code to work and spend be attributed to the club, players can either go through the Wapping online store (below) where you can get WHC merch or directly to Gray’s website to buy any bits you need:
https://www.grays-hockey.com/collections/wapping-hc
#GraysFirstMindset
For sock enquiries please contact you Team’s Kit Sec or Club Kit Sec Simon at wappingkit@gmail.com.
Volunteer to Help the Future of Hockey
With the season starting, this is your annual reminder that Wapping Kidds needs your help. For those with an interest in coaching, or keen to help out and give back, Wapping Kidds is looking for volunteer coaches to assist in their Friday and Saturday training sessions.
Who is needed: You! No coaching qualification or experience are needed, all sessions are planned and led by experienced coaches.
When: Older juniors (14-18) train Friday 6-7.30pm, Younger juniors (5-12) train Saturdays 9.30-11am.
Where: John Orwell Sports Centre in Wapping
But I play on Saturdays: If you are able to commit to once or twice a month, that is a big help, most of coaches are players too who help when fixtures allow.
What do I need: All coaches must be DBS checked and complete a 15 min free online safeguarding course. The Kidds team can help you with this.
Sign me up! How do I get in touch? Email Sandra and Winky at wappingkidds@gmail.com.
Coaches All Around - Again!
We are thrilled that so many people from Wapping have stepped up to coach this season.
There are a number of new faces who have taken on coaching a senior team for the first time this season - thank you Eoin Robinson, Chris Tipple, James Budgen, Becca Nelson, Eleanor Tennant, Ben Jackson, and Adi Prasad.
We also have many returning faces, and coaches who have come back for more coaching action after a few season out. Big thanks to Warren D’Souza, Dom Oliver, Sam Kirk, Henry Sewell, Kiran Dhoot, Olivia Shears, Izzy Montgomery, Mark Dungey, Craig Tuaine, and Emma Spiers.
Club Day SUCCESS
Club Day was a roaring success featuring the launch of Wapping Kidds as a registered charity while also celebrating its Tenth Birthday. There was also a mega mixed tournament, a W1 vs All Stars bonanza, M1 pre-season win, and a social at The Northcote.
Thank you to everyone who took part, joined in, and helped make it a Club Day to remember. Our founder Tim Poeton joined from America and loved seeing so many Wapping faces, both young and older(er).
A wapping thank you to our outgoing Chair Helen Rogers for making the day possible!
Member discounts:
Check out our Members' area (Password: whc1989) which has all of our available offers, including:
5% discount and 5% club kick back at the Moretown Belle
A free Psycle session
Grubby: 50% off + free delivery on 1st box, plus 30% off for the rest of the month
