Provincial Pathway Review Project: Communique #2 – Club Feedback Questionnaire


Earlier this month, Field Hockey BC announced the launch of the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project.  The main purpose of the project is to review and evaluate the current FHBC athlete pathway and program model to ensure the Society is meeting the needs of the field hockey community and providing BC athletes with the best available high performance training environment, competitions and opportunities. In order to improve Club-PSO-NSO alignment, the review will examine how FHBC can work collaboratively with the existing club and league structures in BC, as well as seamlessly integrate with the national program pathway.

To gain a better understanding of the perspective of member clubs, Field Hockey BC has sent each member club in the province a Club Feedback Questionnaire.  The purpose of the questionnaire is to obtain specific feedback regarding performance stream programming offered directly through the Society that will inform the development of a new FHBC Provincial Athlete Pathway and FHBC Athlete Program Model.

FHBC believes it is important that every club in the province is given an opportunity to be heard and bring forward their ideas. We encourage any FHBC member who would like to share their feedback with club officials to reach out and provide their input. FHBC has asked each club to complete ONE questionnaire per club that reflects the views of the club as a whole. The deadline for clubs to submit the Club Feedback Questionnaire to the FHBC is May 8th.

FHBC would also like to take this opportunity to introduce and thank the following Provincial Pathway Working Group members who are generously volunteering their time to assist with this project:

Project Lead: Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director
Project Team Members: Ali (Lee) Baggott, Ben Fecht, Caitlin Evans Erickson, Carys Swan, Chris Tyrrell, Erin De Sousa, Gavin Bains, Geoff Matthews, Jenn Beagan, Kent McKinnon, Michelle Savich, Robin D’Abreo and Thora Rae.
FHBC Staff Support: John Sacré, Donna Cumming and Krista Thompson.

If you would like more information regarding the Club Feedback Questionnaire or the Provincial Pathway Review Project, please click on the following link: Provincial Pathway Review Project.

Community Umpire Course is currently free until August

FHBC has made the decision to remove the cost for the Community Umpire Course until August 31st, 2020. This is being offered to all members of the field hockey community within Canada.
Contact eventsandofficials@fieldhockeybc.com with your name, club, province and Field Hockey Membership Number, who will provide you with the instructions to access the course free of charge.
This will enable more umpires to complete the courses prior to getting back on the field and playing the game that we love.

Field Hockey BC Regional Event Planning – COVID-19

You can access the PDF version of this statement here.

Due to an ongoing environmental analysis as a result of COVID-19, Field Hockey BC is currently working with 3 potential planning windows in order to complete the 2019-20 Regional Program and the associated Athlete Talent Identification cycle. The three proposed timelines are outlined below:

Window #1
• Training Program to resume beginning of July 2020 (2-4 training sessions prior to event)
• Regional Talent ID Events – held between July 11 – July 30

Window #2
• Training Program to resume at the end of July 2020 (2-4 training sessions prior to event)
• Regional Talent ID Events – held between August 4 – August 20

Window #3
• Training Program to resume Mid-August 2020 (2-4 training sessions prior to event)
• Regional Talent ID Events – held between August 18 – September 4

FHBC continues to carefully monitor the COVID-19 situation, and, as a result, plans may have to change to adhere and align to both government and municipal regulations in place. The intention is to initially aim for Window #1, pushing back to Window #2 or #3 as may be required due to environmental factors. Should FHBC be unable to host event- based talent identification peaks during any of these three windows (due to COVID-19 group and/or travel restriction), a talent identification training program is proposed to take place by regional geographical center during a similar calendar time-frame.

FHBC Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project

Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

Earlier this season, Field Hockey BC made a community commitment to undertake a performance stream athlete pathway review to environmentally assess performance stream athlete programming offered directly through the Society.

FHBC is excited to announce the Provincial Pathway Review Project which officially launched on April 14th, 2020 and is expected to continue over the next three months. During this period, FHBC is committed to reviewing the outcomes of Society regional and provincial performance programs and to identify strengths, gaps and lessons learned.

The main purpose of the project is to review and evaluate the current FHBC Athlete Pathway and FHBC Athlete Program Model to ensure the Society is meeting the needs of the field hockey community and providing BC athletes with a high performance training environment, competitions and opportunities.

In order to improve Club-PSO-NSO alignment, the Provincial Pathway Review Project will examine how FHBC can work collaboratively with the existing club and league structures in BC, as well as seamlessly integrate with the national program pathway. The key objective is to further evolve an FHBC Athlete Pathway and FHBC Athlete Program model that is athlete-centered, accessible, clearly delineated and integrated with both Field Hockey Canada and the clubs’ athlete pathways.

Led by Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director (Board of Directors), a Provincial Pathway Working Group with representation from across the Province is tasked with formulating recommendations for FHBC Board consideration in July 2020. The working group will consult with community stakeholders, clubs, provincial (PSO) partners, provincial funding organizations, and the national governing body, Field Hockey Canada.

If you would like more information regarding the Provincial Pathway Review Project, please contact Jennifer Taylor, jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com.

The Vancouver International Tournament (VIT) is regrettably CANCELLED for 2020

As the Organized Sport Sector in BC responds to the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19, many municipalities are closing their facilities and today saw the City of Burnaby announce the closure of all facilities through May 31, 2020. We continue to look forward to a responsible return to play and to again organizing the VIT for 2021.

If you have any inquiries, please contact Rahim Walli, Events and Officials Coordinator (604-737-3146 or eventsandofficials@fieldhockeybc.com)

FHBC launches Online Field Hockey Resources page to support the community

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Online Field Hockey Resources page is dedicated to providing online resources to keep athletes and community members engaged in field hockey, even though away from the pitch. The resources are broken into 4 categories: individual skills, footwork and agility, fitness and education.

The page can be accessed from our homepage or by clicking here.

The Field Hockey Resources page provides full online professional, National and Provincial field hockey matches, technical skills and fitness videos that can be practiced at home or in your backyard. The purpose of this page is to give our athletes of varying skill levels some ideas to keep up with field hockey safely and in compliance with government regulations around social distancing.

Make sure to check back as we will be posting new content regularly!

Paul Bundy steps down as Men’s National Team Head Coach

Photo by FHC

Photo by FHC

By FHC, originally posted on fieldhockey.ca

Paul Bundy has stepped down as the head coach of the Men’s National Team. Bundy, who has been head coach since 2017, announced the news this week.

“My intention was to step away from the program following the 2020 Olympic Games to take a year to care for my baby girl on a full-time basis,” he said. “With the Games moving to 2021, I have made the difficult decision to step away sooner than I had hoped.”

Bundy was first introduced as an assistant coach of the men’s national team in 2012 and took over as interim head coach in the summer of 2017. That fall, he was named permanent head coach and under his leadership, led the Red Caribou for the last three years.

With Bundy at the helm, Team Canada saw success at the FIH World League in 2017, qualifying them for the 2018 World Cup, in which they placed 11th. Then, in 2019, the team won the FIH Hockey Series Final in Malaysia, won a silver medal at the Pan American Games and secured an Olympic berth with a thrilling two-game victory over Ireland on home soil.

To read the full article, click here.