GRASSROOTS
unreachable parts of the community. The EHB plans to conduct as many
face-to-face club visits as possible by 2013 and establish a more structured two-way dialogue through its Club En- gagement programme to determine what clubs want from the national gov- erning body (NGB). The information gathered will be analysed and used to help the clubs progress. During the upcoming season, the
EHB is focusing on two key areas for clubs, the first of which is the integration of volunteers from volunteer centres and the local community into the clubs. Investment at this level will see a sustainable, efficient group of people feed into other areas of the sport. Programmes are also in place to sup- port hockey volunteers, including the revamped leadership award, and work is underway to develop a robust volun- teering pathway. The second area of focus is helping
clubs to become more commercially aware by offering business support and guidance to help them reach their commercial potential. Leading by ex- ample, the governing body has recently undertaken its own branding exercise. It’s now known as the England Hockey Board, which places a clearer separation between the administrative governing body and the England hockey teams rep- resenting the country on the pitch. The principal driver of the changes has been a determination to ensure that the prod- uct presentation is relevant, competitive and appealing to the multitude of key stakeholders in the sport.
Facilities
The majority of hockey activity takes place within an organised environment and fa- cilities are paramount for the development of the
The EHB is working to ensure that artificial turf installations suit the sporting needs of the community
sport in the future. The largest threat to hockey at present is the increasing development of third generation pitches for football and rug- by. High-level hockey does not lend itself to a 3G surface and the increased installation of such surfaces is a significant threat. The EHB is working with Sport England and the other pitch sports to ensure that in the future, arti- ficial turf facilities are installed that take into account the sporting needs of the community as a whole, as opposed to being influenced financially. Further in- formation regarding suitability of 3G pitches for hockey can be found on the EHB website. The EHB is currently developing its
pitch strategy, based around its Single System. This is the development path- way for players, coaches and officials of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential. It’s based on a set of principles that puts the participant at the centre
and uses scientific research that has been widely accepted by the majority of other major sports within England. The EHB has been awarded £2.7m by
Sport England for capital investment, which will be distributed between 2010 and 2013. The investment will be made around the Single System. The process has allowed for an audit of Single Sys- tem facilities to take place and for the governing body to interact with the county and regional hockey associations regarding facility plans in their area. The launch of a pitch strategy is ex-
pected to be released later in the year. In the meantime, the EHB is working close- ly with other key stakeholders, such as the National Hockey Foundation, Sport England and Building Schools for the Future to secure appropriate facilities in appropriate places for hockey. ●
www.englandhockey.co.uk;
www.passionspeedrespect.com;
www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk
A robust volunteering pathway and leadership award is being developed
26 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
Issue 2 2010 © cybertrek 2010
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