With Greater Manchester having to adapt to Tier 4, there are some very clear changes relating to our ability to play hockey as of immediate effect. You can read more detail from England Hockey, we have outlined more detail how these affect us and what we are planning for U18 members below.
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NOT PERMITTED ttt |
PERMITTED |
| Adult training or matches | ttt
1:1 with a qualified coach ttt 1:1 training with members of 2 different households ttt Household small-group training (ie adults and juniors from same household/support bubble) ttt |
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U18s cannot cross between Tiers for either training or matches ttt No league activity or EH Cup matches until further notice ttt |
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U18s training in their ‘locality’ ttt U18 matches in a local area ttt U18 training with a local club, even if not their normal club ttt |
| Most travel across Tiers | ttt
Travel for work: paid coaches can cross tiers ttt Leaving home to undertake voluntary services is permitted, but we are seeking clarity on whether a volunteer can cross a Tier 4 boundary ttt |
| Large groups of spectators | U18 spectators are permitted but at Bowdon are limited to just one adult per player (no siblings) and must remain socially distant (ie 2 metres) at all times.
tttThey must register on arrival. |
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Access to indoor facilities such as changing rooms or a clubhouse ttt |
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Access to toilets tttTake-away from club house, if available. ttt |
What does this mean for us?
We remain committed to provide as much hockey for as many of our members as possible throughout this challenging period. We are planning training so that Junior peer groups can be together, recognising this may be their only opportunity for social interaction, and will also set up gameplay for weekends.
U18s living in Greater Manchester
Bowdon Minis and Bears
• Training will continue as normal on Fridays 5 – 6.30pm and Sundays in the usual timeslots
• Some Year 6s will be invited to attend Beavers training on Thursdays; you will be contacted directly if this relates to you.
• We will continue to do our best to set up intra club gameplay at weekends
Beavers and Badgers
• Training for all existing Beavers and Badgers except Year 9s will continue on Mondays and Thursdays 5-6.15pm and all players can attend both sessions. A small number of year 6 will also join on Thursdays.
• Year 9s are all invited to attend twice weekly training with the ‘Colts’ squads instead.
Year 9 – 13 Colts
• Training will be available twice a week for all in Years 9 – 13 and coaches will divide players into separate groups to train.
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- U18 Girls Mondays and Wednesdays 6.30 – 8pm
- U18 Boys Tuesdays and Thursdays 6.30 – 8pm
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We can only play matches against other very local Greater Manchester clubs for all age groups. It will take some time for us to work out what is feasible, so please bear with us and if we can’t play another club, we will aim to set up intra-club friendlies, possibly 7-a-side. This is all demanding a huge amount of voluntary time so PLEASE support us by responding immediately to all communications.
U18s living outside Greater Manchester
We have identified all U18s who live in Cheshire/Warrington region and will communicate directly with you about our plans to establish a Cheshire-based Bowdon hub for training and gameplay. This will be led by Dom Maguire, working with Toni-Anne Harrison and Elaine Rewston. If you have any queries, please contact [email protected].
If you can’t take part in any of our planned sessions either at Bowdon or the Cheshire hub and would like support to find a temporary local club, please get in touch.
It goes without saying that we anticipate further change, and will update you as soon as we can. We hope we may be able to offer pitch bookings for family bubble sessions and 1:1 coaching and will be in touch with details when we can.
If you have any COVID-related queries, please contact Janet and Kate on [email protected] or for general queries, email Julie via [email protected]
