Chard Hockey Club Introduces Swain Shield to Honour Volunteer Service

Chard Hockey Club has introduced a new annual honour, the Swain Shield, to recognise sustained volunteer contribution behind the scenes.

The award is named after Andy Swain, who spent 14 years developing the club's junior pathway as Head of Junior Development. Club officials said the new shield is intended to highlight roles that are critical to long term survival but often receive limited public recognition.

The first recipient is Chris Long. After ending his playing career as a goalkeeper many years ago, Long has continued to support the club by umpiring ladies fixtures across the region on a regular weekend basis.

At grassroots level, consistent officiating and volunteer reliability are often the factors that determine whether fixtures proceed smoothly and whether clubs can maintain stable programmes through the season.

The club said the new award will become a permanent part of its end of season event and will focus specifically on contribution that strengthens participation over time.

In a period of rising facility and travel costs for many local teams, Chard Hockey Club's leadership says volunteer retention remains one of the most important priorities for the years ahead.