A Letter From Chief Executive Nick Pink

As we come to the end of 2021, on behalf of England Hockey and all involved in the sport I wanted to extend a huge thank you to all those that have done so much for hockey throughout the last twelve months. All the coaches, umpires, captains, teachers, volunteers, the team at England Hockey and many more have worked tirelessly in some of the most challenging environments we have ever seen. It is really valued and much appreciated.

What a twelve months it has been. We entered 2021 with the national lockdown that led to no hockey taking place until the end of March. Whilst many took to social media, Zoom and MS Teams to keep their club members and volunteers engaged, it was great to finally get back out there and pick up a stick once again.

Also in March our online AGM confirmed the next step of our new Governance structure, with the transition to eight new Area companies. Over those late spring and early summer months, the new Areas were formed, new Directors appointed and new leagues and regulations adopted. There were so many across the country involved in pulling so much together and thank to you all.

The Game Management System (GMS) was being developed at the same time with the aim of being launched for the start of the new season. This is the largest single system used to administer the game at club level. We are fully aware of the frustration felt across the sport as the new system was being launched and adopted. We had performance issues that made accessing the system very challenging. The patience shown by so many was greatly appreciated. We now have a better-performing GMS that will set us up as a sport for the future, with more than 50,000 matches on the system and the same number of player registrations, making this the biggest hockey system that has ever existed in England. We know this is an important step forward, as other team sports have followed similar lines, and had similar early-adoption challenges. We know this is the right thing to do, and the system is in a better place to serve us going forward.

In September we began the roll-out of the future talent system, Talent Development – A New Way Forward. By putting clubs at the heart of talent delivery, we aim to put the right athlete in the right environment as frequently as possible, and we are optimistic about the positive impact the new system can bring about.

One of the aims of the new talent system is to make the access more inclusive and open to children from different educational and socio-economic backgrounds. The development of hockey is a collective task and it is really important as our growing commitments around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) become established that we provide more opportunities for those from more diverse communities.

When tackling ED&I challenges within hockey, we all have a responsibility to make change happen. Our new Advisory Group met for the first time in November and its first role will be approving the action plan which will focus on short term objectives to support cultural change across the sport. Please look out for it in the first months of 2022.

Our resources – both financial and otherwise – have been under significant pressure for a second year. We are immensely grateful to Sport England and UK Sport for their continued support, to our partners such as Vitality, Notts Sport and many others whose support has enabled us to deliver domestically and internationally. The financial contribution we receive from the nation’s hockey clubs via Membership fees also makes up a significant part of our income and allows us to best serve the sport.

We are striving to help clubs as much as possible, and the majority signed up for Membership + in 2021/22, which builds in insurance from Bluefin Sport as part of the affiliation process. We are pleased to help clubs have the correct minimum insurances in place, while also crucially protecting players.

The Planning Safe Hockey guide was published at the tail end of 2020, and I have been very pleased to see clubs implementing the guidance up and down the country. We have just launched a new training module and thank you to everyone who strives to make the sport as safe as possible.

The England Hockey League was of course heavily affected by Covid restrictions in the early part of the year, but I have been delighted to see a full calendar of games from September to December. With a new format to the Premier Divisions, having a League structure that enables clubs to flourish domestically and in Europe - as well as providing the best chance of progression for the international teams – is a key objective for us.

Speaking of the international stage, the year was exceptionally challenging. The Great Britain players, coaching and support staff did a fantastic job and maintained the highest standards, especially given the stringent regulations placed upon them. We managed to host FIH Hockey Pro League matches in May at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, then both England teams took part in the EuroHockey Championships in June, before of course the Olympics. The women came together brilliantly in Tokyo under the leadership of Hollie Pearne-Webb to get a well-deserved Olympic bronze medal. It was a remarkable achievement and we are so proud of everyone involved. A special mention must go to Laura Unsworth for becoming the first British hockey player to win three Olympic medals. The men’s performances – both as England and as Great Britain – were very promising and they will enable us to build as we move forward.

The international calendar in 2022 promises to be very exciting with FIH Hockey Pro League home matches in May and June, and our first away matches starting in February. We have plans to take another weekend of fixtures to the Twickenham Stoop so please do look for updates on what promises to be a fantastic occasion on 4 and 5 June against the Netherlands. With a home Commonwealth Games and also European Qualifiers in Durham, there are a number of opportunities to watch our best players on home soil. And with the Women’s World Cup also taking place in Spain and Holland, there are a lot of opportunities for our teams to shine.

As a sport we also have great opportunities ahead of us for the year. The governance changes will continue to be embedded alongside the adoption of GMS, while the Talent Development changes will really take pace, and our ED&I Action Plan will be both shared and implemented.

We will also be focusing on a long-term strategic plan, not just for England Hockey but for the sport itself. We have been engaging widely over the last two years in a number of ways and listening to the sport. Whilst there is much we will continue to do, we also recognise that we will need to navigate astutely through Covid and work together to create a brighter future for hockey. We are excited about what we can do together.

Lastly, can I please wish you, your friends and families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for all you do in hockey.

All the best,

Nick Pink
Chief Executive