Introduction
The Reading Hockey Committee would like all the club members to be aware of the changes that are being proposed by England Hockey (EH) to the way our game is governed and administered.

What is this proposed change?
There are two parts to the change; (1) Redesigning of the Regions into Areas and (2) Reducing the governance and administration.

1) Redesign of the Regions into Areas
EH looked at the number of teams in each of the regions and are proposing a new structure, moving from 5 Regions to 8 Areas (County lines will be abolished).

Current Regions: North, South, East, West and Midlands
New Areas: South Central, East, Greater London, Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West.

Significant to us is that South Region will be split into 3 areas:
· South Central - Berks, Bucks, Oxon , some of Hampshire and some of Dorset
· Greater London - All those within the M25
· South East – Sussex / South Surrey / Kent

It is likely that Reading HC will be in South Central Area.

2) Governance and administration side
EH are looking to maintain a two tier structure in England but with a reduced number of committees and organisations.

Adult Leagues and Competitions:
· Two tiers of leagues - National Level and Area Level.
· The Mens and Ladies leagues in the Areas will be jointly administered.
Junior Leagues and Competitions:
· Exist at Area Level but with local delegation where appropriate
· Travel will be proportionate to playing standard
· Create more levels of competition for all abilities.
Discipline:
· Become an Area Function creating more consistency and approach
Player Pathway:
· Be aligned to new structure with sub areas being responsible for Development Centres and Academies:
· Areas will be responsible for Performance Centres
Umpiring and Officiating:
· Reduction in the numbers of Hockey Umpire Associations
Policy and Governance:
· All functional bodies will have more clearly defined expectations in terms of policies such as Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Welfare and Finance.

What do I need to do?
Nothing, but you do have an opportunity to share your opinions by completing a survey by 27th Oct 2019. The Committee will be responding on behalf of the club.

Is there some more reference material?
England Hockey AGM Resolution page
England Hockey Presentation Video - A 21-minute video of the proposed change
England Hockey proposal booklet that summarises the changes is in the document attached.

Where can I find this survey?
England Hockey - AGM Resolution Survey
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5060208/AGM-Resolution-2019

What is the Committee’s view?
At the level of detail that has been shared so far, we are generally supportive of this change. We like the idea of rationalising the leagues and making their operations uniform across the country and providing better IT solutions for players to use. However, we are interested in hearing about England Hockey’s implementation strategy, how much it will cost to deliver the change, how the cost operation will change and finally who pays for the work to be done. We are expecting to hear this detail in November 2019.

What are the important dates?
● 27th October 2019: Closing date for feedback from members including level of support for proposals
● November 2019: Final proposal shared by England Hockey including a more detailed implementation plan
● 17th March 2020: England Hockey AGM final decision on proposal and implementation plan
● April 2020: Implementation plan begins
● September 2021: New structure in place for season 2021-22

The Committee strongly urges you to complete the survey in order for you to have your say in the future of our sport

Regards
Reading HC Committee