Welcome to Shefford & Sandy Hockey Club
Shefford & Sandy Hockey Club: a friendly, family orientated & competitive hockey club
A little bit about us
Based at Sandy Sports Centre at Sandy Upper School, Shefford & Sandy Hockey Club has been around for years. In fact many of our senior players started off as juniors when our club was based in Shefford.
We play on the Astro Pitch at Sandy Upper School which is on Medusa Drive, off Engayne Ave, Sandy,SG19 1BL. We use the showers and toilets within the Upper School, and have after-match teas / drinks in Sandy Village Hall, which is right next door.
We received ClubsFirst accreditation in January 2009. For more information on this, please visit our website.
Teams
We have 4 men\\\'s (including a veterans team) and 4 ladies teams. Juniors play tournaments whenever possible – these are usually on Sundays and about once a month.
The Men’s teams, and Ladies 1s team, play in the East League (http://www.east-hockey.co.uk) whilst the remaining ladies teams are in the Five Counties Women’s Hockey League (http://www.5counties.co.uk).
We also enter national competitions for men’s, ladies, vets and mixed hockey. The Club has an active and thriving juniors section, for players from 7-8 years of age upwards. Many of our juniors progress into playing for the senior teams from about 13-14 years old.
Training
Junior: There is dedicated training with qualified CRB checked coaches on Tuesdays from 6.30-7.30pm at Sandy Upper School Astro Pitch. The youngsters are welcome from about 7-8 years old and we split the group according to age/ability. Generally the children progress to the older group when they are about 11-12 years of age. We have spare sticks if you don’t have one. We charge termly (approx £1.50 per training session).
For more details please contact our Junior Hockey Co-ordinator Hannah Bartram (Hannah_bartram@hotmail.com or telephone 01767 260998).
Senior: This takes place at Sandy Upper School Astro Pitch on Tuesdays from 7.30-9pm and is free to all SSHC members (for directions see our website). The Men and Ladies train separately but often get together in the bar afterwards for a chat and a drink. Training covers all abilities and is designed to assist captains in making their selections and also players improving their skills and fitness. We train whatever the weather. If you play in a senior team you will be invited to senior training. For more details please contact our Membership Secretary Tessa Chiswell (tessa.chiswell@ntlworld.com or telephone 01462 629972).
Fees
Every time you play a match you need to pay match fees. These are £10 for seniors and £5 for juniors / full time students. This payment covers pitch costs and also includes ‘tea’ after the match – home and away.
Annual membership fees for 2011/12 are £110 for seniors and £55 for juniors / fulltime students. We remain one of the best value-for-money clubs in the area.
Matches & team selection
All our matches are played on Saturdays. Fixture times vary from 10am to 4pm. Generally the furthest travelling time to an away game is about 1-1.5 hours. Captains will select their teams at the start of the season but some movement between teams can occur throughout the season. Juniors are often selected to play for our senior teams (minimum age is 13) and we even have players in our top teams who are 15 years old.
Strip
We play in black shorts/skirts, green and black hooped socks and a green and black numbered shirt. Socks and shirts, which you do have to purchase, will be sorted by your captain should you decide to join us. You can also buy other sports gear from our select supplier (see website for more details).
Any more questions?
I hope this has answered most of your questions about our club. If you’d like to know more please email me at tessa.chiswell@ntlworld.com, look at our website at www.sheffordandsandy.co.uk or check our FaceBook page. OR just come along to training and ask for me – I’ll usually be there.
Tessa Chiswell
Membership Secretary
2011