West Hockey Association

2016 AGM REPORT

England Hockey During the season we have seen a change in our West team with the departure of Andy Blackmore, Relationship Manager, and the arrival in March of Caroline Baynes and Verity Langfield as Relationship Managers on a Job Share arrangement. Caroline is looking a fter Avon, Herefordshire and clubs in the Forest of Dean and South Gloucestershire (affiliated to Gloucestershire HA) and Verity is looking after clubs in Dorset, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire. The year has seen the continued implementation of our current strategy for hockey in , with our long term vision for England to become A Nation Where Hockey Matters . We are working towards this vision by focusing on the following five objectives: • Grow Our Participation • Deliver International Success • Increase Our Visibility • Enhance our Infrastructure • Be a Strong and Respected Governing Body

The 2015-16 season has seen progress in all areas of our strategy and we are particularly proud that the sport is continuing to see participation grow in our clubs, especially at U16 level with club membership growing by 65% since 2012. Hockey’s continued growth and success is only possible with the work of our volunteers - thank you to you all.

GROW OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE WEST Affiliation data This season England Hockey launched a new Club Portal ( https://hocke ynation.club ) for affiliation, ClubMark and Competitions, with clubs having individual log in details. The affiliation window opened on 1 st October and closed on 30 th November. As a result of the later collection of fees, we feel that clubs have been able to provide more robust playing data - hopefully a positive move.

Affiliation data shows the total playing membership currently in the West increased by 8.90% broken down as: County 2014/15 Junior Senior 2015/16 % Difference

Avon 3951 1909 2581 4490 +13.64%

Channel Islands 944 443 580 1023 +8.36%

Cornwall 1317 843 597 1440 +9.34%

Devon 3925 2186 2170 4356 +10.98%

Dorset 1245 732 616 1348 +8.27%

Gloucestershire 3015 1778 1303 3081 +2.19%

Herefordshire 275 150 175 325 +18.18%

Somerset 2294 1418 937 2355 +2.66%

Wiltshire 1824 1255 790 2045 +12.12%

Total 18790 10714 9749 20463 +8.90%

West HA 2016 AGM Report

Back to Hockey Back to Hockey is a gentle introduction or re -introduction to the sport, for both men and women. Nationally, we have seen a continued growth in the number of Back to Hockey attendees this year.

Over the season we have delivered at 20 Back to Hockey sites via clubs, schools and local authorities across the West region. These sites attracted 302 players back into our sport. Many of these players have since joined a Club and some have progressed to League hockey.

25 Clubs signed up to this year’s National Back to Hockey Campaign (9 th May – 19 th June 2016). Rush Hockey Rush Hockey is a small-sided version of the game, which is easy to play, has fewer rules and can be played both indoors and out.

Rush Hockey has continued to be delivered at Universities, FE Colleges, workplac es, leisure providers and clubs as a different way to play.

Club School Links During 2015, England Hockey conducted an ana lysis of the extent of hockey played in schools across the country. Key data indicators were identified to show how much hockey is being played in schools and at what level. As a result, we have created interactive maps showing the location of every scho ol in the country and how much hockey they play. All our clubs have been overlaid onto the map with a view to linking schools to clubs.

Over the season we have supported nine Club School Link programmes. Clubs establishing links with local schools have found it has led to an increase in junior members.

Hockey will be present in the following School Games competitions – Cornwall, Devon, , Avon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Herefordshire. We are trying to link up our local clubs with the school participating in the hockey events at each Games, as this is a great way for clubs to advertise and help develop participation in hockey.

Ways to Play We are encouraging clubs to review their current playing offer and look to include a more informal versi on of the sport either during the season or over the summer. As a sport we are very traditional with formal training and Saturday league hockey. Some clubs recognise that there is a market for offering an informal version like Back to Hockey, Pay & Play or Game Nights where they can attract a wider audience from outside their existing membership. We are strongly encouraging our clubs to include these informal players as part of their membership structure.

DELIVER INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS Single System The Talent Development Team has continued with the implementation of the strategic recommendations from the Single System Review from 2013. County representatives attended a regional consultation in February where the changes that will affect JDC and JAC deli very in Counties and JRPC in the Region were outlined and discussed in detail. The Player Pathway moving forward will focus on; • Enjoyment & Stretch • Lots of touches • Decision Making • Game related

The County Single System Administrators have further information.

West HA 2016 AGM Report

INCREASE OUR VISIBILITY International Events The Unibet EuroHockey Championships in August 2015 was held at the 2012 Olympic legacy venue, the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Over 36,000 fans provided support over the ten days of competition. BBC coverage of the event boosted the visibility of the sport with over 600,000 viewers watching the women’s final live on BBC 2.

In March it was announced that England would be replacing Argentina as hosts of the Men’s Champions Trophy (10–17 June 2016), providing more opportunities for increased visibility ahead of the already scheduled Women’s Champions Trophy (18 -26 June). BT Sport’s coverage of the event hopefully provides a great viewing experience.

HockeyFest 2015 saw the launch of Nott’s Sport sponsored HockeyFest, previously known as Club Weekend. This programme and campaign showcases hockey clubs as friendly, welcoming and social places. It was an opportunity for new and existing players to start the season with a bang. Nationa lly, 330 clubs (54 in the West) signed up to the HockeyFest campaign with events held between 29 th August and 13 th September.

Hockey Nation Events Over the course of the season we have encouraged our clubs and partners to have a visible presence at loca l events by borrowing the Hockey Nation equipment, including a gazebo and flick net. Events have ranged from School Games to the Bath & West Show.

ENHANCE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE Club Development Our club strategy, ‘More, better, happier, players in a susta inable and vibrant club environment’ was launched last summer with seven Golden Threads identified for making a great club: 1) Having great club leadership 2) Having access to appropriate and sustainable facilities 3) Developing an inspired and effective workforce 4) Providing a range of playing opportunities to meet players’ needs 5) Staying friendly, welcoming and social 6) Being local with strong community connections 7) Stretching and developing people that want to be

Meetings have been held with 39 Clubs to date to discus s ‘What Makes a Great Club’ based on the seven Golden Threads. Individual club action plans were formulated and we then work together to develop and improve their Club environment.

Sport England – Club Matters A one stop shop for sports clubs, Club Matte rs provides free, convenient, practical resources to help you develop and run a sustainable club. We are strongly encouraging all clubs to register - http://www.sportenglandclubmatters.com

ClubsFirst The ClubsFirst accreditation has been rewritten and rebranded as ‘England Hockey Club Mark’. The new streamlined version will be available to all clubs and will be accessed via the England Hockey Club portal. The revised version will be piloted over the ne xt couple of months and should be available to all clubs in September. Congratulations to Gillingham HC, Newquay HC and Tavistock HC who achieved ClubsFirst accreditation during the last 12 months.

Club Forums The Club Forum meetings are based on What Ma kes a Great Club and gives clubs the opportunity to discuss the main issues for development of hockey across their County and an input into County planning. To date these meetings have been held in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset and we are looking to develo p these further in the next season.

West HA 2016 AGM Report

Coaching A revised coach development pathway was launched in May 2015, providing more flexibility and accessibility for a coach to access relevant support and knowledge specific to their role.

The ‘Introduction to H ockey Coaching Workshop’ (6 hours) and the ‘Engaging Games for Children Workshop’ (3 hours) are now ‘on request’ Workshops which can be requested by any Club, School or University – subject to a minimum of 12 candidates booking on to the Workshop. For det ails of how to request a Workshop please email our Regional Administrator, Jenny Mitchell, at [email protected]

Across the region, three England Hockey Sessional Coach Courses ( Exeter, & Plymouth), two England Hockey Coach Award Courses ( Plymouth & Bristol)) and five Introduction to Coaching Courses (Blandford Forum, Gloucester - 2, Okehampton & Truro) have been held along with ten Workshops (Bath, Bristol - 3, Gloucester - 2, Plymouth & - 3) from the GB Coaching Club Programme. During the season, 36 Level 2 candidates from courses on the previous qualification framework have completed their Level 2 Coach Award qualification.

The Great Britain Advanced Coach Programme, replacing the previous UKCC Level 3 Coach Award, has been launched with the first cohort of 30 coaches embarking on a two year journey. The aim of the programme is to help coaches to improve their coaching practice with the ultimate aspiration of developing more, better and happier hockey players.

England Hockey has introduced a Coaches Membership scheme providing coaches with the essential tools and resources to support coaching delivery and inspire more, better and happier players . http://www.englandhockey.co.uk/page.asp?section=1356§ionTitle=Coaches+Membership

Hockey Hub The ‘Hockey Hub’, a one stop shop for hockey resources for coaches, teachers, umpires and safeguarding needs is now ‘live’ on the following link https://hockeyhub.englandhockey.co.uk/

Officiating On th e England Hockey website ‘Officiate & Volunteer’ section, the online umpire education site has been enhanced and now includes three free modules – Rules education and testing, Decision Communication and ‘You’re the Umpire’. The Level 1 umpiring course is proving popular as is the ‘Introduction to Umpiring’ course for the inexperienced candidate. For people who want to help their club’s umpires improve, the new Umpire Developer course is now available. Completion of the three hour course puts people on the first step of the umpire developer pathway from where progression into umpire coaching and/or assessing is possible. 15 Level 1 Umpire Award Courses have been held across the region in the last year (Avon 6, Cornwall 1, Devon 2, Gloucestershire 2, Herefordshire 1, Somerset 1 and Wiltshire 2) along with two Umpire Developer Courses in Cornwall & Devon and one Introduction to Umpiring Course in Avon.

Volunteering England Hockey are currently developing a national Volunteering Strategy, all aspects of hockey are being consulted including clubs.

Facilities England Hockey, having consulted with clubs regarding their current playing and ancillary facility provision, are currently formulating an England Hockey National Facility Strategy. In addition, we are working with 18 Local Authorities who are currently compiling their Playing Pitch Strategies (PPS) for their areas. As part of the process our clubs are asked to complete a PPS survey and it is essential that our clubs complete these documents, when asked , as it is vital that hockey data is correct and up to date in these strategies, in order to influence current facility provision as well as more importantly future demand.

Over the last season Holyrood Academy, Chard received England Hockey Capital Investment Programme funding – (resurface March 2016) . A new sand dressed artificial turf pitch has also just been opened at Sidcot School, WWinscombe.

West HA 2016 AGM Report

BE A STRONG & RESPECTED GOVERNING BODY Safeguarding Time to Listen A review of Time to Listen (TTL), safeguarding trainin g aimed specifically at Welfare Officers was undertaken last summer and seven new TTL courses were held across the region between September and November, with a total of 96 delegates attending. All Club and County Welfare Officers should attend training a nd update every 3 years.

Disclosure & Barring System (DBS) More clubs have signed up to use the online system which is much easier and quicker to use. There was a small price increase (to £6) early in the season. Any volunteers/officials who will be wor king with children in their role, on a regular basis, need to hold a current DBS check.

If you require any further information on any of the above then please do not hesitate to contact the England Hockey West Team. Thank you for your continued support d eveloping hockey across the West.

Caroline Baynes Verity Langfield England Hockey Relationship Manager England Hockey Relationship Manager [email protected] [email protected] 07718 976291 07718 976290

Barbara Reynolds Jenny Mitchell England Hockey Relationship Manager England Hockey Regional Administrator [email protected] [email protected] 07718 980517 01392 264031

7th June 2016