To support the ‘Back to Hockey’ campaign, Wapping Hockey Club is offering free training sessions this spring. Sessions are at 8:30PM, at the John Orwell Sport Centre, Wapping, East London. Wapping’s summer programme gets support from the Mayor of London’s Free Sport programme, that offers sessions to people wanting to get back into fitness, but may not have played for years the game of hockey, along with others who are first-time players. ‘Back to Hockey’ is also partnering the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign of Sport England, which is a national programme celebrating women actively participating in sport and exercise around the country.
Hockey coach and participation manager of England Hockey, Beverley Blackburn, said they welcome all abilities and want to show that hockey has come a long way. The ‘Back to Hockey’ and free sessions aim at those who played in their school days, but moved away from the game, the coach said. He added that the sessions are back, now with a flexible format that allows women to get involved on a local basis and fit easily around busy schedules. Stuart Burnside, chairman of Wapping Hockey Club, said that the club always welcomes participants, whatever standard or however long it was since they played. Too many people are off the sport thinking clubs are interested only in current players, he pointed out.
