A Letter From Chief Executive Nick Pink

In light of the decision made by the England Hockey Appeal Panel regarding an appeal by Barford Tigers Hockey Club, and a letter sent to me this morning from Barford Tigers’ Chairman Gurmej Singh Pawar, I felt it important to communicate openly with England Hockey’s members.

This case and subsequent appeal have been difficult for all concerned. When a number of detailed complaints of conduct at Barford Tigers Hockey Club were brought to us by City of Birmingham and Yardley Hockey Clubs, it is our responsibility as a Governing Body to take them seriously and follow up as fully as possible.

Last year eleven complaints were upheld and sanctions put in place. Subsequently, nine of those complaints were successfully appealed against, meaning that two complaints and their sanctions remained.

It has become clear that there were shortcomings in the initial process, and we at England Hockey are saddened and disappointed by this and recognise that the process needs to be reviewed and changed.

I feel it important to state that the appeals found that witnesses from both City of Birmingham and Yardley acted in good faith and were believed to be credible. It was found that eight of the nine complaints could not be upheld based on procedural grounds. We encourage anyone within the sport to bring matters to our attention when they witness behaviour that they feel falls below standards expected by the sport and in England Hockey’s Code of Ethics and Behaviour.

In terms of volume of evidence, complexity and duration, this case is unprecedented and has exerted our process in a manner it simply has not experienced previously. It was the first time that our disciplinary processes have been tested to this extent and we have taken on the learnings from this, and as such, we will share our new processes at the next England Hockey AGM in March.

One of the key elements of our process that we have been looking at is transparency, and publishing findings of the Panel. The Board have agreed to share the outcome of future disciplinary proceedings. Given the duration and level of scrutiny around this particular case, we have made the decision to publish relevant documents in relation to these complaints, and they will be published shortly. We hope they give an insight into the complexity of the complaints, the level of diligence undertaken and also how the process can evolve moving forward.

Nick Pink
Chief Executive
England Hockey