ENGLISH ASSOCIATION RECREATIONAL SECTION

2012 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Sunday 2 September at 2pm At Hilton Milton Keynes

MINUTES

EIHA Rec Section Executive Committee Tony Boynton – Chairman (TB), Tony Wood – Web/Discipline (TW), John Freeman - Treasurer (JF), Linda Matthews – Fixtures Admin (LM)

EIHA Representative: Mohammed Ashraff (MA) – Referee in Chief

Team Representatives: Altrincham Aardvarx, Basingstoke Cougars, Birmingham Rockets, Black Bears, Blackburn Buccaneers, Bracknell B52’s, Bradford Cannibals, Cardiff Titans, Chelmsford Chargers, Cleveland Comets, Coventry Bruins, Don Valley Vikings, Durham Dragons, Flintshire Phantoms, Grimsby Stormers, Invicta Knights, Kingston Cobras, London Legion, Medway Madness, MK Hurricanes, MK Jesters, MK Rumble, MK Storm Wreck, North East Nomads, Nottingham Knights, Nottingham Phantoms, Oxford Shooting Stars, Peterborough Phoenix, RAF Brize Norton Bluewings, RAF Eastern Crusade, Slough Scorpions, Slough Tornados, Solent Vikings, Solihull Vikings, Solihull Vipers, Streatham Nightwolves, Surrey Police, Swindon Panthers, The Honey Badgers of Coventry, Westminster Statesmen

Apologies received from: Altrincham Mustangs, Basingstoke Hyenas, Basingstoke Raptors, Blackpool Seagulls, Nationwide Knights, Newcastle Coyotes, Peterborough Predators, Sheffield Squeelers, Whitley Bay Islanders, Wyre Seagulls

The Chairman introduced the top table.

Acceptance of 2011 minutes. There were no matters arising.

Proposed by Medway Madness, seconded by Oxford Shooting Stars. Passed unanimously.

Chairman’s Report (TB)

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you for attending this afternoon

I normally start this report with how well we have done in increasing numbers and competitions over the last year and telling everybody that things are good. Not so this year as we got a few things wrong and in some people’s eyes everything wrong.

Last year we promised to run referee courses to increase the number of officials We ran ONE, mainly because nobody came forward with venues or requests and the 1 we did run at Billingham had 5 people on it So I reckon that idea failed. Coaching courses. Everybody said they wanted more coaching, so as there is already a programme in place with the EIHA, we offered £50 refund to any person that attended a course. We paid out to 2 people So I cannot say that was a roaring success

Recfest. That should have been easy, Applications in January. What I did not take into account was getting firm confirmation of ice time. That is also the reason that an over 35 competition did not go ahead.

On the plus side both Recfest at Sheffield and Swindon did go ahead and where a huge success despite a little bit of hassle in that some teams felt we should change the rules and give an automatic place to the winners rather than have a first past the post application system. I am sure that this will be brought up later and we will take the issue on board as the Clubs see fit.

That brings me to Summer Cup Competitions. They have certainly grown this year with a number doing very well and a number that have gone ahead without the Executive being aware of them. There is always somebody letting the cat out of the bag. I have heard all the excuses for not running games through official channels the main one being cost. The only thing I am going to say about this is; if something goes wrong and you have a serious liability claim come in, then you are on your own and I can tell you now your house insurance will not cover it. With regard to Summer Cups I can see the need to have something to play for but if you are going to enter such a competition then think about the commitment. We are considering introducing a minimum number of players for all games in Tournaments and Cup competitions, with sanctions against those who fail to comply. When I get a phone call from a Rink Manager asking for clarification on a ‘Mickey Mouse’ cup that the opposition only have 6 players, it undoes all the work we have done to try and give Rec hockey some credibility.

That just about covers all the things I know have been issues, but I am sure there are others as I do not look at this sport through rose tinted glasses. However I would like to finish on a positive note. We still are growing, the attendance here today shows we have people committed to taking the section forward and I have 3 people sat on my Committee John, Linda and Tony that put in untold amount of work to keep everything happening.

As for ‘Reg’ I just know he cannot wait for the end of the month, as he becomes deluged in paperwork continuing the excellent service we have had this year

Tony Boynton

Questions arising:

London Legion - asked why the person who deals with coaching courses lives in Switzerland and doesn’t answer emails. The coaching courses are now dealt with in this country. The main EIHA website has a section advertising the coaching courses and the cost. It is up to each individual to apply, do the course and then send to John your coaches license number; and you will be refunded £50. This will continue this season and will cover any level of coaching.

Committee Responsibilities for 2012-13

Tony Boynton Recfest, Cup Competitions Approval, Discipline Appeals

Linda Matthews Section Administration, Game Approval

Tony Wood Section Website, Section Discipline, Game Sheets

John Freeman Section Treasurer, Referee liaison, Discipline Appeals

Registrations Administrator Player Applications & Registrations

Treasurers Report – (JF)

John stated that we transferred to the EIHA £124,920 for registrations. Our Admin Account received; a one off payment from the Scottish Rec Section (for Website Use), Tournament entry money, money given to us by the EIHA for tournaments, extra payments from Registrations. Our expenditure consisted of; paying out various travel/reimbursement expenses to Committee members, referees seminar, Web Site hosting costs leaving a closing balance of £22,442.91. John also commented that bank charges were £195.75 which is clubs paying for registrations by cheque or BACS/CHAPS etc instead of by Internet Transfer, which is the mandatory method of payment within the Rec Section

There were no questions.

Registration Administrator’s Report 2011/2012 – (TW)

TW - Apologies for not reading the full report at the meeting, a technical glitch meant that an abridged version was delivered, the full report is below

This year we accepted electronic documentation sent via email. I believe this has been a success for teams, although is a little more involved at my end! It speeds things up greatly if the documentation is sent in the format requested and documents labelled correctly, as instructed. What seems a bit ‘picky’ for the dozen or so new players you may send, soon adds up to extra time this end when you multiply that by hundreds at this end!

This year’s registration facts and figures:

There were 2992 registrations processed this season in total, within 88 teams. This is broken down into: 2603 1st team registrations 234 2nd team registrations 155 Coaches

There were 730 brand new players to the Section, requiring the full paperwork and 2262 returning players that had been registered with the Section previously. We also welcomed 10 new teams to the Section this year.

Several issues consistently arose during the year and I know some of them were addressed on the Message Board throughout the year. I would just like to highlight the most ‘popular’!

1) Postal prices – Postal prices also took quite a hike this year in costs, so if you do have the option to scan and send documents via email, it is another good reason to use that method of registration. If not, please make sure you put the correct stamp on for the size and weight of envelopes you use. Sending items that require a signature will ALWAYS cause a delay.

2) If sending paperwork by post, please ensure you have everything enclosed before you send it. I have limited space available for storing outstanding paperwork, so please only send when complete.

3) Please transfer registration fees at the same time as sending documentation, especially where you have a separate Treasurer. There were quite a lot of instances this year where the paperwork came through and then was chased as an urgency, as the player wanted to train/play but the registration hadn’t gone through because money hadn’t been received. Communication is important within your Teams, not just with us. We want it to all run smoothly, but that includes your part in it.

4) Women League Players – Midway through this season, the cost of registration was changed for current League players to allow them to use their League registration to count as their 1st team registration. Please bear this in mind when sending registration fees in. Please remember a League permission form is required to be completed each year and needs to be sent in with the application or request for re-registration.

5) Other League Players – The Transfer deadline is 31st January every year and this is set in stone. Everyone has a story as to why their player should be allowed to play, but it is not something that can be negotiated; so the answer will always be no, whatever the circumstances.

6) Please remember that a player needs to be registered to guarantee insurance, even for training. There had been several incidents when a team have requested a player be registered in time for a game, or even a tournament; and usually at very late notice. It quite often transpires that the player has been training for several months and is now needed urgently for a particular game. Is detailed in the Handbook, there is a trial period for brand new players only. However, this only covers 2 sessions and all relevant Forms, Photo, Full Registration Fee and ID should be held by the Management during this trial time. After the 2 sessions, it should be sent in for processing or returned to that player as they are not registering.

There were no questions

Reminder of Format for Player Application Submission By EMAIL: If you wish to take advantage of this facility, strict attention must be paid to the following criteria, or your application may be lost. 1. Each Player Application must be sent in Individual email 2. Email Subject must be; TEAM NAME - PLAYERS FULL NAME 3. A scanned individual Player Application Form must be in a .pdf or Microsoft Office Word (.doc) format, Named; Application - S U R N A M E 4. A scanned proof of ID (Driving Licence, Birth Cert or Passport) must be in a .pdf or Microsoft Office Word (.doc) format, Named; ID - SURNAME 5. A Scanned or electronic photo must be in a .jpg format, Named; Photo - SURNAME 6. If any of these criteria are incorrect or are incomplete your application will be VOID and not processed. 7. The Paper records in its original form must be RETAINED by the Club Manager for 5 Years after the Players last Registration year

Discipline Report 11/12 – (TW)

TW quoted some of the stats below and highlighted that although ‘Fighting’ penalties had gone down, which was good to see; instances of Abuse toward Officials had risen. He requested to the Members present, that they should warn their players that this will not be tolerated and is one sure reason why there is a shortfall of Officials. It was stressed that; no one when paid to perform a service, should expect to be verbally abused or physically threatened when carrying out their duties, this is simply not acceptable and will be treated with a view to removing those who choose to act in this manner

2011 - 2012 Discipline Report 56 Incidents (2 more incidents than last Season) Roughing (Fighting) 122 36 Incidents Head-butt 9 3 Incidents Body Check 6 Single incident but with injury Check to Head/Face 6 2 Incidents Carry over from League 4 League suspensions honoured in Rec High Sticks 4 inc Accidental with injury 2 incidents Charging 3 1 Incident Spearing 2 1 Incident Total Games 188 Ultimate Total inc Abuse Up 26 Games on last year

Abuse 32 9 Incidents

A question was asked as to what a player would/could receive if he swore at an official; The answer was anything from 2 minutes to a Match (which would incur a 3 Game Suspension as a minimum) Factors are in play when officials assess penalties; but to be sure as a player if you say nothing to, or at an Official, you will not receive a Penalty. Technically only Captain/Assistants can approach an Official to clarify a call.

London Legion raised a query about repeat offenders. TW explained that records are kept and an escalation of punishments is in place for multiple offenders, starting with warnings and ending up in duration based suspension/expulsion from the Section. Fiona Hennessey (Durham Dragons) confirmed that this did happen, as it had happened to a player in the Dragons team.

Re-election of Officers

The Chairman explained that we are the only Section that elect officials with both Tony Boynton and Linda Matthews are up for re-election.

As there were no nominations it was passed unanimously that Tony and Linda were re-elected for a further three years.

John Freeman and Tony Boynton were both awarded with a trophy each to celebrate them setting up the recreational committee 25 years ago.

Registration/Insurance update.

The registration for 2012/13 Season will stay the same at £50 per person (or £45 per person if a representative of the team is present at the 2012 AGM). A second or third team registration will stay at £35 Coaches will still be able to receive one FREE Rec Registration on supplying their Coach License no to Registrations. Women playing for Women’s League teams, will continue to be classed as a 2nd Team reg, if registering with the Rec Section, so they will be £35

It was asked if Referees could be included in this deal – MA said he would ask the EIHA Board – ACTION MA

Matters for discussion from member teams:

Whitley Bay Islanders (2011Sheffield Recfest Winners) asked if automatic entry for the following year could be given to the team who won the Recfest Championship. After much discussion, it was suggested that the team who won Recfest the previous year be given THREE DAYS advance notice of the applications going on line.

It was proposed by MK Hurricanes (2012 Swindon Recfest Winner) and seconded by RAF Eastern Crusade (2012 Sheffield Recfest Winners), that three days notice is given to the two teams who won Recfest at Sheffield and Swindon. This will only apply to the tournament that the team won the previous year.

Sheffield Squeelers put forward a proposal that a non checking tournament be alternated between Sheffield and Swindon each year, ie, one year checking tournament in North, the next year in the South. After discussions; it was proposed by Invicta Knights, seconded by Cleveland Comets that the tournament venues to stay as they are now, assuming Ice time is available. This was passed.

Sheffield Squeelers asked if there was better communications re the referee’s courses. This year a re-imbursement process will be run for people booking and attending a Referee course. Please let TB know when you are confirmed as being booked onto a course, and again once the course is completed and you have your License Number. At this time you will be eligible for the refund Please also note that a £50 reimbursement on completion of any level of Coaches course is also available. The same method as above is to be used

Mr Ashraff told the meeting that getting ice time for these courses was difficult to get. If you know of ice time availability at your rink please let MA know as that may help in getting a course run near you. As ice availability (approx 2hrs late afternoon is ideal) is one main reason why the EIHA don’t run as many as they’d like, so any notice would be a great help

London Legion asked if a reduced registration membership can be put in place for players who register late in the season, ie, August. - The EIHA set the prices each year on the policy in conjunction with the Insurance Company, so this cannot be put out to a vote.

Surrey Police asked about referees being allocated to games with the teams getting to know beforehand. Mr Ashraff said he had no problem with giving clubs three days notice of officials, but commented that some games are cancelled without him knowing about it. He requested that where possible this three days notice is communicated to him also. This should be done as normal, via the Section Committee i.e. Linda Games must be booked onto the website by Monday at the latest, for a game at the weekend; as is current practice. MA to request another person to have access to our website, to update the allocation of officials – ACTION - MA/TW. (This has been actioned and two Allocators have been assigned access) MA explained a four week rolling allocation time line. The first four weeks go out to the officials on week one, this then rolls on a week at a time, giving Officials and teams 4 weeks’ notice. MA detailed that there are 201 officials, of those 108 are under 18 with 133 of officials less than 2 years into the job so highlighting a general shortfall of availability across Hockey in general not just for Rec.

The Chairman reiterated that if officials did not turn up for a game or are unavailable then, as per the Handbook; the Captains (or nominated players) can officiate the game, (this extends to any EIHA registered players or coaches)

Invicta Knights - Can the dates of the tournaments can be advertised early as possible on the website so teams who are successful in obtaining a slot in the Tournament can book a hotel etc. The Chairman stated that the information would be available as soon as possible – ACTION - TB

Any Other Business

Westminster Statesmen - asked could Recfest be stop clock for the last minute of the games. The Chairman said this was a timing issue but would be looked into. Referees were advised if a prolonged stoppage was required (i.e. injury, complicated penalty situation) they were to stop the clock and this has happened as instructed, but not for normal 2min Penalties

Streatham Nightwolves - asked why the AGM is held in September and not earlier in the year. The Chairman explained that most rec teams are still playing games as most league teams do not start their season until September, so ice is available. This is also historically a quieter time in Rec, as our new registration period approaches

Another question was raised about enabling teams to find out about tournaments. The Chairman asked that teams organizing a Tournament or Cup to send him details and a copy of the rules so it be sanctioned. This is current practice and is part of the Handbook (TW previously looked after this area, but for the 12/13 Season it will be TB) – ACTION TB It was noted that if a Tournament or Cup was not sanctioned and injuries are sustained, then the insurance company potentially would not pay out.

RAF Eastern Crusade asked if teams must wear light jerseys for home games and dark jerseys for away games. The Chairman suggested if a team only have one strip then to contact the opposition team and let them know. There is no rule enforcing teams to have two sets of jerseys.

There being no further questions the Chairman thanked everyone for attending and the meeting closed at 3.45pm.