Winchmore Hill & Enfield Hockey Club
Meet The Junior Coaches
Junior Head Coach
Charlotte Gonella
I started playing hockey when I was about 14 years old having always played football before. One day our goalkeeper didn’t show up so I went in goal – I didn’t make it out for a decade!! I played in goal for John Snow College at university but since returning to the club I have tried to stay as far out of goal as possible by attempting to forge a career up front!! I have been coaching the juniors since it restarted 8-9 years ago.
Youth Co-Ordinators
Lorna Robertson
I joined Enfield Hockey Club in 1990 and have been playing ever since. Hockey is a very sociable sport and I have made some great friends through the club. I really enjoy coaching junior hockey and watching our clubs junior section go from strength to strength. My children were both enthusiastic juniors and now they are older they help coach the kids on Sunday mornings.
Karen Gray
I started playing hockey at senior school when I was almost 12, and properly got into it when we moved to The Netherlands and I joined the school team playing in a league against local Dutch clubs. I’ve played every Saturday of almost every season since I was 13, only missing a season and a half for two stints of travelling and two seasons when I was pregnant with my two children. Since I began playing hockey I’ve played for school teams, local clubs, the University team and now for Winchmore Hill and Enfield. I joined the club in 2002 when I moved to London, choosing it simply because my housemate cut an advert out of the local paper! Hockey’s a great sport and a very big part of my life.
Youth Coaches
Dom Smith
My first taste of hockey came at 12 or 13 years old courtesy of a teacher at our school who helped out in games lessons occasionally. He had a real passion for hockey and managed to get the boys playing hockey as an alternative to only football and cross country running in the winter. I still love playing now more than 30 years later! Hockey is not only a great sport, but by training and playing with older players at our local club I think I learnt many lessons that have helped me in life too. I now have a 15 year old son, William, who comes along on a Sunday morning and is picking up my passion for hockey. Seeing him and all the other children enjoying themselves and progressing week by week has brought me great pleasure.
Guy Chapman
I started playing hockey as a junior, with my Dad as a coach, and I have kept playing ever since. After several years with just gentle summer hockey, I started helping as a coach when my children joined the club, and got back into regular league hockey when my eldest son became eligible. I currently captain the Winchmore Hill and Enfield men’s 2nd XI playing with him (and a few other Juniors from the club). And there’s many years to go! My dad’s still regularly playing Grand Masters, and has turned out for us when short, to make it 3 generations on the pitch together.
Sarah Essilfie-Quaye
I loved playing most sports at school, but I really came into my own when I found hockey! I played for my school team and then one of my PE teachers took me along to Winchmore Hill Hockey Club training in the mid-90s and I’ve been a part of the club ever since (except a brief pause when I played for my University team, followed by a season at Hampstead and Westminster, shhh!). I currently play in defence for the first team. I also play hockey at regional master’s level, having been selected for the South England O35s squad and more recently the London O40s squad. I used to help out with the Juniors section every so often, however I have become a regular coach since my two daughters and son have started coming to training every Sunday! I am really looking forward to the day we can all play together in a league match!