Hampshire Open League

FAO Richard Barter, Hon Secretary

My apologies for the IW Hockey Club’s non-attendance at the Hampshire AGM. The date and particularly the time (evening meeting) make it logistically problematical for us to be represented due to travel/work issues and ferry times back to the Island. We did suggest the possibility of holding the AGM on the Isle of Wight, but understand this would be difficult for clubs to attend, hence you will appreciate our difficulties in attending a mid-week evening meeting on the mainland.

In respect of the proposal to re-organise the lower leagues, the IWHC is 100% in favour and support Option 3 for the following reasons:

1 Many teams in the lower leagues are development sides containing a number of junior players. The important thing for these youngsters is to play matches, not to travel long distances. This restricts their opportunities due to:  Time spent travelling prohibits their involvement (they participate in other activities on a Saturday)  Late starts mean a late return (this is particularly relevant on the IW) and not popular with their families  Senior players with families cannot devote the whole of Saturday (much of which is travel time) to play hockey – often senior players are the means to transport the team to away matches and if they aren’t available, then this adds to the problem of fielding a team  Costs are increased with long trips (eg our fixture at Tadley, whose pitch is in Berkshire) equated to a 140 mile round trip from Portsmouth – without the travel from home base to ferry included) 2 Promotion and Relegation is not an issue as the younger players will be promoted to higher teams anyway if they are good enough. Promotion/Relegation can be sorted on a year by year basis as appropriate - many sides in Divisions 8, 9 and 10 will probably not want to play at a higher level anyway 3 Travel times for IW teams (and for those playing on the IW) are exacerbated by ferry travel and then travel to and from their homes on the IW. It is becoming more and more difficult to field teams for a number of away matches because of the travelling involved. Playing more local matches will certainly help alleviate this problem and consequently there will be less likelihood of matches being cancelled or postponed 4 Although this is classed a ‘Hampshire League’ IW 2nd XI has in recent seasons travelled to 6 different counties for Hampshire League matches and in doing so the whole day is regularly taken up, leaving home on occasions at 7.30 am to travel to the ferry base and not returning home on other occasions until after 8 pm. Fielding teams under these circumstances is becoming more and more difficult and the outcome could be dropping the 2nd XI altogether, obviously to the detriment and development of our young players 5 Teams travel to the IW once per season, IW teams are making long and often difficult journeys in adverse conditions every other week to fulfil fixtures 6 It is suggested in the proposal that travelling time should be ideally one hour each way. That would just about get us to Portsmouth or Southampton - and that’s without journeys of up to 40 minutes to get to the ferry in the first place. Some of our youngsters live in the Ventnor area which is a fair distance from Fishbourne, Yarmouth or Cowes from where the ferry leaves. Hence regionalisation would help massively in reducing the problems that IW have faced and enhance the chances of fulfilling fixtures and fielding a 2 nd XI 7 Option 3 is the preferred choice of the IW Hockey Club for its Second XI and the IWHC would appreciate a vote in favour of this option to be cast on its behalf at the AGM

Harry Kirby, Chair IW Hockey Club, June 2016