If you believe that a person, group of persons or a club or association has breached England Hockey’s Code of Conduct (that is not already covered by separate Anti-Doping, Safeguarding and Protecting Young People Regulations or by the issuing of a Red Card), then you can file a Misconduct Complaint. This can be done by filling out a Misconduct Complaint Form. The form can be used to report isolated incidents or a series of actions that may have brought hockey into disrepute. Once completed, the form will need to be sent to England Hockey via discipline@englandhockey.co.uk where it will be processed. If you are unsure of whether your complaint falls under a Misconduct offence, please consult the flow diagram below.
Before submitting a Misconduct Complaint consider if the matter can better be resolved by club to club dialogue or engaging with another member of England Hockey (for instance the appropriate Officiating Body). There are strict time limits for submission of a formal Misconduct Complaint but England Hockey will always considering holding a formal complaint whilst the parties seek to resolve the matter between themselves.
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The form can be used to report isolated incidents or a series of actions that are alleged to be a breach of the Spirit of Hockey - Code of Conduct or have otherwise brought hockey into disrepute.
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The England Hockey Disciplinary Regulations came into force in respect of any Red Card or Misconduct offence committed on or after 1 September 2024. These Regulations have been revised with effect from 1 October 2026 and the England Hockey Disciplinary Regulations 2026-27and prescribed forms must be used to report any Misconduct Offence arising on or after that date. There may also be additional supporting documentation (e.g. witness statements and other evidence) to submit.
England Hockey launched a new Red Card/ Misconduct Complaint Form in September 2025.
This form replaces the previous Red Card/ Misconduct Complaint Form and must be used from 12-09-25
The new form is a Microsoft (MS) Form which complainants will complete online. The form is available via this linkhttps://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/URByvWx9pE
In addition to completing the MS Form you will also be asked to submit your supporting documentation, including witness statements.
You can find all the information you need including the new England Hockey Disciplinary Regulations, guidance notes and forms on this page.
Please note, if the correct procedure is not followed or an out of date form used this may result in the rejection of your complaint.
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A Misconduct Complaint must be submitted via the MS Misconduct Complaint Form. All other supporting witness statements and evidence should be sent to thediscipline@englandhockey.co.uk inboxwithin 14 days starting on the day after the date of the alleged Misconduct offence taking place. If the complaint concerns a series of actions, thedate of the last action is the date to use to start your calculation.
For example, if an incident occurs on a Saturday, the 14 day period begins on the Sunday and the deadline to submit the complaint will be the end of the second following Saturday.
Any forms received after this time will not be processed unless it is decided by England Hockey’s Disciplinary Panel that there are exceptional circumstances at play.
The Misconduct Complaint Form should provide as much information as possible relating to the alleged offence. The complaint should be supported withsigned and dated statements of any witnesses and all evidence which is relied upon in support of the complaint. Examples of the information to include in the Misconduct Complaint, along with a witness statement template, are available in the guidance documents on this page.
NB: from 1 October 2026 ALL Misconduct Complaints (with a limited exception) must be endorsed by an officer of your club or member organisation. Their details must be included on the complaint form and England Hockey will contact the named endorser to confirm their knowledge and agreement with the complaint.
Once the complaint has been received, the complaint and supporting papers will be reviewed to establish if the complaint can be dealt with under the Disciplinary Regulations. You may be required to provide further clarification of the issues raised within it.
If your complaint proceeds, the complaint form and the supporting evidence will be sent to the alleged offender usually via their club or other member body.
Once a response has been received you may be asked to comment upon this if this is deemed necessary by the disciplinary panel that will consider the complaint. Most complaints are dealt with based upon thewritten evidence provided but if the disciplinary panel determines that a hearing is necessary to make a decision, you and your witnesses will be asked to attend to present and support your complaint.
For more in-depth information about disrepute in hockey, please consult our new Disciplinary Regulations and the Spirit of Hockey - Code of Conduct
Please note that if you fail to respond to a request for additional information or fail to provide this when requested your complaint may not proceed.
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The Misconduct Complaint Form and supporting evidence will usually be sent to you via your Club Disciplinary Officer or the person responsible for disciplinary matters in your organisation and they will contact you for consideration and response.
Once the Misconduct Complaint Form has been sent to your organisation, you will have 7 days within which to indicate whether you accept or reject the Misconduct Complaint (whether in whole or in part) and a further 7 days within which to respond to the complaint or offer statements in mitigation of it. Your response should include any supporting statements from witnesses (which should be signed and dated) and other evidence you intend to rely upon. Guidance on how to respond to a complaint and a pro forma witness statement is available on this page.
Your club or other organisation may assist you with this process
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A disciplinary panel will be convened to consider the complaint and response. This will either be at Area or National level depending on the nature of the complaint. The panel will consider all representations and may ask for further information. In most cases the matter can be determined based on the papers alone, but the disciplinary panel may decide that a hearing (usually conducted online) needs to take place to make a decision on the case. Once a decision is made it will be sent to all parties to the complaint. It will include reasons for the decision and will include details of any sanction that may be applied.
England Hockey reserves the right to publicise details of any disciplinary decisions.
For more in-depth information about disrepute in hockey, please consult the England Hockey Spirit of Hockey - Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Regulations
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If a decision has been made that you have committed a Misconduct offence, you have a right of appeal against this decision provided the grounds of your appeal meet certain requirements. Details of how to appeal and the timeframe within which this should be done can be found in the Disciplinary Regulations.
The Notice of Appeal Form can be accessed on this page. For payment details, email discipline@englandhockey.co.uk
