English Ice Hockey Association: The Case for Change Unification Document Support Pack November 2020 1 FOREWORD Dear EIHA Members, This year has not been the year any of us were expecting. It has been an incredibly challenging and difficult time for us all. Our thoughts are with anyone who has suffered or lost loved ones during the pandemic. We have been working hard to best prepare and make the necessary adjustments and improvements so we can return to play safely, and we thank everyone for working with us on this. The last seven months have shown us that now more than ever we need to ensure a strong future for our sport. We need to build back from this pandemic stronger and better than before … we need to ensure our sport has a future. The EIHA Board is committed to delivering change in an open and transparent way having listened to feedback from members over the past 24 months. We appreciate having a virtual meeting for a vote of this significance is not ideal, however we are also mindful that the membership need and want change. Delaying the vote on our proposals for change any further is also not an option. We need to act now to vote on the changes for our sport which are the right changes and the ones that will enable it to be successful in the short and the long-term. A proper governance model is needed and the EIHA Board believe that unifying our sport into one organisation is the best option for our membership and for the future of our sport. The proposed governance structure and practices that sit at the heart of a unified National Governing Body create a strong foundation from which our sport can grow. The proposals presented here for you to vote on are the result of a long journey. We have managed multiple consultations, developed additional detailed documents and made adjustments to the original proposals. We have listened to our sport and have developed detailed plans for how to change it for the better for everyone. Whilst it was disheartening for the 2019 EIHA EGM to reject the proposals made, it was an important step in allowing us to work with the membership to identify the key issues which needed to be addressed in our proposals. It was important that we listened to member feedback and that we developed the detail requested. It is easy to stand up and say we want change … and to make general assertions about what needs to be done … it is a lot harder and takes a lot more work to develop proper proposals to bring about effective and long-lasting change, and to provide the level of detail needed to give everyone the confidence that this is going to work. We believe the updated proposal fulfills these essential criteria and by voting for it, the sport is giving itself the best chance at survival and success. 2 Critically the unification proposal has been re-worked to address the following three issues identified with the previous proposals: • Ensuring appropriate protection of funds from the different associations moving into the new National Governing Body and providing greater clarity on the current and planned funding. • Ensuring a more appropriate transitional board arrangement. • Outlining a more detailed approach towards the future operation and development of the sport. In addition to addressing the aforementioned three issues, we have now also developed more detail on: • The vision, mission and values of the new NGB; • The strategy and structure of the new NGB; • The delegation to management within the new NGB; and • Exercising accountability within the new NGB. The new proposal now represents a strong future for our sport and one which we can all have confidence in. We hope this provides you with the confidence and clarity needed to make the change our sport so desperately needs. As a Board we present this document pack to you and ask you to support the vote for unification so our sport can have the NGB it deserves. Kind Regards, English Ice Hockey Association Board Ken Taggart (Chairman) Charles Dacres Joy Johnston Andrew Miller Travis Ward 3 What does this document pack include? This document pack has been pulled together to bring all of the documents into one place and to provide you with all of the detail you need to understand the proposals. You will find the following sections: SECTION ONE: Understanding the This section has been pulled together to resolutions provide a narrative against each of the resolutions being presented. The summary explains what the resolutions means and why it is being proposed as part of the unification process. SECTION TWO: What will and won’t change This section has been pulled together to after the vote? give you an understanding of what will and won’t change as a result of the vote. This section should help you answer the questions of, ‘what changes will I see now and, in the future, if I approve this vote?’ SECTION THREE: Frequently Asked This section has been pulled together to Questions provide you with the answers to all of the questions we received as part of this process over the last 24-36 months. SECTION FOUR: UK Ice Hockey Association This section has been pulled together to Operational Structure provide you with clarity about the governance and operational structures which will be in place from day 1 of the new NGB. SECTION FIVE: UK Ice Hockey Association This section has been pulled together to Proposed Budget for 2021-22 Season provide you with clarity about the finances for the different parts of the sport for the 2021-22 season. SECTION SIX: UK Ice Hockey Association This section has been pulled together to Strategic Plan provide you with a draft strategic plan for the new NGB. SECTION SEVEN: New NGB Articles This section is the New NGB articles and what will be the new governing document for our sport if the changes are voted through. SECTION EIGHT: UK Ice Hockey Association This section provides you with a copy of the Board Minutes UK Ice Hockey Association Board meeting minutes where the transition Board have voted and commit to protecting EIHA cash reserves and accepting the terms of transfer. 4 CONTENTS PAGE Table of Contents SECTION ONE: Understanding the resolutions .................................................................. 9 SPECIAL RESOLUTION ............................................................................................................. 10 ORDINARY RESOLUTION......................................................................................................... 12 SECTION TWO: What will and won’t change after the vote? ............................................14 Short-Term (0 – 18 months) .................................................................................................... 15 What Will Change? ...................................................................................................................................... 15 What Will NOT Change? .............................................................................................................................. 15 Medium-Term (18-36 months) ............................................................................................... 16 What Will Change? ...................................................................................................................................... 16 What Will NOT Change? .............................................................................................................................. 17 Long-Term (36 months+) ........................................................................................................ 17 What Will Change? ...................................................................................................................................... 17 What Will NOT Change? .............................................................................................................................. 17 SECTION THREE: Frequently Asked Questions ..................................................................18 General Questions About the Articles of Association ............................................................... 19 Transitional Period/Transition Board ...................................................................................... 21 Board Members & Composition ............................................................................................. 23 Membership .......................................................................................................................... 27 Finances ................................................................................................................................ 28 International Ice Hockey ........................................................................................................ 30 On-Ice Operations .................................................................................................................. 30 The Rec Section ...................................................................................................................... 31 Player Development............................................................................................................... 32 English Ice Hockey Community ............................................................................................... 32 Miscellaneous Questions........................................................................................................ 33 SECTION FOUR: UK Ice Hockey Association Operational Structure ....................................36 UK Ice Hockey Board Structure ..............................................................................................