Club News
This page will be updated with club news throughout the 2010/11 season, but in the meantime last year's reports are here.
Stepps youngster to play for Scotland u18 side.
Stepps youngster Niall MacLeod has been selected to play for the Scotland u18s in a three match series in Largs from 3rd to 5th April.
Niall, who regularly features in the Stepps 1st XI, was delighted to recieve the call-up. "It's great" he said, "I've been working hard on my game over the past few seasons, and that work has now paid off. As well as trying to improve my hockey skill all the time, I've been attending extra fitness sessions on Monday nights to build up that side of my game, something which is key at the highest levels of the sport. I hope this selection is the beginning of a long time for me playing for the Scotland sides, but I will be taking each game as it comes and giving 100% to each one."
The three match series against Wales will take place at the SportScotland National Outdoor Centre, Inverclyde at Largs this weekend, with Saturday and Sunday's games starting at 4pm and a 9am fixture on Easter Monday.
Stepps HC Race Night (27th March 2010)
The 2nd annual fundraising race night was a fantastic success, with around 50 people enjoying a great night.
Our congratulations go to Brian Cathie's table who won the showpiece auction race at the end of the night. Our thanks go to everyone that attended, as well as to the Chryston Bowling Club who were our gracious hosts for the evening.
Yet again Craig Leggat put on a fantastic night. If you have any comments that you would like to make, email us on mail@stepps-hockey.com and let us know!
Stepps to appear on BBC Alba - Monday 8th March
Stepps player Calum MacLeod is to be the focus of a BBC Alba documentary shown on Sky channel 168 next Monday. While the focus of the programme is Calum's cricket, the programme will also show parts of Stepps' promotion clinching match at Waverly Inveresk Trinity. See the press release for more info...
LOCAL SPORTING PRODIGY FEATURES IN 'A SPORTING CHANCE' ON BBC ALBA
BBC ALBA Monday 8 March, 9pm
Representing your country can merely be a dream for many young sports people. However, for the young prodigies with that extra talent, their determination pays off and their sporting goals achieved as highlighted in a new documentary on BBC ALBA.
'Cothrom Spòrs: A Sporting Chance', the new programme in the Trusadh documentary series profiles three young Scottish sports stars as they compete at the top in their very different chosen fields; cricket, women's rugby and wheelchair tennis and discovers what sets them apart from the pack.
Calum MacLeod, from Stepps, Glasgow, is a professional cricketer for Warwickshire, he has played for Scotland and last summer was 12th man for England when they won the Ashes. The 21-year-old, from a sports-daft family, says he never lost his focus, despite many cold winter nights of training and outlines the sacrifices he had to make with his schoolwork.
Calum said: "You need a bit of ability but the majority of it is hard work. The top players train harder than most and that's what gets them to the top." Proud parents Donald and Morag supported Calum tirelessly driving him to matches around the UK, and Calum attributes much of his success to this. Morag says it was all worth it when he got his first professional contract in 2006 for English county side Warwickshire: "I was so chuffed for him because he worked so hard. He gave up a lot of things that normal teenagers do when he was training three nights a week. We put time into it too and didn't go on holidays in the summer, but to feel that he'd got what he wanted was fantastic."
Parental support has also been vital for Gordon Reid, 18, from Helensburgh, who was named by the Daily Telegraph as one of its 'Ten to Watch for 2012'. The budding tennis player suffered a serious spinal condition at the age of 12 which left him unable to run. Despite this, the plucky teenager adapted his racket skills and learned to play tennis from a wheelchair. Just six years later Gordon was junior World number one and had represented Britain in the Beijing Paralympics. Regardless of Gordon's current success he won't rest there and throughout the programme talks about his ambitions for the future. Gordon says: "In 2012 I want to be winning the gold medal. For the next three years I'll be giving everything and committing 100 per cent."
The final young prodigy featured in the programme is rugby player Alison MacDonald, from Carnach, North Uist. Alison plays for Royal High Corstophine Cougars in Edinburgh and has been capped twice for Scotland. The 26-year-old has a tough schedule juggling her changing shifts as a Lothian and Borders police officer with her training commitments. With the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup approaching, Alison knows there's much work to be done. Alison said: "It would be excellent to be joining the team for that, so that's my goal."
'Cothrom Spòrs: A Sporting Chance' offers a rare insight into young sport starts and how they cope with the strenuous training regimes and the determination required to take them to the top.
Produced by MacTV for BBC ALBA 'Cothrom Spòrs: A Sporting Chance' will be broadcast on Monday 8 March at 9pm. BBC ALBA is currently available on Digital Satellite, on Sky 168, Freesat 110 and live on BBC iPlayer.
Umpire Meeting - 1st March at Woodend Bowling Club
For those who wish to attend and find out the latest goings on in the world of umpiring, pop along to Hillhead's new home in Jordanhill.
The night will feature umpires updates as well as a talk from one of Scottish football's current elite officials (yes, Scottish football does have elite officials), and should be very informative and entertaining.
Further details can be found on the West District Umpire Association Website:
Umpire Coaching Course Held at Titwood (13th February 2010)
Hosted by our very own Martin Monaghan, and with Gordon McCall in attendance, The West District's umpire coaching course took place at Titwood.
The day began with a presentation around the skills involved in carrying out an umpires assessment so as to encourage umpires to develop their skills from game to game.
The participants then took in Clydesdale 2s v Erskine Stewarts Melville 2s (5-0 to Clydesdale if anyone was interested) to assess the performance of the two umpires involved. Despite the scoreline, the game was full of incident and left much to discuss afterwards.
It was a very productive day, and now means that McCall can assess umpires for their C-badges, allowing Martin Monaghan to press ahead towards the FIH standard that we hope he can achieve.
For further information, contact us at mail@stepps-hockey.com.
Stepps 2s docked six points in West District Division 1 (6th February 2010)
Stepps have been docked 6 points by the West District League Committee for fielding Allan MacLeod against Hillhead IIIs in November of last year.
We are confident that we have strong grounds to appeal this judgement and are currently engaged in the appeal process. I appreciate that this has created very strong feelings throughout our club, however i would ask all members to keep their thoughts within our club and trust the committee to see this through to the rightful conclusion.
Great Fun as Stepps Aerobics go the BBC to film Eggheads (24th January 2010)
Gordon McCall, Simon Breslin, Alister MacDougal, Craig Leggat and Fraser McKay took on the Eggheads this week for a cash prize. It was a fantastic contest, and the only way that you'll find out how the team got on is to see the action on BBC 2 in May / June.
Our thanks go to Ryan Daly, Laura, Jeremy Vine, all the Eggheads and everyone involved at the BBC for treating us so well and letting us enjoy the experience.
| Agony for Graeme McKean as he ends the first half of the indoor season with a broken leg (20th December 2009) |  |
For the first time since creating the website I'm writing an update with really disappointing news for the club. During the last two minutes of the final game at DISC on Saturday, Graeme fell awkwardly in a challenge with the opposition keeper.
The latest news from the Royal Infirmary is that Graeme has a broken leg. He has been in hospital since returning from Dundee, but he should be out in time for Christmas.
If I get further updates I will get them onto the website, but I'm sure everyone reading this story will join me in wishing Graeme a very speedy recovery. He has done a power of work both on and off the field this year and the indoor squad will definitely miss their top scorer in the second half of the season. I'm sure he'll there on the sidelines though so at least we won't miss out on his banter!
If you want to post a message for him to read once he's out the hospital, plase do so on our Forum by clicking on this link.
Christmas Night Out (19th December 2009)
Get the full night passes from the girlfriends / wives, and get yourselves into town to celebrate the great first half of the season that we have had.
Craig Leggat is sending out the details - if you have not yet heard and want to join us, contact us using mail@stepps-hockey.com and we will fill you in on the details!
What a Bunch of Eggheads! (15th December 2009)
Gordon McCall, Alister MacDougall, Fraser McKay, Simon Breslin and Craig Leggat (with Graeme McKean on standby) have successfully auditioned for a place on Series 11 of BBC 2's Eggheads programme and will be filming in late January. The team will unite to fight what is likely to be a legendary on screen battle against some of the best brains in the country - the Eggheads.
Back on the 26th of November, the lads walked through the heavy rain to get from the city centre to the BBC studios next to the squinty bridge. A very enjoyable two hours followed with the audition crew. We faced individual tests, a competition against another team (which in traditional Stepps fashion we won 6-0!) and then a 15 minute on camera video shoot where we were invited to put across why we would be ideal contenders for the program.
As a team, we feel that the audition was successful due to our combined quiz knowledge, general charm and charisma, and it was no doubt ultimately down to our ultimate good looks that will leave female viewers swooning in the new year.
On the upside, we will get to meet quiz host Jeremy Vine and will have the chance to compete for thousands of pounds (the highest win on the show is £75,000!). The downside of this is that we will have to take on some of the most fearsome quiz brains in the country, including Pat Gibson - who has just won the competition to become an Egghead and Daphne Fowler, the undoubted favourite!
We would like to say a personal thanks to everyone at 12 Yard involved with the show for giving us the opportunity to take on the Eggheads - it is a challenge that we are all relishing.
For further information on the show and on the production company 12 Yard, please use the links below:
www.12yard.com/programmes.php?sid=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggheads_(TV_series)#Seventh_Egghead
Robin Gibb appointed Stepps SHU team indoor captain, Murray Barr as vice-captain (30th November 2009)
Stepps will be led into this season's indoor campaign by Robin Gibb and Murray Barr.
Both Robin and Murray are hugely keen on indoor, and their skills will be put to the test when they lead the team through what promises to be a challenging indoor season. Confidence in the squad is on a high after winning 9 games in a row outdoor, but East Kilbride and Waverly will provide stiff tests in the opening weekend.
Indoor Preview (30th November 2009)
East Kilbride always provide a stern test indoors, and their seconds managed to win a close encounter 3-2 against our seconds earlier in the season. Waverly will be smarting having had a 9 point deduction to their outdoor campaign as well as having their captain and player suspended for the season. This is subject to appeal, and was due to their decision to knowingly field a suspended player in an outdoor match.
The West District indoor squad will compete for the first time on Sunday with a tie against Helensburgh at the Bellahouston School of Sport indoor hall. With little known about the opposition, it will be an interesting test!
Craig Cathie appointed Stepps WD Indoor Captain (24th November 2009)
Young Craig Cathie will take the next stage forward in his development by taking on the captaincy of the West District Stepps indoor team.
Craig has improved at a fantastic rate since joining the club last year. He has made the right midfield position in the outdoor team his own and has become one of the most popular guys in the squad. We are quite sure that everyone will get behind Craig in his new post.
Craig will be well assisted by vice captain Craig (Leggat!), as well as the goalies Allan anfdGordon. Make sure that you help Craig out by telling him your availability. using the online form. Everyone at the club is elligible although priority will be given to those who have not played indoor on the Saturday.
President McCall and outdoor captain broke the news to Craig that we wanted to offer him the post, and in his usual fantastically exhuberant excited style he replied: "oh, eh aye alright then..."
Self-Pass Rule Will Apply (18th November 2009)
The self pass rule will apply for the 2009 season. The key points to note are:
- In your own half, you can self pass and then play the ball into the opposition D.
- A free hit within 3m of the opponents D must be moved 3m outside the D.
- In the opponents half, if you self pass the ball must travel 3m before the ball can be put into the D, unless the ball is played by another player (note that in this instance the boards will count as another player)
In addition, another change means that you do not have to have all 5 players behind the goal line. You can have as few as you want and those not behind the goal line must be in the opponents half.
For full details speak to Martin or Gordon.
West District Fixtures Unvailed (18th November 2009)
The fixtures are available and are posted here.
The west district rules are available here.
Umpiring Update! (4th November 2009)
The website format doesn't do it justice, so click here for Monty's latest update...
President's Update (4th November 2009)
President Gordon McCall gives his reaction to Stepps promotion to Division 1B, as well as talking about what's to come for the club…
It's brilliant! There has been a lot of hard work put in by everyone at the club and getting promoted gives everybody a huge lift. A similar effort will be required for the indoor campaign, which is where the focus will turn after Saturday.
We also need to keep working behind the scenes to achieve the goal of getting kids on the pitch in February, and we will be trying to run both coaching and umpiring development sessions during the winter.
Next week also sees the return of the Stepps Hockey Club ceilidh. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the whole club and friends to get together and celebrate the progress we've made.
Tickets are selling fast, and at the last count there were less than 45 remaining, so please get online to www.stepps-hockey.com to make sure you get one!
Everybody should be feeling good about the club at the moment, and once the 2nds get back to their winning ways, everything will be going to plan!
See you all at the Ceilidh!
Gordon
New Kit! (31st October 2009)
All members who have paid their subscription can now receive a personalised set of club kit.
For those of you who did not have a set on order, there will be a second round of kit arriving in January/February 2010, so contact mail@stepps-hockey.com to secure your new kit.
Indoor (31st October 2009)
Thanks go to Robin Gibb for securing an indoor training venue for Monday nights. All club members are welcome to come along and sharpen up their stick skills and of course any new members are more than welcome as well.
In addition, Stepps have decided to enter the West District Indoor league. The league will run on Sundays at the Bellahouston School of Sport Indoor hall from the 6th of December 2009 until the 7th of February 2009 (excluding the 27th of December and 3rd of January). Please contact mail@stepps-hockey.com for further information.
SHU Fixtures Revealed (18th October 2009)
All of the indoor fixtures for season 2009/10 are available online and can be found here. The West District Sunday league will be added as soon as the fixtures are available.
Training will be held at Glasgow High on Monday nights, details of which can be found here.
Umpiring Update (30th September 2009)
National league and cup are dealt with by El Presidenti, Fraser Mckay and I with all the panache you would expect of men of our caliber. Second team matches are covered by Allan Macleod, arguably with less panache but far more gusto! Colin Simpson has said he will also assist and others wish to get badged to help out where they can.
The club is trying to get as many players as possible through their initial umpiring C badge with a view to all players having the "ability" to help out where required. Sadly for Alan Coffey, whilst I was present when he passed his "B" badge practical- as were his pony tail and Frankenstein boots - the SHU records of this have long since evaporated so he will have to embrace the future along with the rest of us rather than rely on past glory.
The "C" badge written paper is an open book exam and the test paper is online at the SHU website (and here!). Once you have passed the written paper, I can assess anyone who wants to take the practical exam which comprises one half of a Second team match. Please liaise with Craig Leggatt and I if you wish to arrange a practical assessment.
Finally, almost all future first team matches - home and away - can be found at http://appointments.scottish-hockey.org.uk/AppointmentsAll.php. This is dashed handy for those who need to organise their weekend arrangements miles in advance or work out who will be umpiring their match with a view to preparing appropriate, good humoured and constructive non vituperative verbiage to hurl in their direction!
Monty
(For further information on umpiring, email mail@stepps-hockey.com for further information. Thanks to Monty for expaning our knowledge of the English language!)
President's Update (19th September 2009)
|
It has been a very interesting summer for the club since taking over from Martin Monaghan. We have lost Harry to Western, but found very willing and more importantly able replacements in Ally McDougal, Kenny Miller and Simon Breslin. The firsts have had a fantastic start to the season and it was a delight to see them simply tear apart Carnegie last week. Those of you who can, get down to see them on a Saturday afternoon. The quality of hockey is simply fantastic. The committee and I have set many targets for the season, and it was great to see that we were able to field two XIs for the first two weekends with no-one required to put in a double shift. This is due to the effort put in by everyone involved at the club. |
Woohoo, a downslope! |
We also said that we would get everyone new kit, and I'm pleased to report that this is now ordered. 25 sets of kit will be with us by the end of October. I hope everyone will be able to wear these with pride, and I can't wait to see the teams line up in the new kits.
We are working around the clock on other initiatives. The newsletter, building relationships with the council, establishing a base for the club and building the fundraising activities are ongoing. Craig Leggat took our first kids training session in a number of years and we have built a relationship with all of the local councils to help us with youth development.
I would ask all readers of this newsletter to think about how they can help the club. Can you play on a Saturday, can you attend the social sessions, can you turn up and support, can you make a donation, can you coach?? This is a great club and everything we do is geared towards successful and enjoyable hockey. Lets build a club for all of the serious hockey players in the local area.
Gordon