Hi everyone,
With the Men’s World Championships in Zurich coming up later this month, it feels like a great time to share just how well things are going for our sport, both on and off the ice.
I’d like to start by saying a huge thank you to our army of volunteers who put so much into our game. You not only make sure hockey ‘happens’ up and down the UK every single week, but your efforts also mean the sport is thriving. Without you, there is no game, and I’ve been so impressed by the time and commitment you give. Thank you.
There’s been a lot to celebrate recently: our GB Women’s Team finished runners-up in Group 1B at the Women’s World Championships in Spain last month (a brilliant silver medal), our GB Men’s Team took silver at the first ever Ultimate Hockey 3×3 tournament in Austria, and our GB Men’s U18s won bronze in Group 2A at the U18 World Championship in Romania.
Off the ice, nearly 10,000 fans came along to the two Men’s GB v Italy games in Milton Keynes and Nottingham earlier this month—our best-ever turnout for a friendly series in the UK. If you made it to either game, you helped create an incredible atmosphere for the team, and we look forward to the backing of those fans travelling to Zurich, including of course the GB Supporters Club.
I’ve been lucky that my first month in the role has lined up with those games, as well as the end-of-season play-offs in both the Elite and National Leagues. Behind the scenes, I’ve been focused on moving forward the work to bring Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey together as one. Since I last wrote to you a few weeks ago, here’s what we’ve moved forward:
- We’ve agreed the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the key principles of the merger.
- We’ve agreed that the new organisation will have a Board of up to 12 Directors, initially drawn from across the three existing Boards.
- The Board will be backed up by a Management Committee, with people from each of the three ‘legacy’ organisations bringing their experience and insights to help keep things running smoothly.
- We’ve picked up the pace on the legal work needed to complete the merger, mainly updating the Articles of Association and writing up the related paperwork.
- And we’ve started pulling together an integration plan so that once the legal work is done, we can get on with bringing the three organisations’ day-to-day operations together.
Our merger Steering Group is still meeting every two weeks to keep everything on track, with all three organisations engaged on and actively supporting the project.
We’re starting to look ahead to some really exciting things we’ll be able to do once the merger is complete. For example: a joined-up performance pathway across GB, England and Scotland teams; a single, consolidated calendar to help players, coaches and leagues plan more easily; aligning coaching programmes across GB, England and Scotland; the potential creation of a players’ association with strong links to the governing body; and bigger sponsorship and commercial opportunities, bringing in more money to reinvest in the game.
On timing, I’m hopeful we’ll be able to complete the formal elements of the merger over the next few weeks. I also know we’ve committed to members across all three organisations that we’ll share any proposed changes to the Articles of Association, and why they’re needed.
When I write to you next, I’m hoping I’ll be able to share those details with the merger just about to happen, or at the very least, confirm that the finish line is in sight.
Even after just a few weeks in the role, it’s clear this is a really exciting time for our game. Interest is sky high, and it genuinely feels like the merger will help us make the sport even bigger and better. I know that our Chairs – Clifton (IHUK), Duncan (EIH) and John (SIH) – all feel the same, and we’re all looking forward to what we can achieve together as a unified governing body.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the Men’s World Championships—and get a well-earned breather from playing/coaching/administering/giving lifts to and from/watching (delete as appropriate!) hockey over the off-season.
Let’s keep pushing on—together as one.
Best,
Tim