All fingers are crossed that we will be able to resume some sort of hockey in the next few weeks and get back to being a Club again. Our current competitive season is now over and planning is ongoing as part of the work with England Hockey to implement "A Structure Fit for the Future". As part of that there is a planned Club Update on March 24th via conference. Your Club should have received the joining information, if this is not the case please email the address provided below.

We know some of you will be considering the structure of your own Clubs next year and the number of teams that you will want to be entering into League Hockey. Can we ask that you email the address below with your plans if you think you will be entering any new teams or withdrawing any teams. The earlier that you can do this the better, but certainly no later than April 30th.

The email address to send this to information is WESTADULTLEAGUE@gmail.com

At the recent committee meeting the affiliation fees clubs have paid for the shortened 20-21 season was discussed. Our decision is to recommend to the ALM to carry forward the affiliation fees paid as credit towards next season. If a team is not continuing they will receive a refund

At our committee meeting last week the Premier 1 promotion was discussed and, after taking many factors into consideration, it was felt it is unlikely that teams will be able to return to competitive hockey in time to complete a meaningful play off competition in that division.

Our decision is in accordance with EH guidance for concluding the season without being able to have a play off. Therefore, the two teams going into National League will be Penarth who were runners up at the end of the 19-20 season and Bristol University who were the team relegated from National League at that time.

Congratulations to both teams and we wish them the best of luck in the 21-22 season.

The original fixtures have been removed as, because there were so many, these were causing issues with the website. The downside to doing this also removes the contact information for your opposition. However there is now a new section in your club’s Secure Area called Full Opposing Team Contacts which lists details for all the clubs your teams normally play should you wish to organise any friendlies.

Following the AGM Resolution vote at last year’s England Hockey AGM, the Structure Fit for the Future transition work is gaining momentum across the West region. The West Transition Group at their monthly meeting last week, decided that Counties and clubs needed to be better informed of the progress made to date in each of the functional areas – Adult Competitions, Junior Competitions, Officiating, Discipline and Masters. It is vital that the West continue to engage with the Counties and clubs, keeping them informed on the progress made towards the changes for season 2021/22. Details are in the attached pdf. Please note the email address in the form is incorrect; it should read hockeywestuksecretary@gmail.com

Firstly we would like to thank the clubs for participating in the recent survey. There was an 86% response from 94% of the clubs.

Following a meeting of the League Committee on Thursday 11 February it has been determined that, with the exception of Premier Division 1, the 2020-21 season be abandoned. This follows clear feedback from the survey that this was the preferred option; this will take effect immediately. There will be no promotions and relegations.

Fixtures will remain on the website for the purposes of allowing friendlies to be arranged.

There will be separate communications to teams in Premier Division 1 to explain how the season will be concluded. This will build on the majority view of the separate Premier Division survey conducted.

The attached link will take you to the EH news item concerning Planning Safe Hockey which has a document attached to it. All clubs need to read these and action as appropriate please.

Clubs are reminded that any re-arranged fixtures you may have need to be played within 22 days of the original fixture date. This time period was set due to the lack of available dates within the season caused by our later start and therefore our later finish. We need to get postponed matches played as soon as possible as if there are any lockdowns or bad weather in the coming weeks or months this will have a huge impact on the fixtures. Please note matches can also be played on a Sunday or any day of the week so please bear this in mind when re-arranging; please be considerate to your opposition’s requests.

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 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.

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.

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.

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