For those who weren’t at the WAT’s 2023 AGM on Monday evening I was elected as the new club Chairman and I thought it would be a good idea to formally introduce myself. Most of you will know me from umpiring matches at Aldersley and taking Lucy to matches / training over the past four seasons since Lucy moved to the club in 2019. However, hockey has been my sport for the past 36 years since high school, through university before joining club hockey starting with Guildford HC where I was Fixture & Pitch Secretary for several years. More recently prior to joining WATs I had been at Bloxwich HC for 10 years where I oversaw their junior coaching for 8 years and held other committee posts such as Treasurer and Administration.

To start with I would like to take this opportunity to recognise Nirmal our outgoing Chairman for all his energy, enthusiasm and effort since May 2018 on behalf of the club getting us through what has been a unique and challenging period in the club’s history. Thank you.

Also, I would like to thank the outgoing Committee for all their hard work running the club last year and to all those who have come forward to take on roles / jobs for the club for the coming 2023-24 season.

I'm really excited to be part of a new and enthusiastic team to bring our club forward under the revised structure to develop the club in the short, medium and long term. We want the club to thrive and to be a place where our members feel welcome to watch and play lots of excellent hockey, whilst developing the family club where we can all socialise.

Personally, I want our members to feel that the club belongs to them, from the first team captains to the 6-year-old picking up their first stick and the parent trying to stay warm on the sideline. Which is why I think it is essential that we regularly communicate to the membership about what we are up to as we want to be as open as possible. We have a lot of great people within the club and my role will be to listen, direct and guide in order to make WATs a better place for everyone.

For the club to be the best we also need your feedback and help for which I would welcome any ideas, suggestions or comments that you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact me by email to wathc.chairman@gmail.com or by call/message on 07938 960474. We really would love to hear from you.

Finally, we are always looking for more volunteers; these come in all shapes and sizes such as umpiring, coaching, fundraising, admin and many more. Volunteering is a great way to develop club spirit, so should you want to get involved please contact myself or any other committee member / team captain.

I look forward to the challenge of leading the club forward in this next chapter and will see you all soon.

Paul Jackson
Chairman
Wolverhampton & Tettenhall Hockey Club