Clubs are at the heart of hockey in England and are central to England Hockey’s strategy by providing opportunities for everyone involved in the sport to enjoy welcoming, positive, and safe environments.
Nick Pink, England Hockey Chief Executive shares below the importance of the role that clubs play in hockey now and into the future.
“Clubs are at the heart of hockey in England, and therefore an integral part of England Hockey’s strategy. In this country, we are so fortunate to have such a committed group of over 730 hockey clubs who provide opportunities for everyone involved in the sport to enjoy welcoming, positive, and safe environments.
We want to continue to work together to make hockey more visible, accessible, and relevant for all. Our aim is to provide support, guidance, tools, advice, ideas, and inspiration to enable clubs to provide an excellent experience for all of their current and potential players and members, and to help them develop further in whatever way suits them.
It has been incredible to watch the way the hockey community galvanised itself and came together to face the wider societal challenges of recent years. The past few years have also seen clubs at the heart of the changing governance structure within the sport, leading to new rules, new Areas, new leagues and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Framework. The Talent Framework has placed clubs at its heart and the recognition provided to Talent Centre’s and Talent Academies is embedding talent development within the club network.
Looking ahead, we have a real opportunity to grow the game further by working together to share a love of the game with a wider and more diverse audience than ever before.”
State of the Nation – 2022-2023 Season
To provide some context of the value clubs bring to hockey delivery across England, here is a snapshot of club and player numbers and some insight into their perceived strengths and opportunities from a members perspective.
