Code of Conduct
This code applies to all members, both senior and junior.
All disciplinary action shall be administered by the relevant team captain in the first instance and overseen by the appropriate Club Captain.
Players shall have the right of appeal to the Management Committee in accordance with the club Complaints Policy, so far as this does not conflict with Hockey Association Rules.
All club members are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times, both on the pitch and pitch side.
Players guilty of persistent abusing of umpires will be penalised most severely.
Any member guilty of verbal or physical abuse to any other player will be dealt with most severely.
The recipient of a red card or a permanent suspension from the game shall receive a suspension as stipulated for that category of offence by the Hockey Association. Red card offences in League matches will also be subject to the provisions of the League rules. In addition, extended periods, imposed by the Club, are at the discretion of the Management Committee. Day 1 of the suspension will be the day of the offence.
The recipient of three yellow cards or temporary suspensions in a season shall receive a 9-day suspension, and a further 9-day suspension for each subsequent yellow card or temporary suspension. Day 1 of a suspension will be the date of the offence. Yellow card offences in League matches will be subject to the provisions of the League rules.
A player failing to meet his/her playing commitments (including dropping out at short notice) without reasonable cause may not be selected for the next fixture.
Players not available through personal choice may be selected in a lower team for the following fixture, unless the selection committee deems that this is not in the best interests of the Club.
Strictly no use of mobile phones or cameras in changing room areas.
Fixtures
We have set down a few guiding principles to ensure that the pitches and home pushback times are allocated fairly across the club.
The overall aim is so that no one team is consistently starting early or late.
The Ladies 1st XI and Men’s 1st XI home games should be played in either the 1pm or 2.30pm slots.
We give consideration to the distance our opposition has to travel and the likely availability of our limited pool of umpires.
We will give each of the lower teams a spread of pushback times over a season (subject to how the fixtures across the club fall). As the 10am and 4.30pm slots are the most likely to be cancelled, these will tend to be allocated to the Ladies 4th XI and Men’s 3rd XI.
In case of bad weather, members should contact their team captain, or in an emergency their club captain, one hour before the start time for the game. Messages will usually be posted on the team What’s app group as soon as a decision has been made whether the match will go ahead or be postponed.
All players are expected to turn up ready to play unless they have informed that the match has been cancelled.
Membership
The Management Committee will set the club membership fees (subs) in advance of each new season.
These will include a full adult membership plus a range of concessions:
- Student
- Over 65’s
- Under 18’s
- Unemployed
- Goal-keepers
- Associate – for players who train or play for 6 games or fewer in the season
A Family rate exists to encourage more than one adult or more than one child in a family members to play for the club.
Everyone taking part in either training or matches are expected to have paid their subs by the 30th September of the season.
A person may pay their subs in instalments on 30th September, 31st October, and 30th November.
Late payment will mean a person cannot play until monies have been received as the player is not insured to play.
Payments of subs should be done via bank transfer to the Welwyn Garden City Hockey Club account, using the links provided on the club website.
New players joining the club after 30th September should pay their subs within three weeks of their first match or training session, or by instalments (see above).
The Club Captain’s should make a report to the Management Committee at the October meeting identifying any players who have not paid their membership fees.
The Club Captain’s should make a report to the Management Committee at the December or January meeting identifying any players who have not completed the instalments on their membership fees.
Reporting of Concerns
Welwyn Garden City Hockey Club is a family friendly club, and we wish for all members to enjoy their hockey in a safe and welcoming environment which is at the heart of our club.
The aim of this policy is to provide a fair and clear procedure for anyone wishing to raise concerns and to make sure that all concerns are managed in a fair and timely manner.
Please note that if you have safeguarding concerns with relation to a young person or adult, then the safeguarding procedure should be followed – Child Protection Policy | Welwyn Garden City Hockey Club
Stage 1
If you would like to raise a concern about anything that has occurred before, during, or after a match and feel like your complaint or concern cannot be resolved directly with any persons concerned, the first port of call will be to raise it with your Team captain. If your concern is about your captain, you should raise this with your Club Captain.
The Team captain will report any complaints or concerns to the respective Club Captain.
If you raise your concern with your Team Captain and feel it has not been resolved, this should be raised with your Club Captain.
Stage 2
If you feel that your concern has not been resolved within Stage 1, you can direct your concerns to the Chairman of the committee chairman@wgchockeyclub.co.uk
If your concern relates to an under 18, please ensure that Welfare Officer – child.welfare@wgchockeyclub.co.uk
Where necessary, we may seek advice in confidence from England Hockey.
If you wish to raise a concern anonymously, you can do so via the below QR code/link.
Please note that this will only be monitored on a 6 weekly basis ahead of committee meetings so if you concern is urgent, please raise it via the two steps above.
Selection
Our aim is to provide all players with competitive and enjoyable hockey, where players who wish to develop can improve their skills and play at their best level.
Selection is undertaken by the Team Captains and appropriate Club Captain for the Men’s/Open section or Women’s section.
Where any disagreement remains, the Club Captain has the final say.
The club will seek to field the best available team with priority given to the team in the higher league (so starting with the 1st XI, then the 2nd XI, 3rd XI and 4th XI in turn).
Teams will be selected on merit, to ensure that the team is competitive in the games concerned.
Wherever possible we will seek to develop young players and provide them with appropriate opportunities.
Players who have been unavailable should not expect to be automatically selected for the team they previously played for.
Returning players (e.g. from maternity leave or after a break from the club) will be supported to work back towards their previous playing level.
Where a squad of players is available, the squad will usually be limited to 14 players for any match to ensure that all players get a good amount of game time.
If some players are therefore rested, selection for the next game will be done on a rotation basis.
Consideration will be given to family members who wish to play together, but this will be balanced against fairness, competitiveness, and the overall best interests of the club.
The Team Captain will decide on the rotation of players for each game, depending on the players available, strength of the opposition, physical fitness, disruption caused by rotation, and opportunities to develop young players.
Team Captains will communicate clearly with players about performance and the reasons behind selection decisions, including when a player is rotated or moved to a lower team. This ensures transparency and maintains competitiveness across all teams.
Trans & Non-Binary Participation Policy
WGC HC is an inclusive club that welcomes anyone who wishes to play hockey.
On trans and non-binary matters we are bound by the policy of England Hockey which was amended from 1st September 2025.
Under this policy, all league hockey played by WGC HC now falls into two categories, a Female category and an Open category.
Female category: – Participants recorded female at birth which includes trans men who have not undergone or are not undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Once a trans man or non-binary participant (whose birth sex is recorded as female) has either commenced or completed gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) then they will no longer be eligible to participate in the Female category.
Open category: – This category is open to all including those participants recorded male at birth, recorded female at birth (irrespective of whether they have ever commenced or completed gender-affirming hormone therapy), and those who identify as trans or non-binary.
Trans participants aged 11 or under may compete in the gender they identify as. Once a trans girl becomes 12, they will be unable to compete in the Female category. To be eligible to compete in the Female category in Under-12 competitions (or older), a trans girl must be 10 or under on 31 August preceding the season of participation.
This policy relates to league competitions. All players are welcome to training.
We recognise that this is sensitive information and as such will treat player gender with the strictest confidence and only shared on a need-to-know basis, respecting at all times the participants right to privacy.
You can find the full text of the England Hockey Trans & Non-Binary Participation Policy here.