2021 Q1 BISHA Board Update

BISHA Members,

We have kicked off 2021 with amazing progress across several new and existing initiatives in BISHA, nevertheless we would like to update members on our current Covid position. Over the coming months we will be returning to rinks with many bookings in place for BISHA Hockey, these bookings cover The British Nationals, Team GB Camps, New Tournaments and not forgetting the u/19 European Championships at Bordon! We are presently working with clubs to devise a calendar to share with members with all the key dates. Any hockey events introduced this year will be overseen by our Head of Health & Safety Officer to ensure compliance with current government regulations. To assist clubs and players return to hockey we have implemented a new ‘Back on Skates’ support session where members can be advised on all matters in relation to returning to hockey.

Highlights for BISHA Q1 2021 include:

Pete Winn – Launch of the Coaching Development Programme for both BISHA and the IISHF, the interest to date has been fantastic!

Will Osborne – Very exciting to the see the pilot of the new Digital Officials and Timekeepers Training, this is long overdue and will enable us to swiftly educate and qualify officials which has been a sport bottleneck for some time. Post qualification we will have a process in place to cultivate new referees in alignment with IISHF direction.

Paul Cooper – Excellent news on Paul’s certification to become a Clean Sport Advisor and driving forward the UK Anti-Doping agenda

Judith Bousquet & Nicole Grazier – Demonstrating great dedication with the forming our DBS process and initiating Data protection and Privacy policies.

George Wagerfield – Enthusiastically sharing with us some of the highlights of the AGM (see link within Department Updates below) and hearing some recognition from IISHF members as we take BISHA forward into a new era.

Tom Sexton – Witnessing an immediate impact on our Social Media channels and as a result our volume of impressions significantly increasing to a wider audience. We are really looking forward to the new content being shaped by Tom and the Marketing Team (Scott, Joel & Alex) over the coming weeks/months.

Department Updates:

Finance & Data:

· New expenses policy introduced – an area for hosting all documentation for member clarity is being developed.

· BISHA Team GB Account created to enable greater spend management & transparency.

· Quarter 1 Financials made available to the board for review - members can view at the AGM or upon request.

· Introduction of new DBS process

· Assessment of BISHA Data Protection & Records Management policy

HR/Recruitment:

· Appointments:

o Head of Marketing – Tom Sexton

o BISHA/IISHF Representative – George Wagerfield

o Head of BISHA Women’s Hockey – Beth Hill

· New vacancies added:

o Team GB U/16 Manager

o Team GB U/16 Assistant Coach

o Team GB Sports Analyst

o Team GB Men Assistant S&C Coach

· New roles under consideration:

o BISHA Head of Data

o BISHA Sponsorship & Partnership Opportunities

National TD:

· Review of Officials Training undertaken.

· Pilot version of new Digital Officials & Timekeeper Training completed.

· Continued scheduling of Hockey Calendar in alignment with Government guidance.

· Ongoing recruitment process of BISHA Disciplinary Manager.

· Consideration to safe return to gameplay and temporary rulings in progress.

ISHF:

· Representation at the IISHF AGM.

· Hosting u/19 Euro Championship - status ‘Green’.

· Initiative underway to increase IISHF/BISHA membership to Scotland & Ireland.

· Expansion of Coaching & Development Programme to IISHF.

Health & Safety Office:

· Continued alignment with Sport England, BRSF & IISHF.

· Progressing with aligning BISHA to UKAD (UK anti-doping agency)

· Regular Covid communications to stakeholders & membership.

· Introduction of ‘Back on Skates’ initiative.

Team GB

· All Team GB u/19 & Men’s Coaches completed modules 1,2&3 coaching certification.

· Team GB Classroom education sessions.

· Introduction of Team GB Fitness App Tracker.

· Four new Team GB vacancies advertised.

· Schedule of weekly/monthly Team GB Management/Coaches zoom meetings implemented.

· Calendar of Team GB activity for 2021 being formed.

Marketing

· New Head of Marketing appointed.

· BISHA Marketing Strategy produced and shared with the board.

· Calendar of Monthly Marketing Content being formed.

· Social media content published for regular events: International Women’s Day, St Patricks Day & April Fools.

· BISHA Promotion video in progress.

It is becoming apparent that members and former members are now reaching out to us to offer their skills/services. There are certainly several names that have supported in the past and we would welcome them to join us once again. We are also very keen on ‘new to sport’ volunteers which are critical to our diversity and who can also make a real difference to the awakening of our sport!

Lastly, we are incredibly saddened to hear the news about the Simply Skate Arena in Rotherham which has previously supported all codes of inline hockey. We are all part of the roller sports community no matter what form of hockey played, and we would encourage all members to support the initiatives currently being formed. We would also urge the national rink owner’s community to involve us with any programmes of activity or ideas where we can support as an organisation.

Stay Safe BISHA Members

The BISHA Board