Hockey is back!

What an incredible first week back at hockey we’ve had!

The return of grassroots sport was allowed by the government from Monday 29 March, and at HC Knole Park we were back out there that very evening! After a very long lockdown, the U14 and U16 girls jointly won the participation prize for Lockdown 3.0 and the prize was the first pitch slot post-lockdown! So many happy faces bounced up to the pitch at Tonbridge School on a beautiful, almost tropical evening! Against the stunning sunset backdrop, the girls played lots of 2v2s and then some half-pitch games, reigniting their love of hockey and remembering how to pass after months of online skills!

A full and exciting summer hockey programme will continue all the way until the start of the new season. Members are still keen to play lots of hockey, especially after having missed out on so much due to the impact of COVID-19. This week there were sessions every day!

Everyone has returned fit and ready to jump back into gameplay, thanks to the online programme. Most importantly, everyone is so happy to be back on the pitch doing what they love!

Good Friday was a particular highlight of the week. KP had a full programme all day at Radnor House’s stunning pitch. The U10 and U12 sessions in the morning were fully subscribed, with plenty of fun Young Leaders on hand to help the young players with their skills and gameplay. There were so many smiles from everyone on the pitch! Then we had three fun and competitive internal matches, with the U18s and women playing first, followed by the U14 girls, and finally the U14 boys and men. All three matches were very close, with plenty of flowing attacking hockey and lots of impressive running from everyone. It will be exciting to see everyone’s hockey developing over the summer!

Our seven NAGs players headed off for training camps to prepare for international matches in the summer. All our members are hugely inspired by these players and we wish them lots of luck on their camps over the Easter holiday.

Overall, it’s been an amazing week at KP! We’re looking forward to more Easter hockey and camps every day next week. We hope you’re all enjoying your hockey!