Flyerz hockey is England Hockey’s name for hockey for those with physical or learning disabilities. TW Flyerz is a section established in 2017 at Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club (TWHC) to bring Flyerz hockey to the club, the first club in Kent to offer this.
After being made aware of Flyerz in 2015, members from TWHC met representatives from England Hockey and Access Sport (a charity set up as part of the 2012 legacy) and attended various Flyerz sessions and disability sports days. They also visited local SEN schools and charity groups.
Access Sport have involved TW Flyerz in case studies and working groups to help promote and expand Flyerz across the country. TWHC has helped them with input to strategy and growth, worked with other clubs that are starting up and participated in roadshow workshops to explain to other clubs and interested parties what Flyerz is and how to go about starting a Flyerz section.
On a local level, TWHC has invited other clubs to sessions to share learning experiences and has helped Folkestone, Herne Bay, Sevenoaks and Surbiton hockey clubs to start Flyerz sections at their clubs. The club has also offered taster sessions in several schools that cater for disabled or SEN children, and trialled volunteering opportunities for pupils in local schools.
TWHC Flyerz aims to put the focus on the individual and the ability, providing opportunities for players at all levels, whether playing for social enjoyment or elite performance. Four players were selected to represent England this summer in the Euro ParaHockey Championships in Belgium, with two of the four coaches also coming from TW Flyerz.