Celebrating the achievements of Martyn Reah

Martyn Reah has a strong history with the club and as the team manager and an experienced Deputy Head Teacher by day, also recently promoted to a headship, he created a unique culture within the U12 Havant Girls Squad.

He has been the catalyst that has ignited this team over two seasons to achieve an unbeaten home record at “Fortress” Havant and with only one league loss away.  Martyn’s legacy goes far deeper than just the results, through Martyn’s leadership he has created a Team Havant “Family” who are passionate about everything they do. They train and play incredibly hard, but always with a smile and provide support to all involved.

These values transcend hockey; it has never been more apparent than during the lockdowns, where Martyn organised Zoom fitness training calls and weekly fun sessions, involving all the squad, with many parents drawn in by his enthusiasm to contribute with their own unique skill sets. 

The squad, through their own initiatives, have helped each other and strengthened bonds that will last well into the future.

As part of this Family Feel Good Factor the team were at the forefront of the “Big Bobble Hat” Club fundraiser which has resulted in a sizable amount to be donated to The Blurt Foundation in memory of a young Club member who sadly passed away recently.

Youth Development is ingrained at Havant Hockey Club, as players seamlessly travel through its progressive coaching system.  Martyn has complemented this by enhancing the squad’s all round development, not only on the pitch, but importantly in life.

You can clearly see how all the girls have embraced this and show a depth of character, infectious spirit, unrivalled teamwork and incredible work ethic beyond their years.  Their parents are incredibly grateful for all these life skills, which the girls will all take forward into their futures.

 The girls have benefited from the coaching experience of Alex Leach (Head of Junior Hockey), blended with the pedagogical experience of Martyn and the ever-growing team of volunteers who have a thirst to not only support, but engaged and be fully immersed.

This culture has continued to blossom throughout Lockdown 3.0 with the regular virtual training on offer by the Club as it recognises the value of such parental devotion. The previous monthly Clubhouse Workshops that brought an holistic approach for all of the youth section players to learn about the game of hockey and its context, have turned into virtual webinars and forums, and of course Martyn being an ever- present attendee on top of the weekly sessions that he organises for his team.