Letter to FHBC Members from the FHBC Board of Directors

Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

Please find below a letter from the desk of the FHBC President, sent to the FHBC Membership on behalf of the FHBC Board of Directors. You may also download the letter as a PDF file here. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at waterman@vjview.com.

Thank you in advance for the time taken in consideration.

Alan Waterman
President
Field Hockey BC 


Hello fellow FHBC Member,

I write to you on behalf of the Board of Field Hockey BC to address issues of urgent concern to many members as we approach the Annual General Meeting scheduled for February 10th.

These concerns have been documented by member clubs of the Greater Vancouver Junior Field Hockey League, and most revolve around conflicts between junior leagues and High Performance sessions. The FHBC Board has been working collaboratively with the GVJFHL for several months, and continues with further meetings scheduled even this month, in an on-going effort to alleviate the points raised. Those points can be found in this public club posting: http://www.vancouverhawks.com/members/.

To address the points individually, the collaborative meetings with the GVJFHL have already produced results in:

  • Working together to reduce/eliminate scheduling conflicts
  • Working toward greater emphasis on Club Championships
  • Discussing best methods to select and train athletes for provincial teams that would also be inclusive for those outside the Greater Vancouver region

In a nutshell, the FHBC Board has heard loud and clear that some aspects of High Performance programming have been detrimental to league play and club activity. And we are determined to work toward beneficial solutions that alleviate the situation while still developing our players and our sport to the highest level for all ages, all abilities, in all regions of the province.

Also circulating is a document from GVJFHL clubs entitled, Pathway to Change: http://www.vancouverhawks.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2024/2020/01/Pathway-to-Change-1-1-2.pdf.

The Board feels the articles in this document need to be addressed to bring clarity and understanding for our members to the nuances of working under provincial and national sport circumstances.

Programming: The model envisioned would work well for clubs with a large core group of members and infrastructure. The danger is that many clubs would see their junior players gravitate to larger clubs resulting in the creation of super-clubs, with the smallest clubs potentially disappearing or reduced to seniors-only. Outside the Lower Mainland a strong level of success is not envisioned for this model.

Competition: There are misconceptions within this article. While most leagues are sanctioned by FHBC for insurance purposes, they are otherwise independent entities. To relinquish control to FHBC would require a dissolution of each league by league membership vote. FHBC cannot dictate this outcome. For FHBC to take over the running of leagues, a cost analysis has shown the requirement of an additional three full-time positions at an estimate of <$150,000/year. These calculations come from the current weekly hours of paid league administrators and volunteers. There would also be the need for an additional online platform with substantial capital costs. In all, this budgetary item would be roughly the equivalent of total FHBC membership fees. In essence, it would be doable if members approved a doubling of fees or severe cuts to programming (such as coaching, umpiring, and technical official education/certification).

Development: This is largely addressed in the comments under Programming. It should be noted that frameworks, pathways and curricula already exist for athletes, coaches and officials (see Governance below).

Strategy: The FHBC Board agrees that consultation and communication to members and member clubs can and should be improved.

Governance: Sections on guidelines, governance and certification are available online at fieldhockeybc.com Coaching standards are set nationally by the NCCP (coaching) and FHC (coaches, umpires and technical officials). Additionally, FHBC created the Provincial Coach Education Pathway and Courses to specifically target community-level, grassroots coaches.

Marketing & Advocacy: The Board also agrees that we can always do better in marketing our sport. This past year has seen a greater emphasis on social media posts that are not necessarily focused on elite athletes but everyday members, with an eye to driving more people to the main website and all aspects of field hockey in BC. When it comes to lobbying for resources, FHBC is in constant contact with, and under constant scrutiny by the provincial government. Their own auditing processes deem we are punching above of our weight and consequently funded better than the vast majority of sports our size. There is a concern, though, that should self-funding High Performance programs be removed from our overall budget then FHBC would drop below the threshold for our current provincial grants, resulting in cuts to other programs.

Much of the discussion in this letter has revolved around junior athletes and, for more than a decade, FHBC’s approach to the development of our juniors has resulted in greater numbers of well-trained BC athletes at the elite level, an alignment with Field Hockey Canada’s NextGen Program and National Championships, and now emulation by other provinces. All of this is a synergy we would hate to lose and one that, with collaboration and mutual goodwill, we can all continue to nurture.

To be clear, this letter is not about my position or any other Board Member’s position in the upcoming AGM. I very much welcome the engagement of more people in the governance of our sport and the infusion of fresh ideas.

With that in mind, please take some time to reflect on the future of field hockey across this province, then gather your proxy votes for representatives attending the AGM so that what you feel is right for you and for hockey is expressed at this meeting.

Proxies can be as simple as a written or electronic document that contains your name, email address, and FHBC membership number. Junior members under the age of 18 must designate a senior member in good standing, who must be over 18 years of age, to vote on their behalf. More details on voting procedures at the AGM can be found at https://fieldhockeybc.com/about/constitution-bylaws/.

If you have any further questions about the above points or any other issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Alan Waterman
President, Field Hockey BC
waterman@vjview.com

Wildcats crowned champions at the Uvic Indoor Field Hockey Tournament

Photo Credit: Armando Tura

The Annual UVic Indoor Field Hockey Tournament took place on January 18-19 in the McKinnon gym in Victoria and was won by the Island Wildcats’ Black team, who defeated the UVic White team 5-1. The indoor tournament saw the Wildcats name on the trophy for the first time since 2013, following six-straight victories by the Vikes.

The Wildcats went undefeated in pool play scoring 19 goals in round-robin alone to top Pool A that included UVic White, UBC and the Rebels. Pool B was a grid lock with West Vancouver, Duncan and Wildcats White pushing for the Top 2 in their pool based on goal differential. West Vancouver ended up topping their pool, while Duncan took second by one goal. Duncan defeated West Vancouver in the third-place game, while Wildcats White defeated UBC for 5th and UVic Royal defeated Rebels for 7th.

There was a lot of experience on the floor as stalwart keeper Burgundy Biletski backstopped the 8th-placed Rebels, while the UBC Thunderbirds looked for their leadership through defender Hannah Eborall. On the UVic team, the back-to-back U SPORTS National champions split their outdoor side into two teams and had leadership from Judy Cristante on the UVic Royal team and Mel Robertson and Emily Wong on the UVic White team.

Duncan had an impressive return of athletes, all back on the team in honour of former coach and Cowichan contributor Les Mann, including Caitlin Erickson (Evans), Miranda Mann, Mary Nielsen and Crystal Poland. The Duncan team got a boost from mainland talents Anna Kozniuk, from West Vancouver, and Poonam Sandhu, from Vancouver.

The visiting West Van team was hosted by Georgia McGillivray and alongside her was a talented line up including former indoor national team member Kri Shier, as well as the skills of Paige Norris and Kaela Barker and the talented Sam Lyzun in goal.

The Wildcats also had their outdoor team split into two. The 5th-placed Wildcats White team featured the defensive experience of Kyla Kirby and Heather Wheatley, as well as the speed of Kira Starr in the middle. The Wildcats black team totalled over 30 goals in the tournament thanks to the teamwork of sisters Chloe and Stefanie Langkammer, while defensive anchors Ali Baggott, Meggan Oliver, Jenna Goodman and Birkley Anderson helped to minimize the efforts for keeper Theresa Kennedy who was outstanding in her first appearance on the hard wood.

Up next, most of the teams will regroup for the BC Senior Indoor Tournament, Feb. 1-2, in Duncan.

Final standings:
1. Wildcats Black
2. UVic White
3. Duncan
4. West Vancouver
5. Wildcats White
6. UBC
7. UVic Royal
8. Rebels

Register for the U18 Girls Indoor Field Hockey Tournament 2020 on Vancouver Island

Registration is now open for the U18 Girls Indoor Field Hockey Tournament 2020.

ENTRY DEADLINE: January 15, 2020
FEE: $400 per team after December 31, 2019.
EARLY BIRD FEE: $350 per team if registered by December 31, 2019.
WHERE: Cowichan Community Centre, Duncan, BC
WHEN: January 25-26, 2020
FORMAT: Round Robin games finish by 3:30 pm on Sunday.

Also accepting players looking for teams or teams looking for players. $50 per individual player. Maximum of 12 players per team.

To register or for more information, please contact Brenda at u18indoor@gmail.com.

Here is the Registration Form.

Register for the U16 Girls Indoor Field Hockey Tournament 2020 on Vancouver Island

Registration is now open for the U16 Girls Indoor Field Hockey Tournament 2020.

ENTRY DEADLINE: December 20, 2019
FEE: $350 per team after December 15, 2019.
EARLY BIRD FEE: $300 per team if registered by December 15, 2019.
WHERE: Cowichan Community Centre, Duncan, BC
WHEN: January 4-5, 2020
FORMAT: Round Robin games finish by 3:30 pm on Sunday.

To register or for more information, please contact Brenda at u18indoor@gmail.com.

Here is the Registration Form.

2023 U14 Club Championships


Girls Club Championship

Date: June 17, 18
Location: Townsend Park
Host: Chilliwack FHC + FHBC

Registered Teams

Tier 1 – Played at Townsend Park
Panthers
Polar Bears
Sea to Sky
Tri-City Eagles Venom
Vancouver Hawks
West Vancouver
West Vancouver Crazy Crocs

Tier 2 – Played at Chilliwack Senior Secondary
Alberni
Kelowna Dragons
Orcas
Tri-City Eagles Raptors
Victoria
Orange Orcas
West Vancouver Eagles

Schedules will be posted on Friday, June 9th, but might be subjected to changes in case any team drops out of the competition

MATCH SCHEDULE: click here
UMPIRE SCHEDULE: click here
TECHNICAL REGULATIONS: click here


Boys Club Championship

Due to lack of viable interest in registration, the U14 boys club championship will not be held for the 2023 season

2023 U12 Festival


Date: June 3, 4
Location: Burnaby Lake Sports Complex
Host: Burnaby Bears & Burnaby Lake

Registered Teams

Boys Festival
Burnaby Lake
India Club
Panthers
Surrey Sharks
Vancouver Hawks
West Vancounver
West Vanancouver 2

Girls Festival – Tier 1
Polar Bears Blue
Polar Bears Red
Polar Bears White
Sea to Sky Aqua
Sea to Sky Grey
Surrey Reef Sharks
Tri-City Eagles Force
West Vancouver
West Vancouver Bulldogs

Girls Festival – Tier 2
Burnaby Bear Cubs
Burnaby Lake Riptide
Cowichan Cougars
Delta Falcons
Victoria
West Vancouver Flames

Schedules will be posted on Friday, May 26, but might be subjected to changes in case any team drops out of the competition

MATCH SCHEDULE: click here
UMPIRE SCHEDULE: click here
FESTIVAL RULES: click here


 

BC players in the 2019 Nationals “Tournament 11”

The Field Hockey Canada Nationals 2019 came to an end last week. Team BC brought home a lot of medals and was greatly represented by our amazing players. With that, some of our boys and girls, men and women, had such tremendous performances that they were selected among the best players of their age group during Nationals. Here is the list of every BC player that was named to the 2019 Nationals “Tournament 11”:

U15 Nationals 2019, Tournament Recap

The U15 Nationals came to an end this Sunday, July 28, in Calgary. The tournament was a success, extremely exciting and with all the provinces displaying promising teams and players for the years to come. As for BC, we have brought home gold medals among the girls and the silver ones from the boys division.

After a tough game against Ontario West yesterday, in the semi-final, the girls of the BC Rams faced Ontario Central for the gold medal. The Rams managed to score after just eight minutes played, but the encounter stayed pretty even after that. Only in the final 10 minutes of the match the BC girls were able to increase their advantage and scored three times in a roll, ending with a 4-0 win, as gold medallists.

The BC Lions also played today. They faced Ontario West for the bronze medal in another very tight game. Unfortunately, the BC girls were not able to win this one, as Ontario scored with 11 minutes to go and the Lions couldn’t find the net after. Still, the girls were all proud with the 4th place in the U15 Nationals. The Stags had wrapped up their participation Saturday, guaranteeing the 5th place overall with a 7-0 win over Alberta.

We would also like to congratulate our boys who are returning as silver medallists. They faced Quebec in an amazing final, and these teams had already played in the round robin, with BC winning by 2-0. Today, however, the story was different, with Quebec coming out victorious with a 2-1. It was a great tournament for the BC boys; in the end, they have beat every adversary in the National at least once, which shows how balanced everything was.

And that is it for our 2018-19 season. Membership registration for the 2019-20 period is now open. For more information, access http://tiny.cc/6zqeaz.

U15 Nationals 2019, Day 5 Recap

Day 5 of the Field Hockey Canada U15 National Championships was full of emotions and excitement. BC will have teams playing the finals in both boys and girls divisions, but it wasn’t without tension.

The BC boys opened up the day with a great win over Alberta in the semifinals: 7-0. With that, they will play the great final versus Quebec filled with confidence. The match will be at noon, as Alberta and Ontario play for the bronze medal at 8:30 am.

Among the girls, the Stags secured 5th place in the National by beating Alberta, 7-0. The true drama was reserved for the two semifinals.

The BC Rams went to the pitch first to face Ontario West. The game was pretty even and no one wer able to alter the scoreboard until two minutes were left on the clock. After a short corner, the Rams managed to find their winning goal and secure a spot in the final.

On the other semi-final, the BC Lions had a great challenge against Ontario Central. After the first half, there was a crazy 3-hour delay because of the weather.

The girls came back and played the second half late in the afternoon and fought to the end. However, Ontario Central managed to score in the 3rd quarter and won by 1-0. It was a tough day, but the Lions were remarkably resilient and never gave up!

The U15 Nationals will wrap up this Sunday, with all gold medal and bronze medal games happening from 8:30 am onwards. The BC Lions girls will play Ontario West for the bronze at 10:15 am; the BC boys will face Quebec at noon; and the Rams girls will battle for the gold against Ontario Central.

To follow the live score of the Nationals and see the full standings, schedule and statistics, access fhc.altiusrt.com. For more detailed information on the event, visit the Field Hockey Canada National Championship Event Page.