ENGLISH ICE HOCKEY 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.