JP’s appointment is part of Southampton’s ongoing development plan to continually raise the quality of coaching across the club and further strengthens our coaching team. JP is a national league player at Fareham and has a wealth of coaching experience gained locally and nationally. He will join the coaching committee and will support the development of our coaches at all levels. He will have specific responsibility for the Men’s 1’s with the objective of lifting them to South Level hockey over the next few years.

As a continuation of the development strategy the club has also appointed Phil Maunder to join Linda Dunham as Ladies 1XI coach. This will allow Linda to combine her vital role as 1XI goalkeeper with the coaching responsibilities. The Ladies have similar aspirations to move towards South Premier level over the next few years. Phil has been coaching within the club and elsewhere for a number of years.

In order to accommodate the additional training requirements the Men’s 1XI training is moving to a Monday evening, providing more pitch time & space on a Tuesday evening for club training and extended specialist goal-keeper training. The investment in coaching will filter down through the whole club including the junior section.

Chairman Paul Meacher declared the appointments as ‘an exciting time for the Club.’