FHBC is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Athlete Assistance Bursary and the Judy Broom High Performance Bursary. The application deadline for both of these bursaries is July 29, 2022, and the recipients will be announced by the end of August.

The Athlete Assistance Bursary is designed to support both male and female athlete participation in FHBC Regional Programming. FHBC Regional Programs allow for athletes to train in their local region whilst developing their field hockey skills. Included within Regional Programming is the FHBC Technical Development Program, the FHBC Elite Program, the FHBC Talent Identification Program, and the FHBC Regional Representative Team Program.

The Judy Broom High Performance Bursary is presented annually by Field Hockey BC to assist a female athlete or athletes who can show a need for financial assistance in order to access program development opportunities within the Field Hockey BC Team BC Program. It is awarded to an individual or individuals who have participated in the Field Hockey BC Regional High Performance Program and have been selected to represent BC as part of the Field Hockey BC Team BC Program. The Award is designed to contribute towards the cost of the summer Team BC Provincial Program.

Go to www.fhbcfoundation.com for more information and to download the application forms.

You may download the PDF version of this communique here.

Field Hockey BC (FHBC) is delighted to announce a new Membership Registration System Partnership with our National Sport Organization (NSO), Field Hockey Canada for 2022-23. Over the course of the last few weeks, Field Hockey BC has completed an assessment as to whether the Society should remain autonomous to its BC Membership Registration process and re-build the custom FHBC Registration platform or look to partner directly with the NSO – Field Hockey Canada.

This Community Communique acts as the first of three scheduled communiques that will be released over the course of the next five weeks informing the BC Membership of:

1. The intent to Partner with Field Hockey Canada in the provision of a new Membership Registration Platform for 2022-23 (July 8, 2022 – Communique #1)
2. A Step-by-Step Guide to Members on “How To” Register a Membership in 2022-23 (August 1, 2022 – Communique #2)
3. Notice confirming that the 2022-23 Membership Registration is Open (August 15, 2022 – Communique #3)

Field Hockey BC appreciates that any change to a Membership Registration process has the ability to impact the time taken by the BC Membership to navigate such change. FHBC is extremely appreciative in advance of the BC memberships patience as we move through this collective change together. As this is a partnership between FHBC and Field Hockey Canada, this means that BC members will have the opportunity to receive customer support through both organizations and both organizations are currently planning to articulate how you may connect and contact each organization should you require assistance with the new Membership Registration process for 2022-23.

As a polite reminder, the 2022-23 season begins on September 1, 2022 with the intent to open Online Membership Registration for the 2022-23 season through the new registration platform effective August 15, 2022. The Membership Registration Platform will thereafter remain open throughout the seasonal year until such time as a new registration cycle begins ahead of the 2023-24 season.

This project collaboration with Field Hockey Canada is intended to enable both FHBC and Field Hockey Canada to effectively and efficiently manage Field Hockey Participant Data and in doing so assist field hockey planning, assist member communication, and provide transparency and accountability in data reporting (to the Membership, as well as to the Federal and Provincial Government). The FHBC team looks forward to building on this communique in the days to come with the most important “How To Register” Communique #2 scheduled for release on August 1, 2022.

Yours in sport,

Mark Saunders
Executive Director
Field Hockey BC July 8, 2022

by Jason Beck, Curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame

For over forty years, Vancouver’s Judy Broom was the wind beneath the wings of BC field hockey, working tirelessly in the background helping to lift the sport to new heights as a player, volunteer, administrator, and supporter.

Growing up in Croydon, a town south of London, England, in school Judy discovered field hockey, typing, and shorthand—three things at which she would become exceptional.

After she and husband Eric were married in 1964, they immigrated to Canada. Their honeymoon fittingly amounted to staging a series of field hockey coaching clinics together as they drove across the country to BC.

Early on, Judy played for the North Vancouver Field Hockey Club, volunteered with the BC Women’s Field Hockey Federation, and supported Eric’s work with the National Coaching Certification Program for the Coaching Association of Canada. It’s estimated Judy typed over 10,000 coaches forms over the years.

In 1979, Judy became the first full-time paid executive director of the BCWFHF working alongside Jenny John. The strength of Field Hockey BC today, especially on the women’s side, can be directly traced back to the groundwork laid by Judy from 1979-2005. During that time she helped organize countless tournaments at all levels of play including the 1979 International Women’s Field Hockey Championship (IFWHA) held at UBC and the Vancouver International Tournament, which she helped found in 1995-96, a trophy for which is still awarded today known as “The Spirit of Judy Broom Award.”

Later in her career, Judy helped merge the separate men’s and women’s BC and Canadian governing bodies into one joint organization at both the provincial and national level, today Field Hockey BC and Field Hockey Canada respectively.

Read more about Judy’s legacy here.

The Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey Team is headed to the 2022 World Cup in Terrassa, Spain this July! This is the first time the team has qualified for this tournament in 28 years – since 1994!

Our field hockey community proud of their accomplishment, especially our BC players Hannah Haughn, Karli Johansen, Audrey Sawers, Maddie Secco, Kathleen Leahy, Thora Rae, Sara Goodman, Sara Mcmanus, Natalie Sourisseau, Shanlee Johnston, Lexi De Armond, Chole Walton, Brooke Mccusker, Bronwyn Bird and Grace Delmotte.

In order to afford the necessary preparations, the team is hosting several fundraising initiatives and is inviting the community to be a part of their historic World Cup run.

World Cup Raffle: 

Enter the WNT’s raffle and get a chance to win prizes worth over $2000, including prize packages from Lululemon, The Keg & Field Hockey Shack! The WNT is drawing a prize every day in May and each ticket you purchase gives you a chance to win all month.

Visit bit.ly/FHCWNT-Raffle to buy tickets today & take advantage of early bird pricing until May 1.

Back the Pack Camps: 

Join the WNT for a fun afternoon of skills, drills, games, and a meet & greet! Receive coaching from national team players and learn the skills that have helped them defy expectations on the world stage.

West Vancouver: May 9, 12:30-3:30, Rutledge (registration link)
More info here.

Vancouver: May 23, 9:00-3:00, Hamber (registration link)
More info here.

Tsawwassen: May 29, 2:00-3:30 (details to come)

Back the Pack Campaign: 

Donate directly to the ongoing ‘Back the Pack’ fundraiser and receive a tax receipt: https://fieldhockey.ca/wnt-back-the-pack/

WNT x Martin Fisher Tailors:

Graduation? Wedding? Promotion? Get a beautifully fit suit from Michael Mahood of Martin Fisher Tailors and support the WNT. Learn more here & get an appointment at bit.ly/MFTxWNT

Let’s back the pack! Follow @canwolfpack on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay up to date with team updates, upcoming events, and get an inside look into the WNT.

by FHC Staff

The 2022 Field Hockey Canada Conference is a three-day online event held from May 3–May 5, 2022. The second edition of this conference will aim to engage and inspire while relying on True Sport values, such as respect, fairness and inclusion.

Featuring various experts and speakers from diverse professional backgrounds, the event will encapsulate all aspects of the industry in a way that gives back to the community and celebrates the strength of our numbers.

REGISTER HERE

Conference Notes

SESSIONS

Community and Culture – Learn how culture plays a critical role in the field hockey community and what we can do to better enhance it to become a more open, inclusive and united sport.

Mental Health and Wellness – Join the hockey community in a discussion about mental health and wellness from a sports perspective. Watch a presentation and engage in a workshop about mental wellness techniques and strategies for managing mental health challenges with your sport.

Officials and Umpires – The recruitment and retainment of officials and umpires is a critical challenge in the Canadian hockey community. Learn how can we, as a community, get more officials involved in the game and keep them involved. Hear from an international umpire and discuss the next steps for our national community.

Women in Field Hockey – Inclusivity, recruitment, and retention. Field Hockey Canada invites the community to have a constructive and collaborative workshop led by industry professionals and hockey community members about how we can best include and keep women in sport at all levels.

Session Planning – Look to improve how you run a practice session and plan a season-long schedule. Our ‘Session Planning’ presentation will be led by high-performance coaches with lots of experience creating and leading training sessions for athletes of all ages.

Clubs Roundtable – Share and learn about field hockey experiences throughout the country via this roundtable discussion, where we will address two prominent topics that our community currently faces.

SCHEDULE

The official conference schedule will be released during the month of April. Expect two to three sessions per day including an exciting keynote address before event kick-off! More details about each session, including the time, presenters and format will be shared at a later date.

CONTACT FHC

For all general and registration inquiries: Hailey Yhap – hyhap@fieldhockey.ca

For all communication inquiries: Kevin Underhill – kunderhill@fieldhockey.ca

For all sponsorship inquiries: Grace Li – graceli@fieldhockey.ca