Euro Hockey League events set to rank teams

Hockey Paper staff
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Euro Hockey League events set to rank teams

The ABN AMRO EHL Ranking Cup events land this week with tournaments in Belgium and Germany.

These tournaments will finalise the 2020/21 EHL ranking tables while offering all teams who originally qualified for the 2020/21 season’s EHL the chance to finally hit the turf in world hockey’s premier club competition.

The finalisation of the EHL Ranking tables for the 2020/21 season which will, in turn, formally determine how many spots each country will receive for next year’s 2021/22 EHL competitions.

Following last Easter’s FINAL4, the men’s competition will determine who earns the ranking points for positions 5 to 20 for the 2020/21 season while the women’s competition determines 5th to 8th place.

In the men’s Ranking Cup, recently crowned Belgian champions Dragons, complete with a trio of Olympic gold medalists, will play host at their grounds in the park of Brasschaat with 14 teams taking part from Thursday.

The EHL Women’s Cup, meanwhile, will take place on Oct 2 and 3. It features three teams and will take place at the famous UHC Clubanlage venue. The German club previously welcomed the EHL for the 2009 men’s KO16.

The competition will feature two matches following the withdrawal of Ireland’s Pegasus. Their first game will see UHC face Belarus champions HC Minsk on Saturday, October 2.

The winner of this tie will meet Surbiton. Whoever wins outright will earn “fifth place” overall in the European rankings with the runner-up deemed “sixth” while the side who loses on Saturday will be awarded “seventh” in the rankings.

EHL Cup 2021 (times local)
Men’s Match Schedule

Sep 30

M2 15.00h KO16 Dinamo Elektrostal – SV Kampong

M3 17.15h KO16 HC ‘s-Hertogenbosch – Saint-Germain HC

M4 19.30h KO16 La Gantoise HC – Club de Campo

Oct 1

M6 15.00h KO8 Winner M1 – Winner M2

M7 17.15h Ranking match Loser M3 – Loser M4

M8 19.30h KO8 Winner M3 – Winner M4

Oct 2

M9 09.30h KO16 HC Minsk – Three Rock Rovers

M10 11.45h KO16 Mannheimer HC – Hampstead & Westminster

M11 14.00h KO16 Dinamo-Ak Bars – Rot-Weiss Köln

M12 16.15h KO16 KHC Dragons – Surbiton HC

Oct 3

M13 09.30h Ranking match Loser M10 – Loser M9

M14 11.45h KO8 Winner M10 – Winner M9

M15 14.00h Ranking match Loser M11 – Loser M12

M16 16.15h KO8 Winner M11 – Winner M12

Women’s Match Schedule

Oct 2

M2 14.15h Women SF2 UHC Hamburg – HC Minsk

Oct 3

M4 13.15h Winner UHC/Min v Surbiton

Check EHL website for timing changes

Mark Hager goes full circle with Australia Hockey women’s role

Hockey Paper staff
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Mark Hager goes full circle with Australia Hockey women’s role

Mark Hager aims “to give back” to Australia by taking up a role to blood the next generation of Hockeyroos.

The former Kookaburras Olympic captain has been appointed as Hockey Australia’s pathway programme lead for women. Former Kookaburras star Mark Knowles, who was in both positions, will focus on the men.

Having previously been an assistant coach for the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, as well as head coach of Australia’s under-21 teams, Hager returns after over a decade away from his homeland.

He left the UK last week after resigning from his post at GB women, where he led the team to Tokyo bronze, after two fourth-place Olympics finishes with the Black Sticks.

“Having been through the Australian system as a player and a coach I am excited to be able to contribute to the pathway of a sport that has given me so much over my career,” said Hager.

“From my experiences gained outside of Australia I feel it is now time to give back to the pathways system that shaped my playing and coaching over many years.

Hannah Martin and Anna Toman race towards Maddie Hinch after last eight shoot-out win PIC: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

“I look forward to working with the key stakeholders in building a strong culture to enable an increased performance capacity as well as ensuring the wellbeing of athletes and staff as we build a platform for sustained success.”

Hockey Australia Acting CEO Michael Johnston said: “Mark is a proven world class coach with an extensive demonstrated history in successfully developing athletes and his appointment to this role is really exciting for the growth of Australian hockey.

“With 21 years as an Olympic coach, Mark brings these experiences and observations back home to the next generation of Olympians as we chase success in Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.”

Knowles and Hager’s roles were created after a restructure of the HA National Athlete Pathways Programme. This meant having new technical lead positions to oversee the alignment of the athlete pathway from grassroots to the national teams.

Hager is scheduled to begin in the role in early November.

Bristol & West 3G ‘bombshell’ leaves club looking at next steps

Lucas Ball
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Bristol & West 3G ‘bombshell’ leaves club looking at next steps

In May, after 18 years at their current site at Winterbourne School, South Gloucestershire, Bristol & West HC were told the pitch would be replaced with 3G, which is unsuitable for hockey use.

Bristol & West HC are now keeping their options open despite positive discussions with the Olympus Academy Trust who own their current facility. The club’s situation should be a warning call for other clubs to forge relationships early.

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Scot David Ralph appointed Great Britain Hockey women’s coach

Hockey Paper staff
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Scot David Ralph appointed Great Britain Hockey women’s coach

Scotland’s David Ralph has been appointed as Great Britain and England women’s head coach ahead of Commonwealth Games and World Cup year.

Ralph, who has been an assistant coach since 2017, takes over from Australian Mark Hager, who returned to New Zealand last week after guiding GB women to bronze at Tokyo 2020.

GB Hockey said there was a “world-wide application” for the role, while The Hockey Paper understands that Englishman Adrian Lock was seen as a contender before committing again to Spain women.

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Kent hockey club changes name after 76 years

Hockey Paper staff
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Kent hockey club changes name after 76 years

Kent side Old Bordenian HC have changed their name for the first time in 76 years as it looks to the future.

The club has now taken on the name of Sittingbourne Hockey Club in the hope of building player membership and local sponsorship.

“This decision has involved a lot of soul-searching, as you can imagine, for a club that’s 76 years old,” said chairman Alan Wilson. “We have not abandoned our ethos or our history.

The club will retain its colours, club badge and history. “This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly,” he added.

“The population of Sittingbourne is likely to expand dramatically over the next few years, there are applications to build many thousands of houses, and we’d like to be beneficiaries of that.

“A lot of people will be moving to the area and we think the town name will be more recognisable and more attractive, and I say that as an old boy of the school and someone who has been with the hockey club for over 50 years.

Meanwhile, Telford & Wrekin HC is has received a £4,000 donation from a housing group to go towards the cost of developing the club’s new pitch.

Telford and Wrekin Hockey Club chairman, Gwynne Goodfield said: “The support we’ve received from The Wrekin Housing Group has been instrumental in helping us to raise the funds needed for this new pitch. Without their generous support, this facility probably wouldn’t have been possible.

“Since we’ve had the pitch put down, we’ve seen a significant increase in members joining our club. Our junior section has now grown to over 150 players and everyone has taken great pride in our new pitch.”

Hockey player launches petition calling for more defibrillators

Hockey Paper staff
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Hockey player launches petition calling for more defibrillators

A coach at Sheffield University Bankers HC has called on the government for defibrillators to be required in all businesses with 10 or more employees.

Peter Dixon set up the petition after footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed during Euro 2020 playing for Denmark. Twenty three years ago Peter’s father had died in front of him while playing sport.

The campaign for more defibrillators was heightened at the weekend when a player at Bournville HC men’s 2s suffered a “serious medical incident” in a match against Old Silhillians.

The player is now off the ventilator and has been talking to family, while there were reports of two more incidents in the Midlands leagues.

Earlier this month a match in Scotland between Clydesdale and Teddington at Auchwenhowie, home of the Western Wildcats HC, saw Clydesdale’s Ewan Fraser collapse on the pitch.

Team-mates were quickly on hand to put Ewan, 30, into the recovery position, but he had also suffered a cardiac arrest.

Emergency services were called while a defibrillator was also collected before CPR was administered.

An ambulance arrived within 10 minutes and the player made “remarkable progress” in the following days.

“The club can’t stress enough the importance of having a defibrillator in close attendance during any sporting event that takes place,” the club said.

Doncaster hockey pay tribute to ‘true giant of the sport’

Hockey Paper staff
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Doncaster hockey pay tribute to ‘true giant of the sport’

Doncaster HC have paid tribute to a “true giant of the sport” following the passing of Andrew ‘Gibbo’ Gibson last week, writes Richard Bright.

Andrew was driving driving home from coaching at a school last Tuesday when he was involved in a fatal car accident. He was 31.

“The sense of disbelief and the outpouring of sadness and grief are a true mark of the man and the impact he had on so many lives in his far too short life,” said Alan Stoves, Doncaster HC’s president.

Hockey was an integral part of Andrew’s life – and especially at Doncaster. His father, Graeme, was a long-serving player, manager, benefactor and chairman while his brother, Matt, is the current’s men’s 1s player and coach.

Andrew started out in the South Yorkshire single system before he took over as Doncaster women’s 1s head coach aged 23, before fronting the club’s junior programme.

Andrew Gibson, PIC: Loughborough University Women’s Hockey

He coached at Alderley Edge Women and assisted with the men’s 1st Team at Brooklands, while opportunities with the EH Performance Centres, Wales under-21’s and English Universities also came to fruition. His latest role came with Loughborough Students women’s programme.

“It is safe to say that Andy was one of the leading young coaches in the country and destined for bigger and brighter things,” added Stoves.

“Andy had a huge circle of friends, it was inevitable given the type of man he was. He could talk to anyone about anything. His encyclopaedic knowledge of sport meant he was the lifeblood of the sports club.

“Whether it was talking about his beloved Leeds United or what would win the 2.30 at Newmarket, his sharp wit had everybody in his presence smiling.”

British hockey needs innovation to tackle 3G pitch issue, says MP

Rod Gilmour
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British hockey needs innovation to tackle 3G pitch issue, says MP

The chair of the parliamentary group for hockey in the UK says that there are signs the sport could move towards having “fewer, larger clubs” due to the 3G issue, while also highlighting that there could be more unlocking of facilities in schools for wider communities.

The threat of 3G has been highlighted by The Hockey Paper over the last month as we continue to raise the plight of clubs across the UK, notably with our exclusive analysis on how 2G provision has been overtaken by 3G in the last two years. 

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Whose big idea was the Game Management System?

Hockey Paper staff
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Whose big idea was the Game Management System?

England Hockey’s Game Management System (GMS) initially had a painful birth, but its conception was two years ago. In a series of articles, David Lloyd-Williams gives us the background to the system, and how it was developed.

What everyone is seeing with the GMS, at the time of writing, is the beginning of Plan A – a national system. Yes, this was rushed out. Yes, it needs a lot of fixing now; and there will be a raft of improvements. This is all planned for the long term. 

The front end to the system will appear soon, and that will be improved too over time. But if you think this is a mess now, well, Plan B, I can assure you, would have been considerably inferior. 

It would have been yet another collection of websites with, probably, just fixtures and league tables. No electronic match sheets to record everyone’s participation and build personal histories for life. No integrated umpiring, discipline, communication, or payments stuff. GDPR issues everywhere.

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In the next article, we’ll hear how the central ideas of the GMS were formed, and how it might, as so rarely on the pitch, do better than the Dutch.

David Lloyd-Williams is current and past volunteer for the London League, ex-Chair of Southgate HC.

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Purley Hockey secure first league victory in 23 years

Hockey Paper staff
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Purley Hockey secure first league victory in 23 years

Since the merger with Purley Walcountians in 1998, only one men’s veteran side remained at Purley to play grass hockey.

A plan to create a league side was formed and executed during the pandemic, a fine achievement of the committee and in particular the chairman Richard Stevens.

“The core membership of the league side are predominantly cricketers, most of whom are new to hockey and their development over the summer has been remarkable,” says Debbie Christopher.

The team were entered into the South East Oaks men’s league Division 5 and they came away from Croydon Old Whitgiftians 4th XI with a superb 9-0 win to open their league season in some style.

The Hockey Paper‘s selected report:

Having won their opening game of the campaign 4 – 2 against Ipswich 3 the previous week Broadland Exiles travelled in high spirits to Lowestoft, about as far East as you can go without getting your feet wet, to take on East Coast in the East league Division 4 North East.

Dan Cheeseman absolutely on top of his game cracked in four goals last week. Could he emulate tit this week? No problem. Why stop at four, when you can add an extra two to bring your tally to 10 goals in two league matches so far this season.

Target 50, 60, perhaps even 100 goals. Watch this space. A total of eight players contributed at least one goal each to the outstanding score line.

By contrast Broadland ladies fell by the wayside after a bright start and lost by three goals against local rivals Norwich City II in the East Women’s Division 2 North-East while Reepham in Division 3 North East (North) conceded to Broadland II.

Harleston Magpies 7 travelled to Taverham to play Broadland ladies 3 in the East Women’ Division 5 North East (North). to play out a goalless draw. Broadland with 4 new players to competitive hockey, had to hang on at times, with stand in keeper Dani Parke being their star player.

Wapping HC, above, have had plenty of pre-season action as they started out in the new London Leagues at the weekend. 

We want your match reports this season as we build our grassroots club coverage. More here

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