Mid-Season Technical Update

Hi All,

I thought now would be a good opportunity to provide a mid‐season update from the technical team. Firstly, I would like to thank all the officials who have stepped up and a special well done to all new officials who have qualified this year and volunteered to help. There will be more courses in the new future so please keep an eye out and jump on the courses where you can. We would not be able to run the league without volunteers from all clubs. We have also created a league table to show which clubs are inputting where, which is attached at the end of this document. 

I would also like to provide some clarifications and comments on items that have come up this season:

Checking

The rule book states:

“8.9‐ Fair body contact (fair check) is that which is delivered with the side or the front of the body, with the arms down, close to the body and both skates on the pitch surface. A fair check can only be made on an opponent who is in possession of the ball, and can only be made to the front or to the side of that opponent.”

To clarify on this, checking with the hands up is not acceptable and will be penalised.

To add to this, the charging rule states:

“Charging” shall mean the action of a player who, as a result of distance travelled, violently checks an opponent. Charging may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goalframe or on open pitch”. 

We have found that a number a players have been violently checking players after the player has lost or given away possession of the ball, this is not acceptable and we will be looking to crack down on this as we have seen an increase in upper body injuries this year. 

Jewellery 

On several occasions this year, we have had to ask players to remove jewellery, mainly chains around the neck. No jewellery is allowed and will be penalised as per the rule book(Yellow Card). Please can all coaches, managers and parents ensure that players are not entering the pitch with jewellery on, this is a matter of safety more than rules themselves. 

League Days

When arriving at the rink, please can the captain or manager of each team, please confirm their team and shirt numbers with the timekeepers to ensure a smooth running of each league day. A gentle reminder that all players must be registered and have paid all fees to play, this is checked instantly by the BISHA officials before each game. 

All league days have been a success so far, but I would just like to remind all teams that, if possible, we will run ahead of schedule, so please keep an eye on the games happening rather than the face off time stated. You can also keep an eye on what period is currently being played on the live ticker on the BISHA website. 

Lastly, I would like to wish all teams the best of luck for the rest of the season and good luck to all the teams still to go out to the various European tournaments. 

If anyone has any questions about any of the above or any other technical matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Will Osborne
National Technical Director
07792997278
will.osborne@bishahockey.co.uk