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England Hockey Training Centres and Training Academies

England Hockey Training Centres and Training Academies

Peter Kempe22 Apr 2022 - 10:53
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https://www.oldloughts.co.uk/n

Chairman's report and consultation

OLD LOUGHTONIANS HOCKEY CLUB
ENGLAND HOCKEY TALENT CENTRE & ENGLAND HOCKEY TALENT ACADEMY

Dear Members

I hope you have enjoyed the season which has been very successful, although we are all deeply troubled by events taking place in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with the people who are suffering in this terrible conflict. If members feel that we can help the humanitarian efforts, please get in touch. Events such as this conflict put sport and our privileges into perspective.

Without diminishing my opening remarks, I would like to tell you about developments that have, and are taking place, in relation to youth hockey at the Club.

As you will be aware, England Hockey introduced a number of significant changes to the way hockey operates in England, the most fundamental of which was replacing the old five Regions (East, Midlands, North, South and West) with eight new Areas (East, London, Midlands, North West, South Central, South East and Yorkshire & North East) and effectively restructuring the hockey pyramid from grass roots to the Premier Division of the National League. Such changes have been substantially implemented throughout the country. In addition, England Hockey is introducing changes to the talent development pathway, first by a new accreditation system for youth hockey by appointing qualifying clubs as Talent Centres and, secondly, by replacing the old Performance Centre (PC) system with appointed Talent Academies based at a number of selected clubs.

Talent Centres (ages 12-15)

Talent Centres will be identifiable by their accredited status and will be able to use England Hockey’s Talent Centre logo to promote their centre. Talent Centres will set high standards of delivery and accredited clubs will be expected to provide exceptional early talent development environments. Talent Centres are primarily aimed at players between the ages of 12 and 15 years. In August last year EH announced its assessment of the 120 applicants and Old Loughtonians was included amongst the first cohort of 37 clubs nationwide who have been offered the opportunity to work towards accreditation. The Club is now nearing the end of the long process of demonstrating its ability to meet the required standards set down by EH. The Club has already been awarded Clubmark status for another three years which covers half of the requirements. Details of our Clubmark accreditation can be found on our website. Old Loughtonians has a long history of developing youth talent and success in national junior and youth competitions and we believe that Talent Centre accreditation will not only be a recognition of the past, but will also underpin our junior and youth development programme for the future.

Talent Academies (ages 15-18)

In addition to Talent Centres, England Hockey is also introducing fundamental changes to the way that high quality coaching is delivered to our most talented older youth players. Up to and including this season, the most talented players between the ages of 15 to 18 years have been selected for Performance Centre training in various locations throughout the country. Some of our senior coaches have been involved in the PC process for sometime and many of our players have progressed through that pathway. During the course of this season, we have had 23 players selected for PC training three of whom have gone on to be selected for National Age Group Squads. The PC programme will be discontinued and replaced by a Talent Academy programme. It is intended that Talent Academies (TA’s) will be exceptional environments for approximately 500 high potential players per gender (across England and Wales) aged 15 to 18 years. TA’s will become centres of excellence in their locality. They will be hubs to train and develop selected talented players with high quality coaches and be a source of expertise and support to their catchment area. This will be a very significant development, not only for the clubs that host TA’s, but also for the development of aspiring talented players.

The Club’s Management Committee (Mancom) has been aware of the proposals in relation to TA’s for sometime. The Club has set up a sub-committee to consider the viability of both Talent Centres and Talent Academies. A number of meetings have taken place to consider the requirements and implications of operating a TA and the potential impact on the rest of the club members. As a Club we are fortunate that we are in control of our extensive facilities and that we are a dedicated hockey club without other sporting or business objectives. Put simply, the whole of our facility is dedicated to hockey, including our various revenue streams. Having said that, there are a number of financial and commercial considerations that are central to the successful operation of the Club and which I have referred to in my Chairman’s report and also my financial report delivered at the last AGM. I mention this because Mancom have considered the implications of a TA in the context of all relevant considerations. These include pitch time (see below), the need for additional high quality coaches, the additional resources required to deal with the administration, the potential for some of the TA players wishing to join the Club and play in our teams (although TA players will primarily remain with their clubs) and the as yet unknown reporting and compliance requirements which England Hockey may expect. We have considered the potential implications for members and the desire to preserve the character of the Club as a whole. Having considered the financial and logistical considerations, our current assessment is that operating a TA should not provide a drag on financial resources or on the delivery of coaching and playing resources to members. TA’s are a completely new concept and while it is difficult to predict every potential consideration, we believe that, overall, establishing a TA at Old Loughtonians Hockey Club will be for the benefit of the Club as a whole.

I am delighted to say that following submission of our application to England Hockey to become a TA in December and following a number of meetings with representatives of England Hockey, the Club remains on the list of clubs still being assessed by England Hockey to be offered a Talent Academy licence. The process over the last month has involved the Club’s application being reviewed by a select group appointed by England Hockey who are reporting to a committee appointed by England Hockey who will then make final selections. We gather that final decisions will be announced in the first week of May. If successful the Club would receive a three year licence to run its TA.

In our assessment, we reviewed the availability of pitch time and we presented our proposal to England Hockey on the basis that (if appointed) our Talent Academy will operate primarily on Monday evenings each week so will not intrude on Club training nights which take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings of each week during the season. In addition, there will be a number of dedicated TA days at the Club, which should not impact on other Club activities. As the TA is anticipated to run for 40 weeks of the year there will also be TA activities outside of the main hockey season from April through to the end of August in each year. We are committed to provide a minimum number of TA hours which will be programmed into an annual TA calendar.

We have produced a financial budget for the TA which has been reviewed by the group appointed by Mancom and also reviewed by England Hockey. The TA budget is now in its third phase of review.

England Hockey has published a considerable amount of information in relation to the Talent Centre and Talent Academy appointments which are available on the England Hockey website. There is a limit on how much information I can provide in this note, but I will add the following:

 We are advised that TA’s can expect approximately 24 boys and 24 girls into each Academy. Selection will take place in the summer leading up to commencement in August / September 2022. For those parents and players who are engaged in the PC system and/or wish to obtain further information in relation to the TA system, please contact Jay Fox whose contact details are available on the Club website.

 In view of the number of hours that are to be provided by TA’s, subscriptions for Academy players will increase substantially over the subscriptions that have applied to Performance Centres, mainly because the number of hours provided to players will almost treble, although the annual fee has not yet been finalised. The Club’s financial expectations are based on advice from England Hockey and form a critical part of the TA financial budget.

 The Club is fortunate to have senior coaches who have considerable experience of managing and coaching at Performance Centres. The Club will be drawing on this experience and appointing senior coaches together with assistant coaches and we also anticipate that coaching resources will be supplemented by the extremely talented members of our men’s and ladies first teams. The Club intends to have a pool of coaches versed in TA activities and trained in delivery of the annual programme. Standards will be high.

 Jay Fox will lead a team of coaches and support staff and will be the main interface with England Hockey. Jay has experience of administration of the Northwood Performance Centre and we expect TA delivery to be consistent with principles applied in the operation of Performance Centres. If players and/or members feel they can contribute either to coaching activities or to administration, please contact Jay who will be delighted to speak to you.

 England Hockey has prescribed that the operation of a TA should not be profit making. Similarly from the Club’s perspective, it should not be loss making. The TA will be an independent operation within overall Club activities and will either be operated as a separate limited company with its own administration, banking and accounting and board of directors or, depending on accounting and tax advice, it may be an equally independent operation within Old Loughtonians Hockey Club Limited or Old Loughtonians Services Limited. Either way, it will be autonomous and financially independent. The financial budget makes appropriate provision for administrative time (it is important that we do not draw on volunteer time that is pledged to general Club activities) and most importantly, provides for payment for the use of pitches at an appropriate rate.

Provisional approval

Having considered the TA proposals in detail, Mancom considers that the operation of a TA should be added to the Club’s Development plan for the overall development of the Club. To be successful, the Club must succeed on a number of fronts both on and off the pitch. As fellow members we all expect our teams to be provided with the support and the facilities needed to be successful at their respective levels. We also hope to support our men’s and ladies first teams to achieve further promotion in and back into the National League and of equal importance the Club supports the introduction and success of new teams, in particular the ladies fifth team and the men’s eighth and ninth teams which have developed substantially from our highly successful Back to Hockey programme. We anticipate that a TA appointment will reinforce and maintain our excellent record of promoting and developing youth hockey from which so many of our senior players graduate. England Hockey has asked us to give our provisional approval to operate a TA if awarded a licence and we have done so before the 20 April deadline. If the Club is awarded a licence, the award will be subject to compliance with specific standards and conditions which the Club will need to follow. EH has not as yet published these but Mancom will be able to review the terms and conditions before making a final decision on whether or not to proceed.

Other developments

Referring to other Club developments, the refurbishment of the Leonard Bone room and main Club bar area has been an immediate success. I hope that you are enjoying the new coffee bar style facility in the Leonard Bone room. Separately, our playing members with young children have benefitted from the enhanced creche facility at the rear of the building. We are continually looking at ways to improve the on site facilities we are so fortunate to enjoy whilst also seeking to increase revenues to cover the long term projects in relation to new pitches and lights and weekly maintenance and upgrade programmes. Operation of a TA will introduce new players and visitors to the Club. Being able to provide modern bar and catering facilities in a welcoming and comfortable environment will not only impress but also help raise income for the Club as a whole.

Clearly Talent Centre accreditation and the grant of a TA licence will not be without its challenges. We must meet staffing, management, logistical and financial requirements and whilst we expect to have appropriate people in positions, there will be an ongoing management requirement through Mancom. As I have indicated, we expect the TA operation to be autonomous so can I mention again that if any members feel they can contribute, particularly in relation to administration, please contact either me or Jay Fox and your enquiry will be welcome.

As I have said, we are a hockey club first and foremost and the operation of a TA will give us the opportunity to engage with talented young players and help develop the hockey pathway in England. Our talented first teams are built around players that have come through our junior ranks and progressed to an exceptional standard. Just this year, our under 18 boys are national indoor champions and one of the best under 18 teams in the country. The same can be said for our under 14 boys, and both under 16 boys and under 16 girls. We know that we can help develop exceptional players and exceptional teams, which the Club has done for many years.

Consultation and feedback

If the Club is awarded a licence then the details of the award including the terms of the licence and the financial budget accepted by EH will be taken to Mancom and the board of directors of Old Loughtonians Hockey Club Limited for final approval. We will also discuss these proposals with our main sponsors.

This note together with supporting information is aimed at everyone as fellow members. We are a members’ club and I would very much welcome, questions, feedback and, of course, more volunteers to help make things happen.

I hope this note is helpful and if you would like to volunteer to help or do have any questions or comments, please direct them to me, Jay Fox, Sam Gayler, Simon Beckley or any other member of Mancom.

Phillip Wheater
Chairman
22 April 2022

Further reading