magpies hockey

England international returns to Harleston Magpies

Harleston Magpies Hockey Club are celebrating the return of England Hockey international Tim Whiteman to the coaching setup for the 2017/18 season as player and coach of the men’s first team.

Tim is returning to the club where he started his hockey career aged just six, and where he made his debut for the men’s first team at sixteen.

Since leaving Magpies for Nottingham Trent University, after two years in the first team and an indoor national title, Tim went on to play premier league hockey for Beeston Hockey Club. His ten successful years there included securing three national titles and the England Hockey League Cup. As well as a hugely successful club career, Tim has fifty four caps for England and Great Britain, playing in five major international tournaments. Tim will be bringing his wealth of experience of playing at the very highest level of the sport back to Magpies help push forward the men’s side of the club.

Speaking but the season ahead, Tim Whiteman said: ‘It’s a huge honour to be asked to lead the men’s first team for Harleston Magpies. I can’t wait to return to such a fantastic club with and work with talented, dedicated players and coaches. My vision is to create a fun environment with attacking, high tempo hockey whilst at the same time developing individuals and the team as a whole.’

Tim will be supported in the coaching set-up by first team player and captain Leigh Sitch. Leigh Sitch will also be bringing his extensive experience to the team, plus an intrinsic knowledge of the club. A first team player for the last fourteen years, including three spells in the national league, Leigh Sitch also has five years of experience as head coach for England Hockey’s regional tier.

Leigh Sitch welcomed Mr Whiteman back to the club saying: ‘It’s great to welcome Tim back, as a coach and player who can offer expertise on and off the pitch. Tim will be an excellent role model to all members of the club, and importantly inspire our younger members in our growing youth section. I am sure that with Tim’s guidance the men’s first team will play attacking hockey that is exciting to both play and watch.’

If you are keen to get involved with Harleston Magpies and the men first team please don’t hesitate to contact Tim Whiteman direct on [email protected]

Tim Whiteman. Photo credit – Harleston Magpies

For more information please contact Bex Pottruff,
Press and Publicity Officer for Harleston Magpies Hockey Club on

[email protected]

or 07500 945247


Pictured: Seth Read, a Magpies young coach, with some of the youngsters at the hockey taster course. Photo credit – Bex Pottruff, Harleston Magpies

Harleston Magpies Hockey Taster Course a Huge Success

Friday 9 June saw Harleston Magpies Hockey Club open up its pitches for the first of this year’s hockey taster evenings for boys and girls in school years one ‎to seven.

An amazing response to flyers, posters and social media saw over 80 youngsters take part in the first session. Almost all were completely new to the sport and to the popular local club.

After sticks were provided and warm up exercises completed, the lead coaches, ably assisted by club members both old and young, introduced youngsters to the basic skills of the game before completing the evening with some mini hockey matches.

‘We were thrilled with how well this evening went and to see so many new youngsters at Magpies’, commented James Smith, Magpies Boys Youth Development Officer. ‘Hockey remains one of the highest participant sports in the country and is growing across the age spectrums year on year. The GB Ladies Olympic gold in 2016 is still inspiring and swelling support for our sport. The atmosphere created by our new recruits and their enthusiasm for giving hockey a go made for a really enjoyable evening.’

Magpies location in the heart of the Waveney Valley ‎just outside Harleston provides the club with a great pool of local villages and towns to provide hockey for. This year’s course has attracted youngsters from over 20 local primary schools like Harleston, Dickleburgh, Mendham, Hoxne, Gislingham, Laxfield, Debenham, Pulham, Worlingworth to name just a few.

‘We don’t know yet if we’ve found a star of the future, but there were certainly some very promising signs’, said Richard Larkin, one of the lead youth coaches at the club. ‘Last night we encouraged 80 boys and girls to think about hockey as a sport for their future. We hope they will come and join the club this autumn and carry on with hockey as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.’

‎The Hockey Taster Course continues every Friday up to and including 7 July 2017. For more details see the Clubs website

www.magpies-hockey.co.uk

For more information please contact Bex Pottruff,
Press and Publicity Officer for Harleston Magpies Hockey Club on

[email protected]

or 07500 945247