2011 ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

Transcription

1 2011 ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

2 Contents President s Report 4 Chairman s Report 5 Chief Executive s Report achievements against our eight objectives Attract and retain more people in hockey 8 Help our clubs and associations thrive 12 Embed the Single System throughout the sport 20 Achieve International Podium Success 22 Maximise the opportunities of Raise the profile of the sport and improve communications 30 Develop a broader income base and reduce reliance on grant income 32 Ensure effective governance and operations 34 Financial Accounts 36 Action from the England Hockey League Top Reading and Slough ahead of their Premier Division clash; Bottom left Olton & West Warwickshire v Sevenoaks; Bottom right Southgate s Dan Shingles celebrates the winning goal during their Premier Division match against Loughborough Students; Opposite page Reading s Chris Newman gets away from Beeston s Ali Wilson and David Ames

3 President s Report Chairman s Report The last year has seen hockey succeed on many levels. The most impressive success in my eyes has been the demand for hockey tickets at the Olympic Games and the large number of our hockey family who have volunteered to be involved. Our CEO Sally Munday and her team have planned a number of programmes in our sport which are now being delivered. These programmes are going to make sure that hockey s part in the greatest sporting event on the planet will be a major and significant one, which will benefit as many English hockey players as possible. On the domestic front Our adult leagues have continued to produce exciting competition on a weekly basis. The Maxifuel Super Sixes has ignited a spark in many players and the demand for indoor competition continues to rise. I was also delighted to watch the ever increasing number of young players coming through the Single System. Activities at the Junior Development Centres (JDC), Junior Academy Centres (JAC) and Junior Regional Performance Centres (JRPC) are delivering a thriving and increasing talent pool. This will ensure that our sport has energised and committed young players at every level helping to take it forward. I was lucky enough to be present at several clubs during the Harvester Grow Your Own National Club Weekend at the start of the season. The number of players, officials and volunteers present at those clubs was staggering. The family atmosphere and friendly environment were fantastic to be part of and show that we have a great sport which is open to all young and old, male and female. The older group (and I say older with great care as next year represents my first chance to get personally involved on the field!), has probably been the most successful. England s Masters teams led the way internationally on the back of continuing growth in our domestic masters hockey. They brought home world titles for men and women across the various age groups. The family atmosphere at clubs during the Harvester Grow Your Own National Club Weekend was fantastic The Super Sixes indoor event at Wembley Indoor Arena has generated excitement within the sport Time flies Whilst the last year has disappeared in a flash, I am sure that the next year will go even faster. I look forward to meeting as many hockey people as possible over the coming months and listening to your feedback as to how we can continue to improve our sport for everyone. Simon Mason President We began 2011 positively by starting our bid for the 2015 EuroHockey Nations Championships. Having ended 2010 with the disappointment of not being awarded the right to host the 2014 World Cups, it was important to go forward and build on the excellent work carried out for the World Cup bid. If we are successful with our tender for the 2015 EuroHockey Nations Championships the biggest tournament in European hockey the event will be held at the Eton Manor Olympic legacy facility in East London. Farewells We said goodbye to Sue Catton as a Non-Executive Director at the AGM in March. We also said farewell to Andy Tapley as Chair of the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC). They are now both working full-time for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). They have been equally outstanding contributors to Board discussions and both contributed hugely in our hosting of the 2007 EuroHockey Nations Championships and the 2010 Samsung FIH Women s Champions Trophy. In their place, we welcomed to the Board Katy Roberts as a Non- Executive Director and Sue Bodycomb as Chair of the RCC. Most recently we were all greatly saddened by Nick Chilton s death after a long and brave battle with cancer. In Nick s absence with his health problems we co-opted Mike Stoddard onto the Board focus The majority of the staff team s time is now focused on the build-up to the 2012 Olympic Games, and Sally Munday summarises these plans later in this annual review. These plans were presented in autumn 2011 to more than 500 people around the country as part of the Hockey Nation roadshow series. International medals On the international scene, our U18 girls won European bronze in the summer but, unfortunately, our boys didn t fare so well. Team morale was badly knocked by a serious injury to one player midway through the tournament, but I am pleased to report that he has now recovered and we hope to see him back representing England again this year. Our senior men and women both won bronze at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Germany. At the Champions Trophy, the women came fifth which was sufficient to qualify for the all-important 2012 tournament which was held in January in Argentina. They competed as Great Britain which served as excellent preparation ahead of the Olympic Games during the summer. The women s programme at both grass roots and international level secured Investec as a sponsor which bodes well for the future. As Simon mentioned, much success at Masters level was also achieved. This year we also held the inaugural London Cup in Chiswick and we will be repeating it this year under the title sponsorship of Investec. The Investec London Cup will take place in June 2012, shortly after the official Olympic Games test event for the Great Britain sides at the Olympic Park in May. A huge thank you I d like to thank all those who volunteer at national level and in particular my Board colleagues. Without volunteers at every level of the sport it simply wouldn t operate. A huge thanks to all. In particular, I d like to pay tribute to Martin Gotheridge who stood down as President of the European Hockey Federation after three years in post. Martin has been an outstanding contributor to the sport over the years in many guises, not least of which as England Hockey President for five years. Before that, of course, he held many roles at regional, national and international level. We wish Martin well in his retirement from the sport, but know we ll see him at the Olympic Games this year undertaking some International Federation duties. Once in a lifetime The next year is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our sport. Hockey will never receive so much positive exposure. Extensive plans to take advantage of that are well in hand. As a sport we must take advantage of the surge in interest. I d like to compliment Sally Munday and her executive team on their leadership in this busy and exciting period. The energy they have all put into laying the plans for taking advantage of the Games is impressive. Finally, of course, we wish the Great Britain teams every success. Good luck also to all those involved in organising the Olympic Games, be they staff or volunteers. Philip Kimberley Chairman 4 5

4 Chief Executive s Report 2011 has been another successful year for the EHB. We are now in the third year of delivery against our strategic plan and this year has seen some significant progress on a number of projects aimed at increasing participation in hockey. We will see unprecedented interest in the sport in 2012, and these projects will help us to maximise the opportunity presented by the London Olympic Games. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2011 While the Annual Report will focus on the year s achievements under our eight strategic objectives, I would like to highlight a few key ones here first: Wembley played host to the Super Sixes 2011 saw a new venue and a new name for our premier indoor hockey event. After a number of years taking the indoor finals to the Midlands in Birmingham and Nottingham, it returned to London and for the first time to Wembley Arena. The event attracted a record crowd of 4,778 spectators and it was great to see so many people enjoying the action at Wembley. The success of the Super Sixes at Wembley Arena and fantastic postevent spectator feedback saw it return there in The London Cup To help us achieve our objective of Raising the profile of hockey we continue to invest in providing more opportunities for people to watch the sport and, in particular, see our fantastic international athletes playing live. In 2011, the London Cup made its debut in Chiswick, West London. The inaugural event saw England men take on three other countries ranked in the world s top ten New Zealand, Korea and Belgium. We hosted the event at the University of Westminster, and they helped us to entertain 6,000 fans who came to watch. The London Cup will now feature as an annual event in the capital, with the 2012 event the Investec London Cup featuring the Great Britain women. Hockey s Investec deal was recognised as the largest sponsorship contract of the year in women s sport Investec join the hockey family We were absolutely delighted to sign Investec as our principal sponsor for both the Great Britain and England international women s teams in July Research from the Women s Sports and Fitness Foundation subsequently cited the Investec deal for hockey as the year s largest sponsorship deal for women s sport. It is fantastic that Investec is also sponsoring women s domestic hockey, the London Cup and Quicksticks, the dedicated game for 7 11 year olds. Investec is a great partner for hockey and the company has already made an impact following the activation of the sponsorship deal. Rush Hockey and Back to Hockey Although we continue to see steady growth in the number of young people taking part in our sport, adult participation has remained mostly static over the last few years. Whilst our clubs do a fantastic job to retain adults playing in the sport and attract new people, the EHB has this year developed some new initiatives to encourage more adults into the sport. Back to Hockey is a programme aimed at women aged who haven t played for a while and who may not have the confidence or desire to play in a formal club environment. A number of our affiliated clubs are now running Back to Hockey as a way to bring women back into the sport by offering coaching programmes outside formal club sessions. We have also launched Rush Hockey, a small-sided format of hockey played as a 5-a-side game for adults. It is being offered by a range of new delivery partners, from local authority and private leisure providers to universities and 5-a-side football centres. Rush Hockey targets adults who want to play hockey on a more casual basis without having to make the commitment to play for a club team week in, week out. We have seen a very positive response from people taking up both Back Into Hockey and Rush Hockey, and it is great to be able to offer people an alternative way of accessing our sport. Maximising the opportunity of 2012 We are on the eve of the greatest opportunity our sport has seen for decades. We are one of just a handful of Olympic team sports and, with a fantastic location on Olympic Park, hockey will be at the heart of the greatest show on earth from July 27th has seen a focused effort on planning a range of initiatives and The indoor finals returned to London and attracted a record crowd Rush Hockey is one of a number of new ways of attracting new people to our sport engagement activities for 2012 under the banner of HOCKEY NATION BE PART OF IT! With events such as The npower Big Dribble which will see a giant hockey ball tour the British Isles and visit 40 destinations and the Five Week Frenzy which will offer hundreds of hockey activities all over the country from the start of the Olympic Games right through the summer we have the opportunity to engage with a whole new audience for our sport. We were also keen to ensure that our existing hockey family was able to benefit from London hosting the Games and we were delighted to secure over 20,000 tickets for the hockey event. We have been able to make these tickets available to our affiliated clubs, associations and individual members promises to be an incredible year for hockey. With our international teams both ranked fourth in the world, we have a genuine chance of making the podium at the Olympics, and the vast range of engagement activities we are offering as part of the Hockey Nation programme will help us to capture the interest we have in our sport. Hockey is the third biggest spectator sport at the Olympics, and with over 600,000 hockey ticket holders and the BBC committed to showing every hockey match, our sport will get the exposure it deserves. We are incredibly excited about turning new interest into longterm enthusiasm for hockey! Once again, 2011 has seen great commitment from the staff at the England Hockey Board. They work alongside hundreds of dedicated people who volunteer their time at national, regional, county and club level to develop and deliver our sport across England. I would like to record my personal thanks to all the EHB staff and volunteers whose continued enthusiasm and loyalty enable us to develop and grow the sport. Sally Munday Chief Executive 6 7

5 2011 achievements against our eight objectives 2010/11 was a busy year in the development team as we looked at new ways to increase the number of people playing the sport. Attract and retain more people in hockey Previously we have focused considerable effort on encouraging young people s participation in schools and clubs, and this year was no exception with the launch of In 2 Hockey for year olds and the review and implementation of our new school and club competitions framework. The hard work undertaken by our many clubs and hockey-playing schools has led to a 13% increase in the number of U16s in clubs. During a period where young people s participation in other sports has generally declined, it is testament to the hard work and quality coaching in our clubs and schools that we have shown strong growth in this area. School and Tertiary Education Quicksticks 2011 saw a series of developments which have all helped to put the EHB in a strong position to continue promoting Quicksticks to junior clubs and primary schools. A dedicated Quicksticks website has been in place since October 2010 and achieves on average 3,000 page views per month. The website features information about the game, the resources, the equipment, and a number of templates and guidance documents which help to make it easy to deliver hockey something we know is particularly important to primary school teachers. It also hosts a free online training course which has trained more than 450 deliverers since its launch in April Practical training courses have also continued throughout the year, and we now have over 4,000 primary schools actively delivering Quicksticks. In June 2011, Youth Sport Direct (YSD) became the manufacturer, supplier and retailer of all Quicksticks resources and equipment. A lot of time was spent at the start of the year on managing the transition from Davies Sports to YSD and working with YSD on the redesign of the equipment to ensure that a high quality range of products is available at a lower price. We also looked at increasing the range and the flexibility of the packages. The success of Quicksticks to date has resulted in a significant increase in commercial interest and, in November 2011, Investec became the official sponsor. In 2 Hockey A new game for year olds A key focus throughout the year was to review and redevelop Mini Hockey. This work began by commissioning the Youth Sport Trust (YST) to conduct research into the current Mini Hockey game as a follow-on from Quicksticks and a lead-in to the 11-a-side game. A thorough review of the existing EHB Coaching for Teachers programme was conducted, and previous schools research was analysed to establish views on Mini Hockey. This included recognising the barriers that prevent hockey being delivered in secondary schools and what support teachers and coaches would ideally like to help them deliver the game to young players. The re-development of the game also coincided with a review and consultation on the junior competitions framework. This was vital to ensure that suitable competitive opportunities are available for each age group to follow on from blocks of delivery within schools or clubs. In 2 Hockey was launched in November The game has been designed primarily for year olds to help them develop their hockey skills and techniques. It can either be played as a 7-a-side game with goalkeepers or introduced as a 6-a-side game without goalkeepers. The 6-a-side rules gradually introduce three key features of the 11-a-side version of the game goalkeepers, penalty corners and penalty strokes. The aim is to ease a young player s transition into the full version of hockey, as well as making the game easier for secondary schools, nonhockey specialist teachers and smaller clubs to deliver. The product has a strong brand identity which has been developed with input from young people to ensure that the look and feel of the product appeals directly to them. A series of web pages has been produced which features information about the game, the rules, the resources and equipment, and the training courses available. There will also be a series of templates and supporting materials to help schools and clubs set up and run school clubs and festivals or leagues. The resources comprise: a booklet including six-week block session plans for Year 7/U12, Year 8/U13 and Year 9/U14 a set of 47 delivery cards featuring a range of activities and challenges a bolt-on resource to assist with the introduction of goalkeepers a second bolt-on resource to assist with understanding the rules and umpiring A range of In 2 Hockey training courses 9

6 will also be available to assist with delivery. To provide as much flexibility and choice as possible, each course will be available as either a practical course or an online course: Core In 2 Hockey course (an introduction and chance to watch an In 2 Hockey session in action) Introduction to Goalkeepers Developing In 2 Hockey Umpires For further information please see Junior Competitions Framework and School Games The aim of the junior competitions framework is to ensure that appropriate levels of competition are available to young people of varying ages, ability and experience, within either a school or club setting. A major review of the EHB framework took place between March and May 2011 to ensure that it continues to serve this purpose and work practically on the ground. The review included direct consultation with schools and clubs either at one of eight nationwide consultation evenings, or via an online questionnaire. The outcome of the review recommended making slight changes to the framework with more significant changes being introduced from onwards. The changes for include the integration of the School Games a government initiative to encourage more schoolchildren to take part in competitive school sport. Going forward, hockey now has an extremely strong junior competitions framework in place. The development of more specific and adaptable versions of the game for specific age groups has resulted in a range of opportunities to suit differing levels of ability and experience within school and club age groups. The EHB national competitions offer more formal competitive opportunities at both 7- and 11-a-side. The roll out of the School Games from September 2011 will provide a developing schools tier of competition with opportunities for schools which are looking for a less formal or serious competitive experience. Competitions for developing clubs will be introduced from onwards. Leadership Throughout 2011 we have continued to run leadership courses, providing young people with an introduction to umpiring, managing and coaching. Moving forwards, and taking on board feedback received from schools and clubs, the leadership course will be redeveloped into a modular format to make it more flexible and more closely aligned with the delivery of Quicksticks and In 2 Hockey. The redevelopment will also ensure that the ongoing development pathways in each area are signposted more clearly. The modules will be available separately or in packages to form the equivalent of a leadership qualification. New formats for adults Alongside our work with young people, we have focused considerable effort on the development of new and different ways to attract adults back to the sport. A key aspect of our work has been to gain a better understanding of who is playing hockey and why and for those who aren t, what would encourage them to consider hockey as their sport of choice. Research from Sport England told us that there are 80,000 people in this country who are interested in playing hockey but who don t currently. The message that came through from this group is that they want to play hockey in more informal ways: in ways that will easily fit into busy working lifestyles and that avoid the need to commit for a whole season. They also told us that we needed to make it affordable on a weekly basis. The outcome of this insight led us to develop Back to Hockey specifically for women and Rush Hockey for all adults. These are two exciting additions to the sport which can be played in clubs, leisure centres and a variety of public and private sector sports facilities. So far the reaction has been very positive, and you can read more about the new formats later in this report. These new formats of the game will ensure that hockey offers a variety of ways to play. In turn, we believe that this will encourage people to participate whatever Rush Hockey the convenient way to fit hockey into your life their age, and whether they want to play the game formally in our clubs, or informally in the community. As a sport we are in great shape and this puts us in a very strong position to see significant growth after the London 2012 Olympic Games. Rush Hockey Following a thorough testing and development programme, Rush Hockey was launched in September Rush Hockey is the new, thrilling small-sided hockey game which can be played on a multitude of surfaces, indoors and outdoors, and is designed to fit neatly into a player s life. Rush Hockey involves shorter games, smaller teams it is 5-a-side a bigger, lighter ball, smaller goals and simpler rules which are easy to master. Since its launch, Rush Hockey has been well received by delivery operators and players. Fifty-eight separate Rush Hockey sites have run activity across England in conjunction with a host of different delivery partners including further education colleges, higher education institutions, hockey clubs and commercial leisure providers. Moving forwards into 2012, an online interactive league, team and player management system will be launched as part of the Rush Hockey website. The aim of this will be to support all Rush Hockey activity. The online system will enable: delivery operators to set up and manage leagues players to find Rush Hockey activity in their area team managers to easily sign up to activity, create and manage their team(s) Rush Hockey is set to be rolled out to more sites in 2012 and will engage with new and former players, as well as offering more playing opportunities to current players. Back to Hockey Back to Hockey is an exciting new programme aimed specifically at increasing female participation, offering fun and fitness in a friendly environment. It targets women who have played hockey before and want to give it Back to Hockey is attracting a lot of women back to the sport another go, and is also attracting women who have not previously played before. The Back to concept is one that a number of sports are employing as a means of increasing participation. Research suggests that there is a demand for an informal and sociable hockey experience that does not require the commitment of full club hockey. The flexibility of the programme is designed to allow women to dip in and out of sessions as their lifestyle allows. The programme has been well received and over 50 clubs have signed up to offer Back to Hockey since it was launched in September The Back to Hockey sessions are led by coaches and their purpose is to provide sessions that are right for the needs of the group, many of whom will have had different experiences of hockey. A lot of women are coming back to hockey, refreshing their skills, relearning the game and rediscovering their passion for a team game they once played. Early indicators are that Back to Hockey participants come along for a number of different reasons. These include fitness, competition, weight loss, learning new skills and making friends. Back to Hockey has the potential to reach thousands of women and we are firmly on track to provide a network of sites to satisfy demand

7 2011 achievements against our eight objectives Help our clubs and associations thrive Our continuing work in developing programmes and resources for clubs is now paying dividends. Over the season we have seen adult participation increase by 2,100 and young people by 3,700. However, although club membership is increasing, it appears that players particularly men are not playing as often, with team numbers down by 4% from This trend is echoed by the Sport England national survey of sporting participation which has reported lower participation across a wide range of sports. Our challenge is to find ways of increasing the number of players playing frequently. The economic climate is undoubtedly a factor but initiatives like Back To Hockey are designed to increase the amount of hockey being played. Rush Hockey can also play a part in making the sport more popular. Clubs ClubsFirst There are 287 ClubsFirst accredited clubs in England. A further 380 clubs are proactively working towards certification. 70% of hockey participants play in clubs that are ClubsFirst accredited, and last year the EHB undertook research to establish why some clubs flourish whilst others struggle. In order for clubs to thrive, three key factors emerged: a club must have a solid but realistic development plan in place, robust club-school links are needed to ensure a club s stability and encourage growth appropriate competition in particular for year-olds is required We have spent the last few months addressing all of these points. ClubsFirst offers clubs assistance to write a good development plan and also helps them to form at least ten club-school links. ClubsFirst also provides clubs with Quicksticks equipment to allow them to engage with schools. As mentioned previously, 2011 also saw the EHB undertake a review of club and school competitions. The changes which will be implemented as a result of this review will provide a wider range of competitive opportunities and will therefore help to address the lack of appropriate competition for year-olds. ClubsFirst continues to deliver against a number of areas of importance for hockey: recruiting and retaining key volunteers and officials developing and deploying appropriately qualified coaches and young leaders developing an appropriate club business plan ensuring an appropriate committee structure is in place and promoting good governance developing robust Club Community Links delivering young people to the Single System ensuring safeguards are in place for young people supporting facility development planning The ClubsFirst accreditation process moved online during the last 12 months and we are proud to report that we are one of the first National Governing Bodies to have made this move. The benefits have been a reduction in costs and an increase in efficiency. Feedback from clubs has been extremely positive and the online service has given us the opportunity to offer a much quicker support service. Grow Your Own The Grow Your Own (GYO) programme continues to thrive and we have seen a 13% increase in participation in GYO Clubs over the last 12 months. GYO aims to help clubs to be whatever they want to be. We recognise that not all clubs are the same and GYO was developed to support a diverse range of clubs needs. We recently released a new resource, GYO Players, which provides clubs with guidance on how to determine where to target potential new members and how to attract those people. The resource refers to the array of participation products and programmes available to clubs, including Quicksticks, In 2 Hockey and Back to Hockey. The 2011 GYO National Club Weekend saw 350 clubs take part in celebrating the start of the Olympic season. The programme attracted a national sponsor in the form of Harvester, the nationwide salad and grill restaurant chain, who travelled with us to the EHB Club of the Season Alderley Edge to record a promotional film and support the opening of their new pitch. We also visited Surrey Spartans, a club that was created a year ago and is now looking to establish a junior section. These are two very different clubs; one that is really starting to see the fruits of its labours with a club full of volunteers, young people and a new facility and the other at the start of its journey, establishing a good committee structure 13

8 Richard Mantell helps Leamington Spa to release their balloons at their Club Day as part of the 2011 Harvester Grow Your Own National Club Weekend and development plan. Both of these clubs are leading by example and are helping others to grow. Communication Club communications have continued to improve during 2011 with the introduction of electronic communications and the explosion of social media. Clubs have embraced Twitter and Facebook, with a third of clubs represented on Twitter in particular. This enables us to transfer information extremely quickly to a person in the club to whom we may not usually have access. We find that those who look after the clubs social media tend to have access to internal club communication channels which increases the reach of EHB messaging. Surrey Spartans HC s Harvester Grow Your Own Club Day We would like to thank our club social media users for supporting our communications. Through electronic newsletters clubs receive monthly updates and newsletters from the EHB which they can pass on to their members who are also encouraged to subscribe. We can track the success of these mailings and react to the types of information and news clubs wish to see. Affiliated clubs benefitted from a fantastic London 2012 Olympic Games ticket offer, which the EHB negotiated on behalf of its members. This offer provided clubs with a pair of tickets for every team they affiliated to the EHB. Hockey was one of the few sports that accessed tickets for all of its members. Facilities 2011 saw a significant increase in the resources dedicated to facilities work in England. The Capital Investment Programme continues; it has delivered seven refurbishments and three newbuilds, with similar numbers currently underway. This is thanks to capital funding received from Sport England and the National Lottery which the EHB negotiated on behalf of its affiliated clubs. Participation has risen significantly at these facilities and we are in the process of assessing player satisfaction. The largest area of facilities work during 2011 came from the need to develop robust guidance for those wishing to build and justify the need for a hockey facility, or ensure the safe future of an existing hockey facility. The EHB spent time conducting an audit to assess which clubs used which facilities and for how many hours per week. A quality assessment of pitches and their age was also conducted. The results showed that around 50% of current playing stock is in need of refurbishment alongside areas which have a need to expand their facility base. It is incredibly important that having now identified the stock that is in need of attention, we are able to demonstrate why the site is of importance to our sport. There are now a number of tools, which are summarised in the EHB s facilities guidance document The Right Pitches in the Right Place, available on the EHB website, which will assist stakeholders in making informed decisions about the future of their facility. We have developed a strong relationship with the facilities department at Sport England which acts as a statutory consultant on planning applications. We have also developed a good working liaison with The FA with whom we share a number of facilities. A collaborative partnership with The FA over the past 12 months has resulted in more coordinated thinking about the future of Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) in many areas. We continue to invest time and energy to secure the future facility stock for hockey. Coaching Coaching Development Programme The development of coaches and coaching remains a high priority for the EHB. The EHB s initiative for developing coaches known as Coaching Clubs has continued to progress in After four coaching roadshows in May which informed coaches of recent developments in the area of coaching, the Coaching Clubs were seen as a way to further inform and support coaches. The objective was to create groups of coaches who regularly meet to develop their coaching knowledge and skills through discussions, workshops and expert sessions. There are now 12 Coaching Groups in operation, which are enabling us to develop a community of practice. This is broken down into four elite coaching groups, four performance coaching groups and four development coaching groups in four geographical areas around the country. Within these groups, coaches continue to work on their individual coaching action plan, and the EHB is able to pass information further down the coach pathway to enhance the delivery of hockey coaching from grassroots to the podium. Coach Pathway Model The EHB introduced the Coach Pathway Model this time last year and it has received praise both within hockey and outside. In the same way that a player has a pathway to follow as they improve and develop their skills, we wanted to create a pathway for our coaches to follow. The EHB coaching team was asked to present the model at the UK Coaching Summit in Belfast in June 2011, and many other National Governing Bodies and University contacts have sought out further meetings with the EHB to discuss the model. More recently, a Coach Workforce Model was published, which is helping with the recruitment of an appropriately qualified workforce. Coach Resources Volumes 1 and 2 of the Proud to Coach e-book series proved to be very popular throughout the year and Proud to Coach Volume 3 was launched in December 2011, helping to aid the application of the first two volumes. There are further exciting developments planned with the sharing of resources, and 2012 will be an exciting year for the communication of key technical and tactical detail for coaches. The EHB continues to lead the way in the world of coaching and, in 2011, introduced the first ever goalkeeper specific coaching accreditation in World Hockey CCCs (Centrally Contracted Coaches) and CCCEs (Centrally Contracted Coach Educators) The continuing development of the EHB s centrally contracted workforce in both performance and education continues to support improving standards across the hockey playing environment. Their professional approach is setting key targets around the country and helping to ensure a consistency in the delivery of coaching. The Coach Pathway is clearly identified, and adding CCCs to National Age Group Squad programmes is enhancing the delivery of junior programmes in the regions as they bring the knowledge gained at international level back to county and regional level. With mentoring from the CCCEs, this can only raise the overall quality in the delivery of coaching. Goalkeeper Bronze Award The EHB has led the way with the first ever goalkeeper specific coaching accreditation in world hockey. The Bronze Award designed and developed by Roger Newcombe, Helen Birch and Jane Powell was delivered in each of the five regions last year and received excellent reviews

9 Qualifications continue to form an important part in the coach development and education system, and in 2011 we have achieved the following: LEVEL 1: 1,188 Level 1 Coaching Assistants LEVEL 2: 373 people attended a Level 2 VRQ Award course including fast-track course attendees, with 206 completions LEVEL 3: The Level 3 VRQ award maintained its popularity in 2011 with two courses at Lilleshall. There were 55 candidates in total and 19 completions during the year LEVEL 4: The Level 4 Coach Award and Post Graduate Diploma in Elite Coaching Practice has moved on apace and our first three graduates were Karen Brown, Craig Parnham and Bobby Crutchley. The impact this course will have on hockey will be measured in the years to come, but we believe it will make a considerable contribution to the development of our future elite coaches. There are six coaches on the second cohort, and in 2011 we expanded the programme from elite coaches and started the first scheme aimed at coaches who focus on Talent Development. OFFICIATING Umpiring Throughout the year we saw continued growth and success in umpiring and officiating. At club level we had a record year with more than 2,000 new umpires participating in 127 Level 1 Umpire Award Courses nationwide. At the top end of the spectrum (Level 3) in the national programme, the National Programme Umpiring Association (NPUA) has made in excess of 2,000 umpire appointments and 400 coaching and assessing appointments. These include the outdoor and indoor England Hockey League (EHL) and all national tournaments and events. Internationally, England s Frances Block became the first British umpire to be appointed to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The men s officials were announced in late December and Hamish Jamson was selected. The EHB wishes Frances and Hamish every success. We are delighted to have our umpires on the Olympic stage. National Young Umpire Promising List We are very proud of our National Young Umpiring Programme. In 2011, more than 250 young umpires were in action at age-group competition finals. As with players, young umpires participate locally in Junior Academy Centres and Junior Development Centres and progress through both tiers of the Junior Regional Performance Centres. The National Young Umpire Promising List (NYUPL) is for the most talented individuals and it is from this list that the majority of our Level 3 Umpires originate and develop. In 2011 five more NYUPL graduates moved on to the Level 3 list. Technical Officiating Our register of technical officials grew this year with a 25% increase in the number participating at national level. Importantly, a number of the recruits are young and new to hockey. We now have five young officials on the international lists and each is receiving regular and exciting appointments at the highest level of European competition. Some are receiving regular FIH appointments. In 2011, there were 44 international appointments for officials and 12 international appointments for umpire managers, including two to the EuroHockey Nations Championship Finals. VOLUNTEERING A number of new initiatives and processes for volunteers and volunteering have been introduced, and we are now in a much stronger position as we move towards the 2012 Olympic Games. At club level, we now know how many volunteers operate regularly and, at national level, we have grown our volunteers database three-fold. There are now 700 volunteers registered for events and activities. Throughout 2011, we advertised event roles with role descriptions and selected from an open application process for many roles. The number of registered volunteers who are under the age of 25 has grown by 37% and the number of new volunteers deployed alongside more experienced volunteers at national events, including the highly successful Super Sixes and London Cup, rose from 28 to 206. These included the candidates for the Olympic Ball Patrol. The National Youth Panel (NYP) has played a significant role in helping to recruit more young people and students into volunteering. Their innovative use of social media and networking activities to promote opportunities and recruit volunteers has been key to this. In 2011 the NYP recruited more than 100 new volunteers to hockey. The EHB Annual Awards were once again a highlight of the year. In 2011, the champion volunteers celebrated their successes at a fabulous lunch as part of the London Cup. In reaching its conclusion, the awards panel considered 501 nominations and votes for the 14 awards. The winners can be seen in the table below. Competitions 2011 Winners of The EHB Annual Awards Sheila Plant, Champion Volunteer for 2011, collects her award from Philip Kimberley and Sally Munday The competitions and events programme started with a bang as the Super Sixes Finals arrived at a new venue, Wembley Arena. The move to the capital saw an increased attendance on previous years with 4,778 fans enjoying a spectacular afternoon s entertainment. Bowdon Hightown took the women s Performance Player of the Season (Male): James Fair, Cannock HC Performance Player of the Season (Female): Beth Storry, Reading HC Young Performance Player of the Season (Male): Harry Martin, Old Loughtonians HC Young Performance Player of the Season (Female): Georgie Twigg, Clifton HC Performance Coach of the Season: Charlie Bannister, England U16 Boys Performance Umpire of the Season: Frances Block Young Performance Umpire of the Season: Nick Bennett Harvester Club of the Season: Alderley Edge HC Club Team of the Season (Male): West Hampstead Men s 1st XI Club Team of the Season (Female): Sutton Coldfield Women s 1st XI Club Member of the Season: Matthew Dean, London Wayfarers HC Club Coach of the Season (Male), sponsored by Perkins Slade: Alan Gormley, Bromsgrove HC Club Coach of the Season (Female), sponsored by Perkins Slade: Helen Jelley, Leicester Ladies HC Club Umpire of the Season: Ken Buckley, Bromsgrove HC League, County or Association Volunteer of the Season: Tony Moffatt, North Hockey Association Champion Volunteer: Sheila Plant, Southern Counties Hockey Association Lifetime Achievement Award: John Gawley, Havant HC title on penalty strokes, after an epic encounter with Reading. East Grinstead retained the men s title for a third successive year, thanks to an 8-5 win over Beeston. Having been denied silverware in the indoor game, Reading ladies and Beeston men made up for this in clinching the England Hockey League (EHL) Championship titles. In the finals, they overcame the teams that had topped the EHL Premier Divisions at the end of the regular season Leicester women and East Grinstead men. Both finals were very tight with Reading defeating Leicester 3-2 and Beeston overcoming East Grinstead 2-1. The third place play-off in the men s event which came with Euro Hockey League qualification saw Reading defeat Surbiton 3-1. Beeston added the Men s Cup to their trophy cabinet with a 6-2 victory over Doncaster, and Bowdon Hightown took the women s crown beating Surbiton 3-1. These results qualified Reading and Leicester women and Beeston, East Grinstead and Reading men as England s representatives in European club competitions. John Gawley on his way to collect his Lifetime Achievement Award 16 17

10 2011 SENIOR ROLL OF HONOUR EVENT HOST WINNERS England Hockey League Championships held at Cannock HC Women s Championships Reading Men s Championships Beeston Women s Conf. East Sevenoaks Women s Conf. North Sutton Coldfield Women s Conf. West Buckingham Men s Conf. East Southgate Men s Conf. North Durham University Men s Conf. West University of Exeter Women s Championships Bowdon Hightown Men s Championships East Grinstead The EHL promotion play-offs at Cannock saw the three EHL Conference winners join the team finishing in ninth place in the EHL Premier Division in a four team round robin, with two teams qualifying for the top flight in In the women s event, the Premier Division team, Olton & West Warwickshire retained their top flight status and they were joined by Sutton Coldfield from Conference North. In the men s event, the University of Exeter from Conference West and Southgate from Conference East gained promotion saw the introduction and restructuring of a number of competitions for young people in line with the junior competitions review. The review included an online survey and a series of seminars around the country which gave those involved in junior hockey the opportunity to feed back on proposals. Listening to this input from the hockey playing community is vital to helping the EHB make good decisions about the future of the sport. The restructuring will encourage greater participation, something that we have already begun to witness. The main change ahead of the season was the introduction of a league-based competition for U16s rather than a straight knockout competition. This new format of competition saw an increase in the number of entries, and it was a similar story in the U14 age group which, for the second year, was run in a similar format. In the senior competitions, Masters hockey remains a growth area with increased entries compared to The Mixed Cup also proved increasingly popular. However, other knock-out competitions have seen a reduction in entries with the increasing demands on clubs a key factor in this. As a result, the future of these competitions remains under scrutiny it is highly important that the EHB provides competitions and services that our participants want. The EHB was again extremely grateful to the clubs and organisations that assisted with the staging of its domestic events programme during the year, both indoors and outdoors, around the country, and we would like to record our congratulations and thanks to the clubs listed in the Senior and Junior Roll of Honours. It was another successful year for Beeston with titles won at all levels throughout the club Super Sixes Senior Finals Wembley Arena Tonbridge School Women s Div 1 Harleston Magpies Men s Div 1 Sevenoaks Women s Div 2 Firebrands Men s Div 2 Hampstead & Westminster Men s Trophy West Hampstead Men s Vase Burnt Ash Men s O40s Cup Ipswich Men s O40s Plate City of Peterborough Men s O50s Cup Indian Gymkhana Men s O50s Plate Holcombe Women s Trophy Wimbledon Women s Vase Alderley Edge Women s O35s Cup Ipswich Women s O35s Plate Horsham Women s O40s Cup Wimbledon Women s Trophy Havant Nicky O Donnell lifts the Women s Cup in celebration of their victory 2011 JUNIOR ROLL OF HONOUR EVENT HOST WINNERS Junior Indoor Finals sponsored by Man Girls Schools Cup Finals sponsored by Man U16 & U18 Cup Finals sponsored by Man Girls U16 & U18 Schools Boys U18 Clubs Fleming Park Boys U16 & U18 Schools Girls U18 Clubs Whitgift School Boys & Girls U16 Clubs Aldersley Leisure Centre Cannock HC Canterbury HC U16 Boys Schools Whitgift School U16 Girls Schools Ipswich School U18 Boys Schools Whitgift School U18 Girls Schools Repton School U16 Boys Clubs Canterbury U16 Girls Clubs Wycombe U18 Boys Clubs Wycombe U18 Girls Clubs Beeston U14 Repton School U16 Wakefield High School for Girls U18 Kingston Grammar School U16 Boys Beeston U18 Boys Beeston U16 Girls Wakefield 2nd XI Cup & Trophy Finals Cannock HC Women s Cup University of Birmingham Men s Trophy Preston U18 Girls Surbiton U16 Boys Bromley & Beckenham Cup Finals Highfields Hockey Centre Men s Cup Beeston Men s Beeston Women s Bowdon Hightown U16 & U18 Plate Finals sponsored by Man Bowdon HC U18 Boys Woking U16 Girls Old Loughtonians U18 Girls Horsham Senior County Championships Sheffield HC Men s A Division Yorkshire Men s B Division Hertfordshire Men s C Division Gloucestershire Boys Schools Cup Finals sponsored by Man Cannock HC U14 Whitgift School U16 Royal Grammar School Guildford U18 Cranleigh School Mixed Finals Sheffield HC Plate Bedford Cup Cannock U13 Schools Finals Highfields Hockey Centre Boys Whitgift School Girls Kent School U12 Clubs Finals Highfields Hockey Centre Boys Wycombe Girls Surbiton 18 19

11 2011 achievements against our eight objectives During 2011 the Single System continued to develop in a number of areas. With the structure now established, the primary focus is on continuing to improve the quality across each element. Embed the Single System throughout the sport Junior Development Centres and Junior Academy Centres The Junior Development Centres (JDCs), which run in the second part of the calendar year, saw nearly 10,000 young players participate in 141 centres. As the main entry point for the player pathway, it is key that the players are exposed to all of the core skills required to develop as hockey players not only at the centres, but also in their schools and clubs. The Junior Academy Centres (JACs), which are delivered in the first part of the year, saw an increase in the number of players attending, with over 7,000 young people passing through 45 centres. It would not be possible to run the JDCs and JACs without the continued support from and work of volunteers in the County Associations and organisations that work closely with the EHB Relationship Managers. We are extremely grateful to the energy and efforts of these volunteers in this important area of the sport. Junior Regional Performance Centres It is the JDCs and JACs which underpin the Junior Regional Performance Centres (JRPCs). These are coordinated by the Regional Hockey Associations. In 2011, more than 2,800 players attended one of the 12 centres for six training sessions held over the summer months and two competition days held in September. The JRPCs focused on the application of core skills in game-related environments to ensure that players continue to develop their decision-making skills. Off the pitch, the players were educated to support their on-pitch development. This included generic fitness principles, injury management and prevention, and the next steps for players after a JRPC. One of the real strengths of the JRPCs is the number of coaches involved who are appointed from the regions that work alongside EHB appointed Centrally Contracted Coaches (CCCs). Centrally Contracted Coach Educators This year also saw the inclusion of the EHB Centrally Contracted Coach Educators (CCCEs) who supported the CCCs and provided feedback once the programme was completed. To deliver a player development programme on this scale requires a large number of volunteers from the Regional Associations. Without these volunteers, the activity would not be possible and we would like to record our sincere thanks to all involved. From the JRPCs, 256 U15 and U17 players were selected to attend one of the High Performance Assessment Camps (HiPACs). The aim of the camps, held in Leeds and Lilleshall, is to provide a training environment which mirrors that of a young international player on an England training camp. In addition, 288 U16 and U18 players were selected from the JRPCs and participated in the Futures Cup held at Cannock HC during October half-term. The tournament comprises 16 squads of 18 players who compete over a four day period for the honour of being crowned the top team in their age group. Over and above the results, though, is the opportunity to be a part of and experience a top quality youth hockey competition. Club and school activity Away from the Single System delivery centres, it is important to highlight the significance of the impact that club and school activity has on players. Clubs and schools are integral both to the introduction of players to hockey and also for their lifelong participation once they are too old, or leave the pathway to continue their hockey. Links between clubs and schools and the Single System centres, not forgetting the input required from coaches, managers, officials and teachers, are essential if the EHB is to achieve its participation aims. As previously stated, the review of the junior competitions framework involved all club, school and Single System competitions. One of the aims of the review was to ensure that the different strands were linked together to provide players with a consistent competition experience. Online Player Registration System A major new addition to the delivery of the Single System this year was the Online Player Registration System. The primary aim of the system is to reduce the burden on volunteers with the large volume of paperwork that is required to administrate and deliver the centres. The system was launched in May at JRPC level and resulted in more than 3,000 registrations across the 12 centres including players, coaches, managers and administrators. The online system was rolled out to JACs in January 2012 and will be implemented for JDCs in July As well as providing a registration function, the system also allows player assessments and feedback to be completed online. Over time, this will allow a player to build up a complete record of their Single System journey. Over the next few years the system will continue to develop to become more efficient and offer more functionality to users. Our approach and software is widely admired by other sports. 21

12 2011 achievements against our eight objectives 2011 saw podium success for the senior men and women, and both teams are ready to be highly competitive in Senior women s programme Following a short England indoor programme, Great Britain restarted their programme at the beginning of February. Matches took place against Ireland (2-1 and 2-0 wins) and Belgium (4-0 and 6-0 wins). Quarterly reviews took place at the end of March where squad decisions were made. Great Britain also played China in three test matches at Bisham Abbey in May (1-1, 2-1 and 1-0). England women competed in the FIH Champions Trophy in June in Amsterdam. After a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in the first game, they drew their next two games against Korea and China. This prevented progression to the top four, but they finished the tournament fifth after defeating Germany and Australia twice. Fifth place qualified Great Britain for the 2012 Champions Trophy in Argentina. Following the Women s Champions Trophy, the squad returned to Bisham for final preparations for the EuroHockey Nations Championships, in which they competed as England. This included two test matches against The Netherlands in which Great Britain, playing in the first match, and England, playing in the second match, won both. In the first game of the EuroHockey Nations Championships, England newly sponsored by Investec beat Belgium 4-0. This was followed by a 2-0 defeat of Germany and, in the final pool match, a 3-1 defeat of Ireland. Winning the pool set up a semi-final against The Netherlands, which was unexpected as the Dutch had lost to Spain in their pool game. England lost the semi-final against The Netherlands which was disappointing for all athletes, but they bounced back to beat Spain 2-1 to win the bronze medal. Great Britain women returned for training at Bisham Abbey in October, and the focus turned to a final preparation training camp in San Diego at the end of November for two weeks before the Champions Trophy in January Senior men s programme England s men ready to accept Barry Middleton on the ball at their European bronze medal the Indoor World Cup Following preparation camps and tournaments in Germany and Austria, England men competed in the Indoor World Cup in Poland for the first time Achieve International Podium Success England s men ready to accept their European bronze medal 23

13 ever. With three wins and two defeats in the pool matches the last a narrow 3-2 defeat to Austria England were defeated by The Netherlands in the 5th v 6th play-off. Sixth place was a fair reflection of the progress made by the group and performances James Tindall celebrates at the London Cup, used for preparation ahead of the EuroHockey Nations Championships throughout the tournament. Our lack of indoor experience was offset by the benefit to the outdoor programme as we continued to use the indoor programme to develop our outdoor internationals. Following the Indoor World Cup, Great Britain training camps restarted at Bisham Abbey at the beginning of March for four weeks, leading into the GB Super League and the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia in May. Prior to the GB Super League, there were two practice games against Canada (6-0 win and 0-0). The GB Super League was once again used for talent identification for GB with the England-based teams also being used for selection to the England A programme in This group had already played Scotland (5-1 and 3-1 wins) and went on to play New Zealand and Egypt later in the summer. The GB team finished third at the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament behind Australia and Pakistan. The men s final preparation for the EuroHockey Nations Championships included participation in the London Cup at Chiswick where they finished third after beating Belgium, in their final game. Prior to that match, in the pool phase, England suffered narrow defeats to Korea and Belgium and beat New Zealand. Additional games also took place after the London Cup against Korea and Egypt. Just prior to the EuroHockey Nations Championships, the men held a training camp in Germany with two test matches and also in Spain, again with test matches. The EuroHockey Nations Championships began with a challenging game against Ireland which resulted in a 4-2 victory. This was followed by a narrow defeat to The Netherlands in a thrilling game. England finished the pool matches with an 8-1 defeat of France. These results set up a semi-final against Germany which was sadly ruined by the pitch flooding and the game taking nearly three hours to complete. Germany eventually won the match 3-0 to reach the final. The bronze medal game against Belgium was a very tight affair which England won 2-1 with a golden goal. The Great Britain programme restarted in late September with a focus on preparation for the FIH Champions Trophy which took place in Auckland, New Zealand from 3-11 December, replacing the original venue of India. Great Britain finished sixth in the Champions Trophy with wins over Pakistan and Korea and a 1-0 loss to Germany in the 5th v 6th match. The sixth place finish moved England up one place in the world rankings to fourth. The Champions Trophy was followed by a short indoor programme for England, in preparation for the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championships in Leipzig, Germany in the middle of January National Age Group Squad (NAGS) / Player Development The England U18 boys and girls teams competed in the EuroHockey Youth Nations Championships in The Netherlands in July. The girls won the bronze medal after defeating Ireland. The boys finished sixth after a play-off win over Ireland. However, the tournament was marred for the group by a serious injury to a player in the second game against Belgium. Thankfully, with good medical support, he will make a full recovery. The U16 and U21 groups completed their development/assessment programme for the year. The U21 programme will see increased contact time throughout the coming year in preparation for the 2012 EuroHockey Junior Nations Championships. The Single System player registration system mentioned earlier and introduced at the JRPC programme will support the NAGs selection at the Futures Cup and HIPAC. National Performance Centres (NPCs) In the National Performance Centre (NPC) programme, 37 athletes aged 19 to 23 completed the programme. Applications were reviewed and completed, and 43 places were confirmed for the NPC programme. The majority of the athletes are based at East and West Midlands, with athletes also based at Sheffield, Manchester and Hockey West. The NPC programme continues to work in tandem with the England U21 and England A programmes and is integral to preparing athletes for senior international hockey. Elite Coaching The coaching team was busy in all strands of delivery across the system. This included the launch of the performance and development Coaching Clubs that support our high performance CDP programme and are used to facilitate learning around topics such as performance analysis, Sports Science and coaching practices. England s women show off their European bronze medals with the tournament mascot Over the next 12 months we aim to welcome more than 300 coaches to Coaching Clubs. The 5x4 coach workforce model has been actively used through a website and at the Coaching Clubs. Proud to Coach resources go from strength to strength with Proud To Coach Volumes 1, 2 and 3, along with the goalkeeper DVD, now released. Once again, the EHB was short-listed for the sports coach UK NGB of the year award, which we won in Facilities Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre (NSC) has now been further enhanced with the replacement of the playing surface, which is identical to that of the Olympic Park but green in colour. A dedicated video tower has also been built, along with a support building for video review and meetings. At Lilleshall NSC there is new spectator seating and a new clubhouse which provides extra changing and meeting rooms for junior training camps. Rankings The women finished the year ranked fourth in the world and the men retained their fourth place ranking. Both teams achieved podium finishes in 2011 and are ready to be highly competitive in

14 2011 achievements against our eight objectives London 2012 offers hockey the opportunity for a lasting legacy both in terms of physical facilities and increased interest in our sport. Maximise the opportunities of 2012 Although the Olympic hockey tournament will take place in a temporary facility, a permanent legacy facility with two water-based pitches and 3,000 permanent seats will be built by 2014 north of the Olympic Park. The stadium will have the capability to accommodate seating for 15,000 for future international events, and although it will become the home for national finals and international matches, the vast majority of usage will come from local clubs. It is a facility that is desperately needed in that part of London and the owners of the stadium, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, have already begun liaising with local clubs to ensure that they can meet local demand for the facility. team to present the plans for the Hockey Nation programme and London 2012 to all stakeholders. An opportunity was provided for everyone to learn about the activities which commenced in September 2011 ask questions and sign up to the activities which will cover the whole of the country. Details of the 2012 Hockey Nation programme are available on the EHB website and a summary of what is going on follows. The blue and pink hockey pitches stand out in the Olympic Park, and we are launching a number of initiatives to ensure that our sport stands out during the Olympic period The Big Dribble The 2012 programme will commence with a UK roadshow The npower Big Dribble. Starting in Scotland and finishing at the Olympic Park, The npower Big Dribble will visit 40 cities and towns across the UK over 18 days. Each leg will involve an opportunity for members of the public to try hockey and to engage with local hockey club members. In addition, a local Hockey Development Plan is being developed to capture local interest in the Olympic Games and turn that into increased numbers of players, coaches, spectators and officials. The Great Britain senior men s squad has undertaken some wonderful work with youngsters in the area who have never previously been involved in hockey. The squad coached them so that a team could take part in a tournament in The Netherlands. This initiative has been showcased as exactly the sort of legacy that was envisaged when London bid to host the Games and has won both hockey and the GB Senior Men s squad many plaudits. Hockey Nation 2012 Events and Activities The past 18 months have seen a great deal of planning by the EHB to enable the launch on behalf of Great Britain Hockey of a series of events and activities to capitalise on the opportunities offered by London The aim is to build upon the increased profile of hockey and, through a series of initiatives under the Hockey Nation banner, turn it into tangible engagement with the sport. Hockey Nation engagement roadshow Are You Ready? The EHB conducted a ten-venue roadshow which allowed the executive 27

15 At each location, members of the public will dribble a ball around a 100m course, contributing to a cumulative Guinness World Record target of 2012 km. They will also have the opportunity to sign a giant hockey ball to wish the Great Britain teams good luck at the Olympic Games. Ball Patrol On behalf of Great Britain Hockey, the EHB received over 1,000 applications from people eager to volunteer as a member of the ball patrol team at the Olympic Games. From the applications, 100 people were invited to attend two weekends of training and selection at the GB Super League competition at Lilleshall and Cardiff. With LOCOG s support, 36 people were selected and put forward as Games Makers (London 2012 Ball Patroller). The Ball Patrol is a highly important role and the EHB has ensured hockey players and fans are placed in this post. These Games Makers will be the closest to the action at London Hockey Houses Play Portal With the support of Harvester s parent company Mitchells and Butlers, 20 O Neill s bars will be transformed into venues for hockey fans and the public to come together to watch all of Great Britain s hockey matches at the Olympic Games. A further 15 venues, including hockey clubs and leisure facilities, will also become Hockey Houses. Hockey Houses will be given a GB Hockey makeover with British branding, posters, cut-outs and more to create a fantastic hockey viewing environment. The EHB will develop and run an online and telephone service which will allow anyone who has been inspired by hockey during the Olympic Games to find their nearest hockey activity based on a series of preferences. Using the full range of programmes and products that the EHB has to offer including Quicksticks, In2Hockey, Back2Hockey and Rush Hockey as well as the opportunity to watch, volunteer or visit a club, the service will ensure that anyone who wants to get involved with hockey will have the opportunity to do so. Clubs running activities will be able to advertise their events through the service to attract new members to hockey. Olympians Send Off Gala Dinner The Olympic Send Off event is a ticketed gala dinner for VIPs, sponsors, businesses, members of The 1908 Club, Great Britain squad members, the hockey family, the media and members of the general public. It will provide the opportunity for guests to dine with the two Olympic hockey squads and wish them well, ahead of the Olympic Games. Come and Meet The Come and Meet programme will see Great Britain athletes visit schools across the country. Their visits will be used to promote In2Hockey and to inspire young people to play hockey. Jonty Clarke with a group of young players. The Come and Meet programme will see GB athletes vist schools across the country. Coach Engagement Day The athletes will deliver an In2Hockey session, answer questions from the young people and sign autographs. Five Week Frenzy Five Week Frenzy will see hundreds of hockey sessions hosted across the country as we look to welcome to our sport all those people inspired by Great Britain s teams at the Olympics. Five Week Frenzy begins with the start of the Olympic Games and runs to the Harvester Grow Your Own Club Weekend in early September HockneyNation_A5DPS_outline.indd Whether somebody is looking for a hockey club or just somewhere to play hockey casually with friends, there will be plenty of hockey sessions going on at leisure centres, hockey clubs and other venues. With coaching sessions for kids, new and returning players, Rush Hockey, In2Hockey, Quicksticks, summer camps, tournaments, festivals and more there really will be something for everyone. All Five Week Frenzy activity will be registered with and advertised on the EHB s online portal. Coach Engagement Day offers coaches the opportunity to attend a Great Britain training session at Bisham Abbey with the country s leading coaches. GB Head Coaches Danny Kerry and Jason Lee will both be miked-up with guests able to hear everything they say, learning how they interact with their players and coaching team colleagues. 19/10/ :28 29

16 2011 achievements against our eight objectives Raise the profile of the sport and improve communications The EHB has continued to invest in the development of its communications to enhance coverage of the sport. The year saw particular growth in the areas of media coverage, website traffic, social media and the organisation s targeted e-zines. Media One million people tuned in and logged on to the BBC s coverage of England s men and women at the EuroHockey Nations Championships. The figures were described by the BBC as very healthy and will prove useful in future discussions with broadcasters. Following the EHB s partnership with David Welch Management in 2010, high quality coverage of the England and Great Britain teams in the mainstream media continued apace in Highlights included a series with ITV London s news programme following the Great Britain men s team s work with young people in Newham, and a number of films featuring Great Britain athletes and coaches for the BBC s Olympic Dreams series. Coverage in the mainstream press has included full page colour features in The Times and the Daily Express, as well as a growth in high profile online blogs published on behalf of Great Britain on websites including Inside the Games and Sky Sports News. The launch of the blue and pink Olympic hockey pitch generated excellent coverage in every major news and sports outlet in the country, on TV, in print and online. To ensure that the sport s new grassroots participation programmes receive appropriate public exposure, specialist sport and fitness PR agency Promote has been engaged to raise the profile of Rush Hockey, Back to Hockey and other Hockey Nation initiatives. Website The EHB website has gone from strength to strength with unique visitor numbers for the year up 10% on last year. 642,000 unique visitors logged on to the site over the course of the year with more than 60,000 people visiting it in the months of September, October and November In response to this increased demand and the anticipated growth in traffic in the Olympic year, development work has begun on improvements to the site to provide visitors with a better experience and to facilitate better integration with social media vehicles, allowing users to share content on the website with friends. The Great Britain Hockey website, which will be the focal point for the Hockey Nation programme and supporter interest for the Great Britain teams in 2012, will also link more seamlessly with the site while retaining its independent identity. Social Media The EHB s presence on social media has continued to grow. With more than 5,000 followers on Facebook and over 6,000 on Twitter, social media offers an alternative way to communicate with hockey players, supporters, club officials, the media and important stakeholders particularly young people. Social media has allowed the EHB to engage with supporters during tournaments, providing information on events on and off the pitch, and has brought together hockey players from different clubs across the country, united by an interest in hockey. The EHB now communicates with stakeholders through a series of regular e-newsletters. Flick, our monthly e-newsletter, contains information of a more general nature and is distributed to more than 30,000 people. Club Together, also monthly, contains more targeted information of interest to hockey club administrators and has been very well received. There are also newsletters dedicated to umpires and officials, people involved with schools and young people s hockey, coaches, and those interested in what hockey is doing in the commercial landscape. Results Service We continue to provide a proactive and highly responsive match results service for all of our national teams, from the England and Great Britain senior sides down to the U16s. Match results and reports are sent to the media and uploaded to the website as quickly as possible, and this year social media coverage has also been included when possible. In 2011, the results service was provided for 52 senior international fixtures and 91 National Age Group Squad matches. EHTV In late 2011 EHTV, the EHB s narrowcast platform, was re-launched on YouTube as part of a strategy to further improve and integrate the organisation s communications, making them more accessible and user friendly. Maintaining a YouTube presence will allow the EHB to showcase more widely and more quickly its footage of matches, interviews and features, and will enable fans to share content and engage with the EHB and each other through the platform. 31

17 2011 achievements against our eight objectives A different strategic approach to our sponsorship sales has reaped rewards with significant progress made in securing new partners. Develop a broader income base and reduce reliance on grant income Sponsorship Specialist Bank and Asset Management company Investec became Principal Partner of GB and England Women s Hockey. In a five-year landmark deal, comfortably the biggest in women s sport in 2011, Investec has sponsored the elite squads and its branding was first seen at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in August. Furthermore, the partnership covers the sponsorship of English domestic women s cup competitions, Quicksticks and the Investec London Cup. Money from the deal has been reinvested in these programmes, including providing team and individual prize money for the domestic women s competitions, and significant work is going into promoting the partnership, which will significantly raise the profile of women s hockey and our top players. We have also joined forces with some other notable brands. Harvester, part of the Mitchells and Butlers pub and restaurant operation, has become the Official Restaurant Partner of GB and England Hockey and the partner for Grow Your Own. Harvester s contribution will act as a fillip to our work with clubs, as well as helping us promote hockey to their substantial customer base. Man continues to support the junior programmes, including the Single System, enabling us to offer free entry to parents and spectators at junior events. Maxifuel, an existing partner, has expanded its involvement by sponsoring the Maxifuel Super Sixes Championships and Finals, which will take place at Wembley Arena until Maxifuel s investment enables the EHB to fund TV production and coverage, enabling us to grow the awareness and reach of the event. We will be working with npower on The Big Dribble, our flagship 2012 activity. The npower Big Dribble will benefit from greater profile, and the utility firm will help the event minimise its carbon footprint through the use of electric vehicles. Other new partnerships include Debenhams, who will be providing the national teams with formal wear, Iceni water, our Official Water Supplier, and Yakult, our Official Probiotic Supplier. We would like to thank all those businesses whose contribution to GB and England Hockey is so valuable and well received. The 1908 Club The EHB launched an Executive Club in The 1908 Club enables small and medium-sized businesses to forge a rare and exclusive association with our international teams and comes with a series of excellent benefits including an association with world-class sporting success, an athlete appearance at a company event, networking events and VIP tickets to our major match programme, including England matches. Investec, Yakult, SportLived, SLS, Ogilvie Fleet, Iceni Water, Mercian Hockey, Nemisys, Fixtures Live, Futures Sports Ltd, Trio Plus Ltd, DCS Europe, CI Unite, Pop Up Arena, Eagle Graphics and Greg Hutchings have joined The 1908 Club and we hope to grow the membership over the coming years as our events and match programme develops. Super Sixes Finals A rebrand, changes to the event programme, choosing Wembley Arena as the venue and improved marketing delivered a 102% increase in attendance from 2010 and a 73% increase in net revenue with 4,778 people in attendance. Research demonstrated the customer experience was high, with 88% saying they would come again and 94% would recommend to a friend. The England player autograph signings proved very popular. The marked improvements has resulted in us securing a new event sponsor, Maxifuel, for 2012 which has also meant we have secured funding for TV production again, with Sky Sports committing to televise the finals for three years. We have also committed to Wembley Arena until London Cup In 2011 the EHB staged the inaugural London Cup at the University of Westminster s sports grounds in Chiswick. We intend to build on this event ensuring that hockey fans have an annual opportunity to support the national team in an international competition on home turf. Over four days of competition, 6,139 people attended the London Cup, enjoying an excellent men s tournament won by South Korea. The hospitality facility played host to a networking lunch for members of The 1908 Club, a Ladies Evening and the EHB Annual Awards Event, all of which were enjoyed by those who attended. The success of the event and vision for its future helped secure the sponsorship of Investec who will help us take it to the next level. In 2012, the event will be a series of women s GB internationals, the final international tournament before London Retail and Licensing The England Hockey [online] Store was launched in 2011 in conjunction with Barrington Sports, the EHB s Official Retail Partner. As we build our product range, this will give hockey fans the opportunity to buy England Hockey and Great Britain Hockey branded items, hockey equipment and resources. We are now receiving royalties from the sale of replica shirts from Specialist Sports Shoes Limited, adidas hockey distributor, and are deriving commission from other partnerships for example, Take That Photo who managed the team and individual photography at the Futures Cup. Membership The EHB is conscious that its individual membership scheme has been under promoted in recent months. Work will take place in the next financial year to re-energise this area of our services

18 2011 achievements against our eight objectives Some much publicised events in other sports have thrown the spotlight on good governance this year, and the work hockey has done recently has put us in a good position when questions have been asked about our own governance. Ensure effective governance and operations Sports NGBs are now expected to have governance procedures that mirror the best practices in the commercial world, particularly as they receive significantly large amounts of public money. So, the emphasis is on: a small board of directors which has the skills and experience necessary to lead the organisation a board which includes both executive and (membership elected) non-executive directors, chaired by an appointed (as opposed to an elected) independent Chairperson a clear strategy for the sport set by the board but delivered by the staff in partnership with key volunteers openness and transparency so that vested interests do not get in the way of the right decisions accountability so that it is clear who is making decisions and how individuals are held to account This whole area of governance is set to receive increased focus by our grant providers Sport England and UK Sport in the next couple of years, and we can expect even tougher guidelines about Board structures and compositions as recipients of both Lottery and Treasury monies. In a membership organisation like the EHB, this has to be balanced with robust consultation on key initiatives so the views and needs of the membership are fully understood. In 2011, the EHB undertook large scale consultations on the future shape of junior competitions and indoor hockey amongst others, and this feedback has allowed the EHB to hear the voices of an often silent majority and make decisions based on a wide range of views. We would urge all members to continue providing feedback to such consultations as the information gathered is extremely important in forming future policies. In 2011, the EHB importantly retained its RAG green rating on its governance The Code of Ethics ensures that hockey can be enjoyed by all from Sport England and UK Sport. This is the highest rating and is crucial for the EHB to receive future public funding. It is a positive reflection on the high priority that the EHB continues to place on maintaining strong and effective governance and systems throughout the NGB and the wider sport. Insurance Insurance issues remain important to many participants in our sport, and anecdotal evidence suggests they are slowly gaining an increased awareness of what insurance cover they have when taking to the pitch as a player, coach or official. Regardless of what cover a club or individual has arranged, it remains vital that all who take to the pitch are at least aware of what cover is in place. This is particularly relevant to with personal accident cover, where we receive regular reports of players only discovering that they didn t have the cover they expected, after an incident has occurred. Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics has become increasingly embedded within the sport and this has given members a greater ability to tackle unsatisfactory behaviour. Hockey is rightly proud of its ethos and tradition, and the standards that it wishes to promote are captured in the Code of Ethics. The Code also gives members the routes to follow if they wish to report behaviour from players, coaches, officials or spectators that don t meet the values expected. Hockey is a sport where children play alongside adults, and while that is something cherished by many it does also bring with it responsibilities to protect the children and demonstrate to them the values that make hockey attractive to us all. Safeguarding Providing a safe environment for young people involved in hockey remains high on the EHB s agenda. Education for people that work with under 18s is essential and we now offer training at different levels and in different formats. The new online course provides basic level awareness and has become integral as part of the Level One Coach Award, providing essential information for those who work directly with young people. The Time to Listen workshop, aimed at welfare officers, builds on basic awareness and is about the practicalities of working with, and involving, young people. The EHB continues to contribute to the sport sector s response to the Government s review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme, CRB review and forthcoming Protection of Freedoms Bill. We will keep the Welfare Officer network informed of any changes as they become clear. Anti-Doping and Betting education has been important throughout 2011, ensuring that the EHB provides athletes, support staff and other relevant personnel with the information they need to make informed decisions. 35

19 Financial Accounts Summary Last year s figures were heavily influenced by the inclusion of the Samsung Women s Champions Trophy, but in 2011 the EHB still saw an increase in its turnover and surplus, reflecting another solid financial year. Both practically and financially, it was a year of planning and preparation for 2012 as the EHB used increased grant funding to start initiatives to ensure hockey exploits the potential of a home Olympic Games. Those initiatives, including Rush Hockey and Back To Hockey, are set out elsewhere in this report. There was also increased spending on the teams preparing for London The EHB also distributed grants totalling over 1m to clubs and associations during the year. Income and Expenditure account The impact of the Samsung Women s Champions Trophy in 2010 and other one-off s make year-on-year comparisons difficult but, on a like for like basis, stripping out the Champions Trophy and grants distributed to clubs and associations, the EHB grew its income by 8%. This was achieved despite limiting the rise in affiliation fees to 1.5% as additional revenue was generated through new events and resources. Grant income rose significantly in 2011 as the EHB secured 959k of funding for clubs to use for Capital Investment projects. A further 116k was distributed to County Hockey Associations to help them establish the Single System. Although sponsorship income fell during the financial year, it was still a successful year in this area as new partnerships were secured. These will generate future income which can be reinvested in the sport. Total income rose from 8,635k to 9,073k. Expenditure rose on a like for like basis by 9% as money was invested in developing Rush Hockey, In 2 Hockey and developing new IT systems to improve EHB s customer service. The EHB will be increasingly offering members the chance to book courses and buy resources online so that the process becomes more efficient and can be undertaken at a time of the customer s choosing. This has required significant investment in the EHB s IT infrastructure. Further investment has been made in the Single System Registration System, which is now automated. The Single System Registration System will continue to be developed to allow improvements to be delivered to participants and administrators. The cost of unrecoverable VAT increased significantly from 77k to 161k following the Canterbury HC case, although last year s figure benefitted from a 30k refund. The case has reduced the cost of affiliation for most members by 25 per team, but under the EHB s complex VAT structure the case has restricted the amount of VAT that the EHB can recover. Increasing turnover has added additional VAT that cannot be recovered. A provision of 75k was made for London 2012 tickets that have been ordered but not yet allocated to clubs, partners or sponsors. In total, the EHB has purchased over 20,000 tickets for members and is working hard to make further tickets available. Staff costs were kept under control with gross salaries rising by 1.5% during the year and continuing to fall as a percentage of income. England s rise up the world rankings prompted additional grant funding from UK Sport, increasing the funding for the GB and England teams. UK Sport s grant funding is ring-fenced for the international teams, and members do not contribute additional funds. The EHB ensures that performance income and expenditure balances over the four year funding cycle. Total expenditure rose from 8,556k to 8,944k resulting in a surplus for the year of 129k. Balance Sheet The EHB has long had a cautious policy of matching income to expenditure which, in practice, means that income is not counted until the relevant expenditure happens. This prevents grant income inflating any surplus ahead of the committed expenditure occurring. The EHB has continued the practice by either deferring income or accruing for future expenditure, and this is a major item in the balance sheet. Cash balances remain strong. The EHB changed banks during 2011 in order to secure better interest income. The surplus helped the EHB to increase its reserves to 1,327k. This represents further progress, but work remains to be done if the EHB is to reach its target of having six months non-performance expenditure in reserve. The target changes as expenditure grows, but it is currently 2.45m after adjusting for the Capital Investment grants. Key Items Assets Cash Debtors Liabilities Trade Creditors Accrued costs and deferred income Net Assets 2167k 1005k 591k 1409k 1327k England s rise up the world rankings led to additional grant funding from UK Sport Turnover and salaries Salaries Turnover % /5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/ /

20 ACCOUNTS Where did the money come from? This year Last year Where did the money go? This year Last year 000s 000s 000s 000s principal partner OFFICIAL PARTNER 1 DEVELOPMENT (grassroots) 1 DEVELOPMENT (grassroots) Sport England Grants Development and delivery of coaching, umpiring, Exchequer 2,385 2,141 youth and club services: Single System UKCC and other Capital Investment Grants to Clubs National costs including Development Director (Staff 425k, rent 93k, materials 1,071k, travel etc 49k) 1,638 1,438 Other Grants Regional: National Hockey Foundation National Sports Foundation EH offices and Development Officers (607k staff, 22k rent, training 2k, 85k travel, etc) Other (DCMS, UK Sport) Capital Investment Grants to clubs and project Total Grants 3,671 2,792 management fees Affiliation Fees Single System grants to County Hockey Associations Membership Services Competitions Competitions and events (staff 117k, direct costs 489k ) FUNDING partner FUNDING partner Coaching, umpiring, schools, etc Administration support Accrual for 2012 ticketing 75 0 TOTAL DEVELOPMENT 5,519 4,446 TOTAL DEVELOPMENT 4,196 3,182 2 SUPPORTED BY 2 SUPPORTED BY Sponsorship Interest on cash balances Finance and administration costs including Non- Executive Chairman and Chief Executive (staff 421k, postage, insurance, stationery, training, depreciation Contribution from Performance towards central k) overheads Other 5 9 Marketing & communications (staff 183k, websites incl. Fixtures Live, TV costs, phone/fax, printing etc 294k, travel 19k ) OFFICIAL partner OFFICIAL partner OFFICIAL PARTNER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER IT-hard/software, support Unrecoverable VAT Corporation tax 4 0 Professional fees Other TOTAL TOTAL 1,678 1,545 3 PERFORMANCE (elite) 3 PERFORMANCE (elite) OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER Grants England Programmes 1, UK Sport (ring-fenced) 2,973 2,878 GB programmes including GBSL Other income Staff costs (including Performance Director) Other overheads (rent, Bisham Abbey, phones, travel, insurance etc) Contribution to EH overheads TOTAL PERFORMANCE 3,070 2,968 TOTAL PERFORMANCE 3,070 2,968 OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OFFICIAL SUPPLIER 4 SAMSUNG WOMEN S CHAMPIONS TROPHY SAMSUNG FIH WOMEN S CHAMPIONS TROPHY TOTAL INCOME 9,073 8,635 5 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 8,944 8,556 That left a surplus of 129k The Directors of EHB, January

21 The England Hockey Board is a trading name of England Hockey. England Hockey is a company limited by guarantee Company registration number Registered address: Bisham Abbey NSC, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1RR