The Regulations for the 2020-21 season can be found under the Information tab above, under Information and Downloads. These regulations need to be read in conjunction with the Covid Regulations Addendum document which can be found in the same place. These Covid Regulations are relevant to the 20-21 season only.

In response to concerns raised regarding excessive contact through completion of the match sheet the League proposes a change. Both teams can choose to separately complete a match sheet with their team details, then both teams send their sheet electronically to the League Secretary. Both match sheets should record the date / location / team name / umpire names and their EH umpire registration number along with the score. You should also record the player names, numbers, any cards given for your team and the Captain’s name.

However, if you prefer you can continue to complete a single match sheet on the day and the Home team to electronically send this single sheet to the relevant League secretary – no physical signature is necessary. It is not necessary to capture the umpires signatures on the sheet – only the umpire names and their EH umpire registration number.

Please visit the EH website for their latest update, dated 16 October.

In these uncertain times I would respectfully ask clubs to be considerate to any requests their opposition may make and try to accommodate those requests where possible please. These could be playing on a different day of the week (in accordance with the Covid Regulations Addendum provided to clubs on 14 September), swapping home and away fixtures to accommodate pitch availability, amongst other things. Thank you.

Following on from Hockey Wales's decision to delay the start of their leagues until January 2021 due to Covid-19 and the lockdowns currently in place in South Wales the following decisions have been made:

All games involving the Welsh teams in Premier Division 1 up to 1st January 2021 are declared null and void.

If restrictions on Welsh clubs are lifted in January 2021 they will play their remaining scheduled fixtures.

In this scenario final divisional placings will be determined on a points per game (PPG) basis. PPG represents the number of points gained by teams in all League fixtures divided by the number of fixtures played. If teams are level on points then goals per game will be used.

Should restrictions not have been lifted on Welsh clubs by the start of the reversed fixtures (30 January 2021) all remaining fixtures involving the Welsh teams will be declared ‘null and void’. In this circumstance the Welsh teams will have their original 2020/21 placements in Premier Division 1 protected.

If Hockey Wales and Welsh Government regulations allow competitive hockey to resume prior to the 30th January the expectation is that this will happen and all outstanding fixtures are fulfilled (excluding those already null and void).

If any of these Welsh teams wish to ghost for the whole season they must make this decision by end of day on Saturday 17 October.

Firstly, apologies for the delay in getting this on to the system.
As youknow clubs can apply for a team(s) to be "ghosted" for the 2020-21 season only. These teams shall then face no penalty and may re-integrate into the tier from which they withdrew for the 21-22 season.
In order to take advantage of this a number of conditions need to be met and full details can be found on the ghosting application form which can be downloaded from the Information section, then Information & Downloads on the website. The closing date for applications is Monday 12 October 2020.

The WCWHL Affiliation Fees 2020-21 letter will be sent to all club treasurers on 4 October (tomorrow) but some clubs have not provided a treasurer address. Please check your club treasurer contact details immediately as payment is due by 16 October. If your club does NOT receive an affiliation letter by Monday 5 October please email wcwhl.treasurer@gmail.com providing the correct contact email for your club.

The new season player registration paperwork was emailed to clubs on 14 September . Once clubs have completed these they need to be sent to all the secretaries who cover the divisions all your teams play in. These need to be received by them no later than 17 October unless you have brought any matches forward of this date in which case the paperwork need to be received 7 days before the new date of the fixture.

The registration form itself is an Excel document and as such cannot be loaded on to the website so if you need a copy of this document please contact the League Secretary.

The invoice/paperwork for the affiliation fees for 2020-21 will be with your club very shortly.

We appreciate that things can, and will, change in the coming weeks and months with regard to lockdowns etc., and that getting all our matches played could be an issue. That said could clubs ensure that they advise their opposition at the time of confirming the game, or at a later date if circumstances change, of the facilities available at the home venue - i.e. toilets, changing rooms, teas if provided, etc. Thank you.

There are instances where there is no contact information whatsoever for some clubs - how is your opposition supposed to contact you? Please ensure your club's contact information is up to date on the website including team captains and/or fixtures secretaries so that your opposition can contact the relevant person to confirm the date, time and venue of your game. Also, where possible please provide at least one mobile number for each team - this will allow for any last minute issues on the day on the part of either team - traffic jams, accidents, breakdowns, etc.

Also, please ensure match start times are entered on the website to assist your opposition.

An email was sent out to clubs' secretarial contacts on Monday 14 September with regard to the above. There are 3 sections to this email and all require some form of action. In particular the closing date for the ALM voting form is Monday 21 September.

If, as a secretarial contact, you didn't receive this please email secretary@wcwhl.co.uk.

Keynsham 4 has withdrawn from Berkeley Division 3; their fixtures have been deleted.

Please visit the EH website where you will find their update - Return to Play: Our view on the progress required to move to Step 5 dated 21 August. They have added some new files relating to Step 4 Covid-19 and returning to hockey and these can be found in the many attachments within that news item - you will find a link in the 4th paragraph that takes you to these.

The pre-season paperwork which is usually sent to clubs mid August will be sent out at a later date, possibly mid September, due to the later start of our season on 24 October. The return dates for affiliation fees and registration forms will similarly be later and you will be advised in due course on the relevant dates.

With the start of the season still in the balance we still need to have some sort of ALM to close the 19-20 season. Obviously with the current limitations about meeting we have decided that this will be done via email. In general the format of the email would be along the lines of the Minutes, with all paperwork relevant to the agenda items sent to your club shortly. A voting form listing those items that need voting on will be sent as well.

Clubs will be given a date by which the voting forms need to be returned; this will give you the chance to discuss these within your club and then respond.

All clubs should keep abreast of any news items by EH on their website - either on their main news section or via the Covid-19 Support tab at the top of the home page.

Clubs should have had contact from EH on 18 June with regard to completing their survey which is in 2 parts. Part 1 relates to the Implications of Covid-19 and the second part to the Structure Fit for the Future although they can be answered separately. Please ensure your club has its say as this will, firstly, enable EH to get your views on how we can get on with preparing for the new season and getting a starting date. Then secondly, the way ahead for the 21-22 season.

Please note both surveys need to be completed no later than 15 July 2020.

Due to Co-vid 19 the ALM that was scheduled for 3 May has been postponed until further notice. Clubs will be advised of the new date in due course.

In light of the ongoing situation with Coronavirus England Hockey recommends that people involved in sport follow the government's advice, which is updated on a daily basis on the Gov.UK website. EH has also produced an article which sets out what action club members, officials and spectators need to take to prevent the spread of the virus. This can be found by using the attached link or by clicking on the blue box on the Home page entitled News from England Hockey.

Presently there is no suggestion that our events should not proceed, but sensible precautions should be taken. Players, parents and officials who do attend our events should refrain from shaking hands before and after games and wash their hands with soap and water or an appropriate hand gel regularly.

If players and / or their immediate family and close friends have returned from countries where coronavirus is widespread, government advice is that they should self isolate. They should NOT participate in our events. This is the responsibility of the parents, players and coaches themselves and not something that WCWHL can manage and enforce.

Everyone is reminded that all players should abide by the EH Code of Behaviour for Players as per the attached. Please take time to read this important document and ensure that you pass this on to other members of the club who do not access the website.

If your match is cancelled due to the weather, pitch, travelling conditions etc and will be re-arranged on a new date both teams should go in and mark that fixture as cancelled. This is the only time the Cancelled box should be used.

If your match is not played because you, or your opposition, cannot fulfil a fixture (i.e. it will not be played at all) please DO NOT mark this fixture as Cancelled. Instead you must inform your divisional secretary who will take the necessary action on the website. (When you mark a unfulfilled fixture as cancelled it causes issues with the administration part of the website, which means unnecessary work on my part).

Thank you, Webmaster WCWHL

If severe weather or travelling conditions have caused your match to be cancelled please go as if you are entering the result but only tick the Cancelled box. This will put the fixture back onto the system and once a new date has been agreed this can be put in and the fixture will appear under the relevant date. Both teams need to do this as it acts as confirmation that the fixture did not take place.
If your match does not go ahead because your opposition cannot raise a team, DO NOT enter anything on the website but contact the relevant secretary for your team to advise them - he/she will then take the appropriate action of cancelling the fixture.

Clubs must ensure times on the website clearly reflect the correct start time of the match. In the event the start time of a match is changed after it has been confirmed with your opposition you MUST ensure you contact them and get confirmation from them, in writing, that they have this new time. DO NOT assume that they will just happen to check the site to see if the time has changed as there is every likelihood they won’t. The onus is on you as the home team to make sure the information is correct and up to date.

If your match was an unfulfilled fixture do not enter a result but contact the league administrator(s) instead who will take the necessary action.
If your match was cancelled due to the weather, use the cancelled section to confirm that the match did not take place and ensure that you re-arrange this in accordance with the Regulations.

Please use the attached link to access the EH Best Practice Guidance which covers the subject of photography at matches, events, etc. We should all be mindful about taking photographs particularly when this involves under 18s and getting the consent of those concerned.

Clubs are reminded that postponed fixtures need to be re-arranged within 14 days of the date of the original match and your league secretary should be advised in writing of the new date. Your league secretary should also be notified of the postponement no later than 7pm on the day of the game other wise you will incur a fine of 10 pounds. Also, some of you need to visit the website and where you would enter the result you should note that the game was postponed.

It has been brought to my attention that offensive language was heard during a match in the vicinity of young players. I understand this can sometimes be due to player frustration but clubs are reminded that all players (and supporters) should demonstrate the highest standard of behaviour before, during and after a game. Please treat everyone involved in your game with the respect they deserve.

Clubs must ensure any umpires they use are suitably qualified, before they umpire the game and that is the only interest we have with them. You are reminded that the use of candidate umpires is only allowed in Divisions 2 and below and only one per match as per Regulation 8a ii). If you have any issues about the standard of umpiring these should be directed to your County Umpiring Association

There have been some changes to the Red Card Regulations from September 2016, which are available in the Information section of the website. Please ensure your club is up to date with these changes.