And that’s a wrap!
Thanks to everyone who came to the AGM - we met quorum and passed all proposed motions so are very grateful to the attendees.
Whilst you all settle into your Saturday lie-ins and a summer of hockey fun, the committee are full steam ahead with next season planning and there’s a few things we really need your help with to make sure next season’s as good as it can be. So please have a quick read of the below and complete the items on the checklist.
End of season checklist ✍️
Please:
Make sure you’ve paid any outstanding match fees
Let your captain know whether or not you’ll be playing at Wapping next season (if you didn’t complete the early registration)
Make sure you’ve returned all kit to the JO/LV lockers (shirts, balls, masks etc). If there’s anything you aren’t able to return this week, please let Kat (wappingkit@gmail.com) know as your team will be charged for anything not returned.
(more on the following below)
Pick your favourite: Vote on our new kit design!
Help us recruit by answering these few questions
Consider taking on a role for next season
🚨🚨New kit! 🚨 🚨
As announced at AGM, we have a new kit supplier! And not just a supplier but a sponsor for whom we’ll be a flagship club 🎉🎉
Grays Hockey, one of the UK’s oldest and most respected hockey brands, loves what Wapping is doing in terms of community and social media. As a result, they’ve offered to partner with us for the next three seasons!
This incredible partnership includes brand new home and away shirts for the entire adult club—completely free. To put that into perspective, a single set of home shirts usually costs us around £500, which our Sponsorship Secretaries normally have to fundraise for through sponsorships.
With the cost of kits covered, we’ll now be able to use any sponsorship we secure to invest in improving the club and expanding our outreach.
Ex GB player and business lead, Sarah Robertson, has worked with us to design a new set of garms based on their brand new kit range and we will be making a joint public announcement next week.
Thanks to those who helped submit design ideas for kit. We’re very thankful for your help!
Have your say—vote for your favourite kit NOW! (Deadline: 16th May)
Our coaches want to hear from you!
Please take a few minutes to complete our 24/25 Season Coaching Survey by following the link HERE. It’s completely anonymous and gives you the chance to share your thoughts on your coach, training sessions, and more from this season.
Your feedback directly helps us improve coaching and guide future decisions, so it’s far more effective than a quick post-game moan at the pub! Take a few minutes to share your thoughts—we really value them.
The survey will close at the end of May, so be sure to have your say before then.
Thanks so much,
Warren D’Souza (VCP)
Recruit Recruit Recruit!
As a central London club, we see lots of player movement each year, making summer a key time for recruitment. We rely heavily on word of mouth—so if you know anyone who might be interested, please spread the word!
This could include:
Old uni teammates or sports departments
Players or coaches moving to London
Injured or experienced players keen to coach
Put them in touch with our Club Captains at wappingmcc@gmail.com or wappinglcc@gmail.com.
Also, don’t forget our University Partnership scheme. We offer great benefits for students and recent grads. If you’ve got contacts at uni hockey teams or sports departments, let us know so we can reach out:
👉 wappinghockey.club/partner-universities
Get involved
The first round of elections opened this week, with nominations for the Exec and Committee (excl Captains) open until May 18th. If you have questions about any of the roles, please get in touch with a member of the Exec or Committee.
Nominations must be seconded by one other WHC member. To put yourself forward for a role, please email wappingelections@gmail.com confirming your interest and copy in the member seconding you. Positions can be shared by two members, even if that's not specifically highlighted below, but following AGM Committee roles that are split will also share the concession rate discount - you will not both get the full concession rate.
If you have a bit of free time and would like to give back to the club, now is the perfect time to get involved. All roles are up for nomination but we’re especially looking to fill the following vacancies. If you’d like any further information on a role, please reach out to Irini who will be happy to help (wappingsecretary@gmail.com):
Umpire Liaison Officer - suitable for someone who’s organised and happy doing admin. You don’t need to be an umpire as we’re lucky to have James, DC and Phil supporting as Umpire Development Officers.
Newsletter and Website Secretary - writes our weekly Back Post newsletters and responsible for keeping our website updated and full of useful information for those who want to find out more.
Teas Secretary - this person will work alongside Fixtures Sec Eleanor to ensure we all get fed
Kit Secretary - responsible for looking after and ordering new equipment for training and games, and making sure teams and individuals can order Wapping merch to play and train in.
Social Secretary - suitable for someone passionate about improving Wapping’s social life.
Social Media Officer - works under the guidance of our Head of Press. The Social Media Officers release content on social media, covering weekly fixtures, results and other news/features from across the club
Now that regular training’s wrapped up, why not give coaching or umpiring a try?
Our umpiring development programme is in full swing, with Monday CAWHL games dedicated to new/upskilling umpires. Thanks to Sport England funding, we’ve got radio sets and full support from our UDOs—get in touch at wappingudo@gmail.com or join the Umpiring – Learning and Discussion WhatsApp group.
Kidds and Back2Hockey sessions are still running and are a great way to try out coaching—no experience needed! Just come along, get involved, and if you’re keen to continue, the club can support you through coaching courses.
Contact Sandy (wappingkidds@gmail.com) or Warren (wappingvcp@gmail.com) to find out more.
AGM updates
Chair’s report
>> Read it here <<
Motions passed
Updates to the committee structure
— Removed: GK Coordinator; Membership Secretary
— Updated: 1 x Fixtures —> Teas Secretary; Kidds Chair —> Exec; Newsletter Secretary —> Newsletter and Website SecretaryTo make match fees fairer and club finances more transparent, update the constitution from this:
11.1 Team Captains set Match fees based on a weekly contribution to Club and team costs. The Executive may intervene if it considers a team’s match fees excessive.To:
11.1 Match fees are set by the Treasurer and are standardised across the club to cover match day costs (eg. pitches and teas). Team captains may decide to collect an additional ‘team kitty’ at their discretion in order to cover additional team costs. Any concerns regarding team kittys can be referred to the Treasurer.
Appointed Honorary Presidents
Honorary President (elect): Stuart Burnside
Honorary Vice-President: Grant Aidoo-Nash
Finance Update
Since the AGM, we’ve received a number of questions about the club’s financial position. We appreciate your concern and want to take this opportunity to provide clarity on some key points.
Changes in Profit figures compared to PY
It’s important to understand that Wapping Hockey Club currently reports its accounts using cash accounting. This is a simplified method where we record income and expenses only when money actually enters or leaves the club’s account. This means if payments haven’t been received or made by the time we finalise the accounts (e.g., at the AGM), those amounts are carried over to the following year.
This had a significant impact on the 2024 accounts. At the time of the AGM, match fee costs for the second half of the season hadn’t yet been invoiced by JO (who are known to invoice late). As a result, we initially reported a profit, but once those costs were paid, the year-end position was updated to reflect a £7k loss.
This unexpected deficit was the main reason behind the £3 increase in match fees introduced in January. The change has since generated approximately £6k in additional income which, along with the mammoth fundraising efforts, have helped close the gap.
For the finances communicated in the most recent AGM. The club reported a 9.3k profit. It is important to note that included £6.6k relating to the Kidds section (which is funded separately from the adults) and £1.7k of income relating to 25/26, leaving the adult club with a profit of £900.
The club has made a profit from running CAWHL over the past two seasons which has positively contributed to our financial position. However, it’s important to note that income from CAWHL is variable and not guaranteed year-to-year. As a result, we do not factor it heavily into our budgeting to avoid overreliance on what can be an unpredictable revenue stream.
Looking ahead
We are actively exploring a shift away from cash accounting to a more accurate reporting method. This would help smooth out apparent year-to-year fluctuations and better reflect the club’s true financial position.
Separately, the Exec Committee is currently reviewing match fees and membership prices for the 2025/26 season. Any changes will be communicated later this summer. As discussed at AGM 2025, any increase to membership fees will be capped at a maximum of £50.
We hope this helps clarify recent financial developments. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions.
Best regards,
Wapping Treasurers
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
