In the aftermath of the Sydney Olympics the Great Britain Olympic Hockey Board (GBOHB) has focused on 2 objectives, working to achieve medals in 2004 and restructuring Great Britain Olympic Hockey to enable it to work more effectively. This article outlines the progress to date in restructuring the organisation to enable it to more effectively support GB squads.
Work to update the GBOHB constitution began in May 2000 culminating in a new constitution adopted at the April 2002 Board meeting. The constitutional changes were significant, and included the removal of 2 “independent” Board members; the appointment of 2 members from each member country (an elected officer and the performance director); the addition of 2 player representatives, one male, one female. In May 2003 the Board of GBOHB became a company limited by guarantee, Great Britain Olympic Hockey Ltd.
Representatives of the partners
supporting GB hockey, including GBOH, the Governing
Bodies for Hockey in England, Scotland and Wales, representatives
of UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Scotland and the
Sports Council for Wales, met in May 2002 to discuss
the future of GB. This meeting signified the beginning
of the Modernisation work proper and the agreement
reached underpinned future development of GBOH. In
brief the agreement stated:
- The primary focus for all
the Associations is success at the Olympics
- Success
will only be achieved if the Associations’ plans
are truly player centred and understood the demands
placed upon athletes
- The opportunity to represent GB
should be on merit, with equal opportunities
for players of equal merit
- The need for a strategic plan
for the whole of hockey
- UK Sport agreed to fund
a Modernisation Project
The
aim of the GBOH Modernisation Project was to consider
how GB hockey could be strengthened in order to be
more successful in Olympic Competition. Consultants
were employed and work began in earnest with widespread
consultations including, volunteers, professional
staff, GB and Home Nations’ Boards, athletes, coaches, current and past, Sports Councils.
In August 2003 the consultants delivered an excellent audit of the GB situation to the GBOH Board and after much discussion were asked to develop 3 options for restructuring the GBOH operation. A key part of the on-going discussions were over which structure was most desirable in sporting terms for the best interests of Great Britain at the Olympic Games; and which structure was most politically achievable within the current funding and political landscape.
It was eventually agreed by the project steering group that one option should be recommended to the GBOH Board. This option proposed the establishment of a Great Britain Performance Directorate - on the basis that:
There are significant performance benefits to be gained from the pursuit of this option and they are sufficient to persuade the British Olympic Association (BOA) and UK Sport that British hockey has made a step-change en route to a sustainable level of future performance
The costs of pursuing such an option appear to be no greater than those which are currently incurred
The option has the broad support of the Sports Councils, in that it allows a degree of home nation autonomy while also supporting the cause of Great Britain
It is not a compromise – but rather a wholly achievable and progressive step forward and away from a current situation which is not supported by either the Sports Councils or the BOA
The recruitment of officers to staff this Performance Directorate should commence as soon as possible, in order that the best candidates might be approached before they commit themselves elsewhere
In order that this option should involve a competitive scenario that best suits Great Britain, the FIH and EHF should be formally approached with proposals to field Great Britain teams in World Cup and Champions’ Trophy/Challenge competitions and home nation teams in European Nations Cup and Commonwealth Games
This option was taken to the Boards of England, Scotland and Wales for consultation.
The GB Performance Directorate option and the issue of desirability versus achievability were discussed at the GBOH Board meeting in December 2003 and after further consultation with the Home Nations it was agreed that the GB Performance Directorate was the Board’s preferred option although there was not agreement on GB competing in the World Cup.
Even so the changes proposed by the establishment of the GB Performance Directorate are a step-change in the delivery of high performance hockey in Great Britain in the following ways:
The appointment of permanent full-time staff with the sole remit of delivering high performance for GB Hockey and having authority over all areas directly concerned with the performance of the Great Britain teams by the Home Nation Unions to the Board of GBOH
GB squads to train and compete on a regular basis throughout the 4-year Olympic cycle; this supported by an agreement to seek FIH approval for GB to compete in Champions Trophy or Challenge on an annual basis, thus securing regular competition against the top nations in the World
The further modernisation of the independent GB Olympic Hockey, with sole focus on the delivery of Olympic medal success for GB Hockey. The Board should include a majority of personnel with expertise in high performance sport
Funding for the GB programme to be discrete from that of any Home Nation and the establishment of parity of funding for all GB athletes, irrespective of their Home Nation origin
On the basis of the Modernisation Project agreement reached between GBOH Board and the Boards of the Home Nations a GB Performance Plan 2005-2009 was written and submitted to UK Sport in April 2004 for funding consideration.
At the April meeting of the Board it was agreed that a formal proposal regarding GB squads competing in the Champions Trophy and Champions Challenge be made to the FIH. The UK Sport liaison officer for hockey attended the meeting and expressed doubt that the full GB Performance Plan would be funded. The GB Women’s result at the Olympic Qualification Tournament probably indicated that the Women’s programme would not be considered world class and that it was unlikely lottery funding would be made available to it. It was possible however that some Exchequer funding might be available and GBOH were asked to consider developing a low cost option for the women’s programme based on this supposition. The men’s situation will be considered after Athens.
Subsequently a formal proposal was submitted by GBOH to the FIH regarding GB squads competing in the Champions Trophy and Champions Challenge. This proposal was accompanied by letters of support from England Hockey, Scottish Hockey Union and the Welsh Hockey Union.
The Board is highly committed to the modernisation of GBOH and now
awaits a response from the FIH regarding this proposal whilst working to develop a performance plan that reflects the level of funding that might be available.
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