Talkinghockey.net

George,

Have just been to the EH website to see if I could find details of the AGM and Annual Accounts for this year, NOTHING!  Also nothing for the forthcoming Roadshows! What are we paying these people for?  You get more information than this from a Club site and definitely a Regional site, all run by volunteers.

By the way, can anyone tell me why and what for, are we paying Fixtures Live £70,000 per year?  If it is just for producing the results, which no doubt are input by the Clubs, I am astounded.  Most regions and even Counties have automated results pages for far more Leagues than Fixtures Live.

I'm still curious George, does anyone know why we are spending £74,000 a year on a website and Fixtures Live?

It would certainly be inetresting to get a breakdown, since there are some fantastic Club sites out there all done by volunteers.  For £74,000 a year you could employ 3 people all year on it!  Don't forget the only results they are dealing with is National League and Cup competitions, which is hardly onerous, we have Regions dealing with masses of leagues and results and very succesfully too.

Personally I find Fixtures Live somewhat cumbersome,  since it is accommodating all sports and is not hockey specific.  You can't tell me it would be that difficult to have a simple National League results page, we have lowly County Leagues results all automated!

I know of at least 3 sponsorship discussions that are in progress at the moment. We are talking medium to long term deals with significant amounts of money involved.

Playon wrote:

I know of at least 3 sponsorship discussions that are in progress at the moment. We are talking medium to long term deals with significant amounts of money involved.

I assume the details cannot be posted of course but what is "significant"? In football terms a significant sponsorship costs millions or 10s of millions. A significant deal to a minority spot might be some free kit and player sponsorship deals. It helps to talk in quantifiable terms, not use vague words like "medium term" and "significant".

Given the lack of TV exposure for hockey, the lack of features in the mainstream media etc, do these sponsors have ideas to take the team forward in publicity and exposure?

Don't get me wrong I am not suggesting it is done for free.  However, I am suggesting there must be a clear blue line between the England Performance activities, running the representative teams, and the genaral activities of running English Hockey for the Clubs.

If Sport England/Government fund the Performance Unit it is entirely up to them what they consider is the appropriate wage and the Performance Unit is accountable to them for their performance.

One can then look closely at the £1.1M the Clubs are contributing and determine whether this is value for money, for example we do not need a Chief Executive on £85,000 per year, running what?  And we certainly do not need a Non-Executive Chairman working one day a week doing the same job being paid what, merely to Chair a meeting, there are numerous people who will do that for free?!

Ban me then George!

It will be your loss! Because without my 'different' view - this place would just a collection of back-slapping negative dinosaurs who wouldnt know a positive thought or action if it smashed them in the nose!

I genuinely couldnt give a toss about you or DLR. You are the type of club member who would put people off hockey. Heaven help any child or aspiring young player who comes into contact with you.

As for my lack of response - let me put it this way - when YOU post a response saying you were wrong about how our senior national team have developed into a genuine world force, and that you were wrong for questiooning their abilities, and those of the coaching staff - then you'll get a response from me.

I have sat here on this forum for years and years listening to you (and others) moan about how:
- our international set-up is a failure,
- a waste of money,
- then end-of-the-line for England,
- how he LTAD wont be a success because it has no international players that are inspirations for the LTAD,
- how we arent a medal hope for London 2012

Well George, we are, current Aussie, Dutch and Germans think we are. Our own players think we are. BBC broadcast journalists think we are, even the head of the BOA thinks we are (i have all this info first hand!)

So if all those sources (who are far far far far far far far far far far far more qualified than an OAP in the midlands!) think we are a on the up, why have you not posted your response saying you were wrong!

When that happens - mine will happen!

I am obviously missing something here but I don't see the connection between the current performance of the Men's England Hockey Team and the sustainability of England Hockey Ltd. in the present economic climate - possibly this insight escapes me because of my extreme old age and what I need is a good smack in the face to make me see reason.

This may seen absurd but I believe the best possible time to focus on future administration costs is when the national teams are doing very well - carrying out this sort of financial 'soul searching' when the team are doing badly looks very much like 'kicking them when they are down'.

I think we are all delighted that England are European Champions and that a strong performance at the World Cup, which included them beating the eventual winners in the round robin stage, could with better luck have  earned them a medal - the first since 1986. Long may it continue.

Looking at the sustainability of the financial structure and the future of coaching in the UK is not negative, it is extremely positive. Resting on laurels is negative. It's not a matter of "could do better" but of "will do better". What has been achieved is good - no excellent compared to what was thought possible five years ago - but it is not yet good enough.  I don't want to see either of the Great Britain teams come fourth at the next Olympics.