Many players do not want to play every week but are happy to play at any time of the year. They want opportunities that provide good experiences but are also local enough to allow room for other interests and commitments.
Clubs are currently doing a great job at welcoming and retaining more junior players in the game:
- Hockey Heroes is attracting 5 to 8 years in a fun and engaging way
- A wider range of structured junior competitions allows young players to access appropriate competitive hockey
- A marked increase in junior club sessions across the week
- Understanding and responding to the needs of young players as they reach their teenage years
- Supporting and improving transition into adult teams via development teams
- Providing new, social, lower commitment, ways to play with friends.
For adults, Saturday league hockey is healthy, but it is not the only thing clubs should offer. Separate ways to play such as Masters, Back to Hockey, Walking Hockey, intra-club games nights, Pay & Play and Flyerz Hockey all aim to supply opportunities for groups that want or need a different experience from club hockey.
Summer hockey is growing significantly, providing a way for clubs to engage players who may not want to commit to winter league hockey through informal leagues, Pay & Play and festivals.
Read on, challenge yourself by answering our handy questions, and then access a range of resources to help you help attract and retain members by offering and embedding new ways to play in your club.
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- How many members have you got? How much do they play?
- When do you find out people are leaving the club? Do they tell you they will be going? Do you know why they stop playing for the club?
- Do you contact players who leave the club for feedback? If yes, do you act on this feedback?
- How do you communicate with your members? Do you know why your players play? Do you know their motivations? Are you clear if they want to play more/less/differently?
- How do you communicate with children and young people in your club?
- Do you do targeted recruitment for particular teams, and when you run new activities like Walking Hockey or Back to Hockey?
- If I wanted to play hockey at your club what opportunities would be available to me? How would I know what your club offers?
- What is the demographic of your club and how does it relate to the local community?
- What are the membership options for your club? Is it good value for money?
- Does your club have plans in place for retaining the existing membership and recruiting new members?
- How many new club members do you need to recruit each season to replace those that leave? Do you know the ‘churn’ rate within your membership? Is it seen in certain ages or groups?
- What activity do you offer beyond formal training and Saturday league hockey? Is what you offer meeting the needs of your current members and / or your local community?
- Does your website concentrate on the league results or showcase all the activities you offer?
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Sport England’s Buddle is a fantastic free resource, that provides access to a host of workshops, webinars and supporting information to help the running and development of your club.
The Buddle Positive Experiences workshop is available to support the Providing Different Ways to Play That Meet Players’ Needs strand. Please head to the Buddle Positive Experiences workshop webpage to find out more information and book your place.
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An opportunity to meet your Club Development Manager and other clubs in your area and discuss common issues, development opportunities and share ideas and best practice. Dates can be found on our monthly calendar and invites will be sent directly from England Hockey Clubs team.
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Please click on the links below to access hockey specific support from England Hockey:
- England Hockey Delivery Programmes and Formats page
- Pick up a Stick Club Open Days
In addition, Buddle has a range of specific help and support for your club to diversify and welcome new people into hockey:
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We love hearing about the fantastic initiatives and successes clubs have. We have started developing a library of case studies to help generate ideas, inspire and share best practice across the seven What Makes a Great Club strands.
- St Helens Hockey Club - Hockey for All
- COYHC – HockeyFest – Launching the Season in Style
- Herne Bay Hockey Club – Not Just a Winter Sport
- Redditch Hockey Club – Understanding your Members
- Stourport Hockey Club – Club Day – Bringing the Whole Club Together
- Khalsa Leamington HC - Khalsa Leamington showcase how their social hockey sessions keep members of all ages engaged and active - https://youtu.be/52__AJerzxA
- Worcester HC & Redditch HC - Worcester and Redditch Hockey Clubs inspire new and returning players to pick up a stick - https://youtu.be/CNMqG61OjMY
