This was the heartfelt speech that Bob read to our parents and players at the County Colours presentation evening.
A full list of 2025/2026 recipients can be found here https://www.essexhockey.co.uk/a/essex-colours-20252026-69418.html

Good evening, everyone. It is an absolute privilege to stand before you once again having been elected as your Chair for the 2026 – 2027 season. Serving the Essex hockey community is an honour I do not take lightly and I am incredibly grateful for your clubs’ trust and support as we embark on another exciting year together.
Looking around this room, I see the core of hockey in our county, it is your collective energy that keeps our sport thriving.

Reflecting on Our Progress
When I look back at the past year, I am immensely proud of what has been achieved:
• The New Essex Website & Pitchero Integration: Transitioning our community to the new platform was a massive undertaking. Thanks to the hard work behind the scenes, especially Gemma Shepherd and Mo Edkins. We have tried to simplify registration to the age group assessments.
• NCC – Nottingham: Last season Essex were represented by two teams at the National County Championships. The U17 boys represented Essex at this event for the first time, they managed to achieve a creditable top 10 finish. The U17 girls represented Essex for the second year, they were competitive and Emily Allam was awarded spirit of the tournament by the umpires. It should be noted that some of the teams competing were slightly bigger than a county like London and North Wales. The three days at Beeston were an unforgettable experience.
Youth Player Pathways: The county teams from last year achieved fantastic results in the East regional finals.
In the U13 Girls Cup Competition, Essex finished 6th
In the U13 Girls Plate Competition, Essex finished 3rd
In the U13 Boys Cup Competition, Essex won and are East Regional Champions
In the U13 Boys Plate Competition, Essex finished 5th
In the U14 Girls Cup Competition, Essex won and are East Regional Champions
In the U14 Boys Cup Competition, Essex won and are East Regional Champions
In the U15 Girls Cup Competition, Essex won and are East Regional Champions
In the U15 Girls Plate Competition, Essex finished 5th
In the U15 Boys Cup Competition, Essex finished 3rd
In the U17 Girls Cup Competition, Essex finished 4th
In the U17 Boys Cup Competition, Essex finished 3rd

In summary, Essex had four East regional Champions, three bronze medallists, one 4th, two 5th and a six place. Essex won fifty per cent of the cup competitions.
On-Pitch Excellence: From our masters’ teams down to our youngest junior squads, Essex teams have played with the determination, sportsmanship and skill that our county is famous for.

Looking Ahead
As I return to this role, my focus—and the focus of the ECHA committee—is on building upon this momentum:
• Broadening the Base: We want to actively encourage more schools and clubs to nominate players aged 11 to 16 into our Essex set up, ensuring that high-level training is accessible to any young player with the drive to improve. We want to look into creating more opportunities for masters players to play against other masters.
• Strengthening Club Connections: We are committed to working hand-in-hand with every single club committee across the county to solve local challenges and ensure hockey remains an inclusive, friendly sport.
• Survey: We have reviewed the parents’ survey and have acted upon the results. As we do every year, we have looked at the coaches and reviewed positive and negative comments, we ensure that the same coach does not coach a particular age group more than two years. We have looked at the opinions about when the training and assessments should be, we have changed some of them to a Sunday. We have looked at the remarks about cold and rainy pitches and we’ll try to do better this season.

Closing Appreciations
I want to extend my deepest thanks to the Essex Hockey committee members, who work selflessly behind the scenes. To the parents supporting the players, the coaches braving the cold and rainy weather and the players who wear the county kit with pride—thank you.
We have a fantastic season ahead of us. Let’s keep pushing the standards, supporting our teams, and making Essex proud. Thank you all, and let's have a brilliant year on the pitch!

Presentation of Colours
Now to the most important aspect of the evening, the presentation of the colours. Today, we are here to celebrate an important achievement. Earning your Essex County Hockey Colours is not just an ordinary achievement. It places you in an elite group of players who have represented our county with pride, skill, and determination. To all of our players across the boys' and girls' squads from Under-14 right up to Under-17: look down at the badge you are receiving today. You have earned it."

The Meaning of County Colours
What do these colours actually mean?
• They represent talent. You are here because you are among the top hockey players in the county. You have played for the county for at least two seasons.
• They represent sacrifice. They stand for freezing winter sessions under the floodlights, early morning weekend travel and sessions to improve as a player and a team.
• They represent resilience. You fought through intense selection days, physical matches and tough opponents to stand here today.
When you wear this badge, you carry the history of Essex Hockey. Standing here at Chelmsford—a club with a rich hockey heritage—reminds us of the standards required to play at county level. You follow in the footsteps of regional and international stars who started on the exact same pitches you play on now."

Looking Forward (U13 to U17)
To our Under-13 boys and girls: last year was just the beginning of your representative hockey journey. This season you will be playing 11 a side county hockey and you will be eligible for being awarded county colours at the end of the season.
To our Under-14 boys and girls: this is one of the first achievements in your pathway. Use this achievement as fuel to keep sharpening your skills and developing your game.
To our Under-15 boys and girls: The length and the intensity of the games will be harder. You must use this achievement to work on your skills, especially the core skills.
To our Under-17s: you are now the leaders and role models of this county setup. The younger squads in the room look up to how you carry yourselves on and off the pitch. Show them what it means to play with high intensity, sharp tactical awareness, and impeccable sportsmanship.

No matter your age group or squad, the journey does not stop today. The challenge now is to keep pushing, keep listening to feedback, and never take your Essex shirt for granted.
Thanking the Support Network
We must also recognise that no hockey player gets here alone.
• Thank your parents. They are your early-morning taxi drivers, your smelly kit washers, and your biggest fans on the sidelines, no matter how cold or wet the weather gets.
• Thank your coaches. They spend countless hours planning sessions to take your hockey to the next level.
Players, let’s give a quick round of applause to the parents and coaches in the room."

Conclusion
In a moment, we will call you up by your names. Girls first. We will do this in reverse order so Amelia Wright will be first. You will each be presented with your official county certificate and your metal colours badge. Please wait for the photo of the presentation of the colours to be taken before moving away. After the presentation is complete, we would like to take some photos of players in the same age group and the same club.

Pin that badge to your kit bag, your track jacket, or keep it somewhere safe. Let it be a daily reminder of the hard work you put in to get here, and the standard you need to maintain moving forward.
When your name is called, walk up with your head held high. You have proven you belong at this level.

Wear these colours with pride. Play with passion. Represent Essex with honour.
Congratulations to you all. Thank you.