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Registration for the 2010 Winter Season has now begun. Relevant registration forms for Men, Women and Juniors can be collected from the Waverley Clubrooms.

After the toughest game of the season, the Waverley Pennant E team has emerged from the grand final with the premiership, winning 2-1 in extra time . With the two regular season matches against Doncaster ending in draws and Waverley winning the semi final in extra time, the game was expected to be close.

Nick D'Onofrio takes on Doncaster

After a fairly even start Doncaster were able to find an opening in Waverley’s defence to score the opening goal. Despite several strong attempts from both teams, including one Doncaster shot hitting the post, the score remained this way until a final surge from the Waverley forwards resulted in a pently corner after the final whistle. In the last throw of the dice, the corner variation to the left side was put in the back of the net to draw the game level and force the game to extra time.

Once again Waverley found themselves in extra time in this finals series. Both teams had opportunities up forward, with Doncaster having one attempt disallowed. Once again Waverley responded in the final seconds, with Rudi able to slip a pass through Doncaster’s defense to Chris Castle who slotted the ball past the sliding keeper to win the match and secure the premiership.

Zane Holloway watches Chris Castle score the winning goal

Thanks to the big crowd that turned out to support both the Pennant E and Metro 3 teams.

Waverley celebrates the win

More celebrations

Premiers 2009

Big weekend of GRAND FINALS  coming up, so get out and support your club.

Start off on Friday 18th  at S2 to see the U13 Shield team take on TEM at 6.15 pm

or alternatively go down to Monash  watch two games, the U13 North play Doncaster at 7.00pm followed at 8.30 pm when the U15 East take on Knox.

On Saturday 19th  you can start the day by popping into

H2 at 8.30 am to see the U11 North take on Box Hill for the flag.

So that may be a bit early for some of you. If so then make your way to Monash where at

12 noon Men’s PE take on Doncaster

followed at

2.00 pm when the Mens Metro 3 East take on MCC.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHO ARE PLAYING

This weekend, please support the TEM Breast Cancer Awareness Round on Saturday 29th August by purchasing a wrist band, sausage or simply a cupcake. All profits from the day will be going towards the McGrath Foundation.

The top Waverley teams will be taking on TEMs so come down to Hawthorn on Saturday to support your club and a great cause. Games times are:

• 2pm Women’s Pennant A TEM vs Waverley
• 15:30 Men’s State League 1 TEM vs Waverley
• 17:00 Men’s Pennant A TEM vs Waverley

Our Story

I started playing hockey when I was 10. First, it was Minkey. We played on grass, at Lords Reserve opposite the Caulfield swimming pool. After I graduated from Minkey I joined the big kids in under 11 mixed, and then it was on to U13 girls. Somewhere around U15s the club left the grass fields and funny shaped clubroom at Lords Reserve and moved to its current home in Hawthorn. At about the same time I started playing senior hockey as well as junior hockey. Then, I was too old for juniors all together. The years had somehow flown past and playing Minkey on grass, in footy boots, on a Saturday morning felt like a million years ago.

Now, I am in my early thirties and still playing hockey at the same club. I am lucky. The club is like home to me. The people are my family. Of course over the years many people have come and gone, moved in and out of this large extended circle, but there are some who have quite simply always been there. They are part of my hockey memories. When I think back to those early years they are there – teaching us how to hold a stick, how to hit, how to trap. It was them who made us line up to collect our sunnyboys and iceypoles after a hard hour of minkey. They are all through my memories. They are on the sidelines reminding us to run, to keep trying, telling us we were doing well. I can see them standing on the field next to me when I played my first game of senior hockey as a teeny, tiny, terrified junior. I can see them at presentation nights, barbeques, social functions, club meetings and carnivals. They are everywhere.

My experience is not unique. If you could somehow look into the hockey memories of most people who have come into contact with TEM over the years you would no doubt see many different hockey experiences. But you would also see this core group of people. You couldn’t not. They are integral to our club – to its past, to its present and to its future.

This year two of the people who figure so prominently in my hockey memories were diagnosed with breast cancer. The first time the news ripped through the club – it was quite literally shocking. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen to us. We are fit. We are healthy – sport and being active is a way of life for us. This can’t be happening, and it certainly can’t be happening to her. She is a life member, a club stalwart. But it was happening. To her, to her family and therefore, to us.

Then, a few weeks ago it happened again. Another diagnosis. Another life member who is part of the very fabric of our club was told that she had breast cancer. Surgery was scheduled immediately. The thoughts and reactions were similar – disbelief, shock, confusion, and mostly, just wishing that it simply wasn’t true.

In both cases our initial reactions of shock and disbelief gave way to the desire to help and support. To do something practical. Send flowers, visit, cook meals, talk, distract, and just generally be there to help. Then, a player in one of our men’s top sides made a suggestion to a player in one of our women’s top sides – why don’t we all buy and use the Gray’s pink stick grips that have been made to raise money for breast cancer research? It was suggested at training two Thursdays ago. Support was unanimous. All felt that the suggestion was brilliant. Not only would we be raising money, but with two men’s teams and two women’s teams all playing with pink stick grips, we would be making a clear statement for all to see. We would be making people stop and think about breast cancer.

Then, two of our women’s players were talking after training that Thursday. Wouldn’t it be great if we also made pink gingerbread women and sold them, along with wrist bands from the McGrath foundation? Proceeds, would again go to the same cause; Breast cancer research and awareness. A third player got in on the conversation – how about t-shirts? In fact, how about we dedicate the round, the final round of the home and away season to breast cancer awareness?

And so it grew. The energy that began to generate was infectious. Everyone had a suggestion, wanted to donate something, wanted to be involved, men and women alike. In just over two weeks the TEM Hockey Club Breast Cancer Awareness Round has been organised. There have been donations of all forms – time, money, effort, products, food, decorations. It has been a phenomenal process. Other clubs have pledged their support of the event and have circulated information about it to all their players. The hockey community has united to support this important and worthy cause.

Our gourmet barbeque this weekend won’t make breast cancer disappear. The fact that there will be pink stick grips, custom made t-shirts, pink hockey merchandise for sale, pink ribbons and wrist bands sold and worn won’t make breast cancer or any other cancer any less painful to those who have suffered or who continue to struggle against it. What our Breast Cancer Awareness Round will do is help raise much needed funds for Breast Cancer research. In addition, it will also raise awareness in our sporting community. It will help send the message that although we are fit, although we are active, although we live generally healthy lives, we need to be aware. We need to perform those health checks regularly and thoroughly because these things can happen to any and all of us. Especially to those who we can’t imagine our lives without, because they have quite simply, always been there.

So please support Breast Cancer Awareness and the McGrath Foundation on Saturday 29th August.

Alana is the keeper for the Women’s Pennant A team in 2009. She was selected and played for the Australian Schoolgirls Team which toured Europe and Singapore.

Written by Alana Butler

I began my trip by flying out of Melbourne on the 6th June and meeting the team in Singapore. It was on our first official day of tour that we played the Singapore U18 Women. Grace the other goalkeeper and myself were not given much of a go in this game as our team dominated on the field.

We finished winning 12 nil. It was a great start and gave us all a good confidence boost. We finished the day off with some shopping and then boarded our 13 hour flight to London.

After arriving in London on Monday the 8th, we had to beat jetlag by making a full day of sightseeing. One of the main highlights of the day was the London Eye, which gave us an amazing view of London City. We spent the two days traveling and packing in as much sightseeing as possible.

We stopped in Oxford, which was an awesome experience to see all the students walking around in their official robes and then continued our journey arriving in Nottingham, where we played our second game of the tour against Lincoln College which again we won 7 nil. Our third match was much tougher and we fought hard for the 4-3 win against Sutton Coalfield. Our fourth game was against British Colleges and although we won 5 nil it was personally my best game.

Our fifth game was the highlight of the tour, where we played the English U18 team as the follow up match to an international match between the Spanish and English women. Our team worked extremely well as an attacking and defensive unit. We played a tough match, always only just on top of our opposition we managed to win 5-3 with a goal in the last thirty seconds of the match. It was an amazing feeling as we stood facing our flag singing the national anthem, our spirits high after our superb win. Our last two matches were won well with 4 nil against the Wales U18 team and 6 nil against Bristol University.

The tour was an incredible experience combining hockey and lots of sightseeing and touring, one of the best places I was fortunate to visit was the city of Bath, it lived up to its history. With some of the most remarkable architectural buildings I have ever seen. All in all it was a brilliant experience and although it only lasted 16 days, seemed like much longer as each day was so crammed with excitement.

Pictures of the trip from Alana.

Hockey Victoria has been involved in numerous international events since the State Netball Hockey Centre (SNHC) opened in March 2001.

Housing world class facilities the SNHC hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games hockey tournament as well as other international series throughout its existence.

The latest major international event that will be held at the SNHC will be the 2009 ABN AMRO Men’s Champions Trophy in November. Please see below for details on the upcoming international event.

2009 ABN AMRO MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY

The annual event is the biggest hockey tournament for 2009 and sees the world’s six top ranked nations compete for the Champions Trophy. The Australian team will also boost Waverley’s very own Luke Doerner in the tournament.

Who are competing: Australia, England, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, Spain

Champion Trophy’s Match Schedule

Where: State Netball Hockey Centre, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria

When: 28 November – 6 December 2009

Tickets: Tickets for the event will be on sale from 9am Monday 18th May through ticketmaster.

Special offers: All Hockey Victoria affiliates have access to a special offer. Please see resources for further information.

Regning champions: Australia

Round 10 is shaping as a season defining moment for the clubs senior top teams as they travel to Matlock to meet Camberwell.

This Saturday, the 27th of June, will be jam-packed with the much anticipated rematches that will deliver the skill, drama and passion that you have come to expect from the rivalry between Waverley and Camberwell.

The day starts with Men’s PA at 12:30pm striving to make Camberwell their next scalp on their journey at securing second spot on the ladder.

2:00pm will showcase a clash between the two in-form teams of the Men’s SL1 competition with the Panthers heading to Matlock looking to dethrown top of the table Camberwell.

The Women’s SL1 will begin at 3:30pm with the Panthers looking to upset 4th placed Camberwell and to bring themselves back on track.

Finally, the Women’s PA will be looking to cement themselves in the top 4 with a win against Camberwell commencing at 5:00pm.

“Camberwell Hockey Club extends a warm welcome to all at Waverley on the 27th of June”. The Camberwell Hockey Club is hosting a Family Day with all Waverley members, parents and children welcome.

Members of the Waverley Hockey Club are urged to make the trip down to support their top teams on the day in our 50th year celebrations as we strive for success. The support on the day really does help push the teams on and is much appreciated by all!

The future of Waverley was on display on Saturday the 6th of June as the two Under 9 East teams met in what was a clash of the titans. The Waverley U9 East and East B teams currently hold 1st and 2nd spot respectively illustrating the strength of our junior division in the competition

Going into the round 7 clash both teams had various goalscorers yet the danger player from Waverley A was Ethan Andrews (19 goals). Waverley B also had its danger players in James Langford (10 goals) and Nick Dean (8). Incredibly both teams were averaging 4+ goals a game while conceding only 1 a game. Collectively our two junior panther teams have scored an astounding 69 goals in 6 matches!

The struggle between the two junior teams ended in a tight 2-1 win to Waverley A which outlines the consistency between the two. Although James Langford scored his 11th goal for Waverley B it was Ethan Andrews who continued his goal scoring frenzy with 2 goals to win the match for Waverley A (and to take his tally to 21!).

Both teams remain on top of the ladder and we look forward to the re-match in round 18!

Pictures supplied by Brian Maddock.

Happy 50th! In celebration of our 50th birthday we are proud to welcome you to the new Waverley Website!

Since first going online, Waverley Hockey Club has used its website as the main communication tool for the club to members and the hockey fraternity.  The club has continually pushed excellence and has been a leading innovative club in terms of media online. To keep with the times the site has has been given a facelift and fully upgraded to add even more features in an effort to make www.waverleyhc.org.au your one stop shop for everything hockey related!

New features

Below is a list of the sites features detailing changes that have occured in the site revamp:

myWHC

The biggest addition to the site has been the introduction of the myWHC page. On the old site, myWHC provided access to the forums where discussions took place in relation to all things Waverley.  The new site includes the addition of individual pages for each team of the club.

Individual team pages will feature your fixture for the upcoming weekend, display an up to date ladder of the competition you are competing in and display any news/pictures/events relevant to the team.  So rather than having to access Sporting Pulse to find out competition information, just check out your myWHC page!

RSS Feed

Use an RSS feed to keep up to date with all the news happening around the club? Subscribe to the feed for site. Its an easy way to keep up to date with any new posts as they go live!

Photo Gallery

Checkout all the pictures of club members from happenings both on and off the field. This will be updated regularly and we encourage all members to send in any pictures you have to place up for the whole club to see. Make sure you take the time to look through the history album with great pictures over the last 50 years!

Player Profiles

Checkout the player profiles of the State League One squads and get to know the clubs elite players on a more personal basis. As the site grows, look to see the ‘Proud Panther’ pop up providing player profiles of fellow club members generated randomly on site pages as you browse.

Forums, Tipping & Polls
As we continue to fill the site with content check back for updates relating to the re-installation of the Wav Forums, a MyWHC tipping competition (tipping on Waverley teams each round) and the introduction of ‘Panther Polls’ to find out the communities vote on certain questions!

Community Board

To further establish and foster our relationship with the surrounding community a free bulletin board will be placed in MyWHC to advertise services and specials in the surrounding area.

With these ideas and many more in the pipes make sure you familiarise yourself with the new look website and become increasingly involved online to help build a stronger club cohesion.

A special thanks to Lee Murphy from spoonfed creative (www.spoonfedcreative.com) for his help in designing some new artwork for the site.

Check back regularly to keep up-to-date with the Panthers 50th year celebrations and make sure you leave your thoughts by commenting on articles, pages or pictures!

Waverley Web Team