Category Archives: Players

Provincial Athlete Pathway Review – Invitation for Membership Engagement

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Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

As you may be aware, Field Hockey BC (FHBC) recently completed a comprehensive Provincial Athlete Pathway Review and the FHBC Board of Directors is pleased to extend an open invitation to all member clubs, organizations and leagues to meet with representatives from the Board and staff to discuss the results of the review. FHBC is excited to share information about the review process and outcomes and to answer any question you may have regarding the upcoming changes to the Provincial Athlete Pathway and FHBC athlete program model.

This engagement initiative is being led by Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director, John Sacre, FHBC Head Provincial Coach and Performance Manager, and Krista Thompson, FHBC Regional Lead Coach, Vancouver Island. We are pleased to offer member clubs and leagues a flexible engagement format depending on what your organization prefers. For example, the engagement format could be an opportunity to meet with club or league officials, club or league officials AND members, and/or stakeholder families who are supporting those actively participating. FHBC will adapt the form of engagement, where feasible, to meet your organization’s needs and we will utilize technology to connect in a virtual capacity.

FHBC is currently conducting an operational review and assessment of the review’s published recommendations, which were officially approved by the FHBC Board of Directors in August 2020. This work is being done in order to quantify strategic intent in both the short and mid-term and to prepare for practical implementation. Operational planning is occurring within two distinct timeframes: the first focuses on the current 2020-21 field hockey year as a unique COVID-19 response year; the second represents a more traditional (‘new norm’ expectation) mid-term quadrennial plan (2021-2025).

If you would like for your organization to take advantage of this engagement opportunity, please contact your club administrators and ask them to reach out to Jennifer Taylor at jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com by November 1st. Participation in this engagement initiative is completely voluntary; however, we hope your organization is able to take advantage of this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!

Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project: Communique #5 – Final Report

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Dear Field Hockey BC Members,

Please click here to access the Final Report of the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project. Now that the athlete pathway report has been received and approved, the next step is for FHBC to consider the report recommendations and build out an operational plan to determine areas of immediate priority and those that will be considered over time.

If you have any questions regarding the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project, please contact Jennifer Taylor, Athlete Program Director, via jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com.

Framework Creation and Approval for the ‘Second Stage’ of Responsible Return to Play – Communique #6

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You can access the PDF version of this document here.

‘Second Stage’ – The “Cohort” Model

Dear Field Hockey BC Members

On behalf of the Field Hockey BC (FHBC) Board of Directors and following the announcement earlier this week from the BC Provincial Government, I am pleased to report that work has begun in earnest to complete due process towards an approval of a Second Stage Responsible Return to Play Framework for field hockey in BC. This second stage return for the organized sport sector across BC takes place within phase three of BC’s COVID-19 restart plan (apologies in advance for any confusion here), and offers the opportunity for sport to assess the viability to progressively loosen the physical distancing protocols to allow for modified or standardized game or competitive play.

The second stage responsible return to play introduces the “cohort” model which put simply allows for a progressive game play return involving greater permissible participant interaction on the field of play. Such a cohort model also allows for the same level of participant interaction in a training or recreational context. Although the framework will provide more detailed information on adherence to safety protocols, it is important to note that greater participant interaction is strictly restricted to the field of play during this second stage return and physical distancing protocols are in effect outside of the field of play boundary (especially pertinent when utilizing field infrastructure such as team benches and technical areas which is now a permitted progression from stage one). Field Hockey participant activity numbers will be progressed from stage one guidelines but will be restricted to the provincial health office ‘group of 50’ rule (allowing for up to a maximum of 49 participants on a single field facility at any one time).

Mindful that a great many of our members have already enquired as to why field hockey cannot immediately move to second stage implementation, FHBC is required to follow due process and formally approve a second stage responsible return to play framework (as was the case with the stage one approval protocol). To this end, the FHBC Board of Directors will meet formally to consider such an approval on the evening of September 3, 2020. Once approval has been obtained, the second stage responsible return to play framework will be sent to the provincial government agency viaSport for public posting and will also be posted and available for download from the Society website. Thereafter, Local Sport Organizations (LSO’s) will be able to develop, refine, and approve their second stage safety plans and move to practical implementation. It is important to note that LSO’s can choose to move towards implementation at whatever speed is most appropriate and can continue to develop responsible return to play safety plans utilizing stage one or stage two guidelines.

For those members considering a return to play, I would politely remind you to remember to register your membership prior to stepping on the field of play. It remains essential that all active participants have a valid and paid FHBC and Field Hockey Canada (FHC) membership. The online registration portal is available in the normal way from the FHBC website (www.fieldhockeybc.com).

In closing, it is evident and understandable that many of us are eager to move to the second stage of responsible return to play and I once again ask for your patience and consideration as we navigate due process to achieve this end. For many of us who have experienced the journey to date in helping to navigate the BC sport sectors COVID-19 response, it is on the one hand surprising that our sector has been given the flexibility to consider a second stage return to standardized game play, but on the other hand this provides for a return to club and league game play at a time when I’m sure most feared a winter season may have been lost. Such a fantastic opportunity comes with an even greater responsibility to do so as safely as possible for all involved and we wish everyone the very best for an exciting and optimistic opening to a new season.

Yours in sport,

Mark Saunders
Executive Director
Field Hockey BC, August 28, 2020

Membership Registration for the 2020-21 Season is now open!

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As field hockey starts its Responsible Return to Play in British Columbia, all members participating in LSO, PSO (FHBC), and NSO (FHC) programming must be a registered member in good standing. Click here to start your registration process.

IMPORTANT: For those who have not yet participated in organized field hockey activities during the current 2019-20 season and may now be looking to take advantage of opportunities to return to play during July and August 2020, you can now register as a member and your membership will be valid for July and August 2020, and through to the end of the 2020-21 season. If you paid membership fees in 2019-20 but did not play, and have not received a refund, please contact info@fieldhockeybc.com to request a carry forward into the 2020-21 season.

This carry forward COVID-19 initiative supported by both FHBC and FHC is designed to aid those participants that are new to field hockey or may now wish to re-register, having not participated in the current 2019-20 season prior to July 1, 2020. For those members who may have already requested and received an eligible COVID-19 refund, you will need to re-register prior to participation.

Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project – Status Update Webinar #2

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Earlier this season, Field Hockey BC made a community commitment to undertake a performance stream athlete pathway review. The Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project launched on April 14th and shortly thereafter a Club Feedback Questionnaire was sent to all clubs in the province to solicit feedback that would help inform the development of a new Field Hockey BC Provincial Athlete Pathway and Athlete Program Model. A webinar was held on June 17th which provided an update on Phase 1 of the project, including the results of the club questionnaire.

The Field Hockey BC Board of Directors is pleased to announce the performance stream athlete pathway review has now completed Phase 2 and the project is ready to present the Provincial Pathway Working Group’s draft recommendations to all Field Hockey BC members and affiliated Clubs via a second webinar scheduled for July 22nd @ 6:30 pm.

Webinar #2 will include a presentation on the following:

  • Key Outcomes of the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project
  • Recommended Changes to Field Hockey BC’s Athlete Program Model
  • A Redesigned Field Hockey BC Athlete Pathway Model
  • Next Steps

Field Hockey BC encourages all Club officials and members to attend the July 22nd webinar to learn about the new proposed Provincial Athlete Pathway and Program Model prior to the project’s final recommendations being submitted to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors. The webinar will include an opportunity to hear about the Provincial Pathway Working Group’s proposed recommendations, ask questions, and provide feedback.

Further engagement between Field Hockey BC and the Society’s membership will occur once the FHBC Board of Directors completes a full review of the project’s recommendations, including a risk assessment and review of the Society’s operational and environmental considerations.

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

On behalf of the FHBC Board of Directors, thank you for supporting this important initiative!

Date: Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020, 6:30 pm – 8 pm PST

Zoom Meeting Information:
When: Jul 22, 2020 06:30 PM Vancouver
Topic: PPRP Webinar (Phase Two)
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86859665080?pwd=ckxMREVFT0R1c3dTTGkxVnlQcDdEZz09
Password: 363098

Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project – Webinar #1 Recording

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Last Wednesday, June 17th, 2020, the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project team held a webinar with FHBC’s general membership  and affiliated clubs to provide an update on the status of the  project. We are now sharing the recording of the meeting for all of those who were not able to attend.

This webinar was the first of two planned sessions that the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project will provide to the field hockey community. The second webinar will be held in approximately 5 weeks and will include a presentation on the project’s draft recommendations to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors.

You can watch the full webinar here (Q&A starts at 41:30). Access the project’s page here.

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

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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.

Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project

Dear Field Hockey BC Member,

This page is dedicated to the FHBC Provincial Pathway Review Project, which was 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.

As the project advances, this page will be updated with more information.

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 the best available 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 do not hesitate to contact Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director, jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com.

Working Group

Project Lead: Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director

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

Project Charter

Click here to download a PDF version of the Provincial Pathway Review Project Charter.

Club Feedback Questionnaire

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 FHBC is May 8th.

Here are some examples of the questions included in the questionnaire:

  • Do you feel your club has the capacity and capability to offer performance programming currently?
  • What elements of the current FHBC Regional Program do you support? What elements would you like FHBC to continue offering or stop offering? Are there any new elements you would like to see being offered in our Regional Program?
  • What elements of the current FHBC Provincial Program do you support? What elements would you like FHBC to continue offering or stop offering? Are there any new elements you would like to see being offered in our Provincial Program?
  • Do you feel FHBC’s performance programs should be offered in every region of the province?
  • What is the most important outcome that you would like to see come out of this review?

Status Update Webinar

Watch the full webinar here (Q&A starts at 41:30).

The Field Hockey BC Provincial Pathway Review Project was officially launched on April 14th, 2020. 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 the best available high performance training environment, competitions and opportunities.

The project has completed its first phase and Field Hockey BC is hosted a webinar to provide FHBC members and affiliated Clubs with an update on the status of the project.

The session provided information on the following:

  • Provincial Pathway Working Group
  • Project Scope
  • Phase One Activities Completed To-Date
  • Club Feedback Questionnaire Summary Response
  • Phase 2 Activities Planned
  • Next Steps

This webinar was the first of two planned sessions that the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project will provide to the field hockey community. A second webinar will be held in approximately 5 weeks and will include a presentation on the project’s draft recommendations to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors.

Further engagement between the Field Hockey BC Board and the Society’s membership will occur once the FHBC Board completes a risk assessment of the project’s recommendations and the operational considerations of the organization have been reviewed.

Date: Wednesday, June 17th, 2020, 6:30 pm – 8 pm PST

Status Update Webinar #2

Watch the full webinar here (Q&A starts at 47:00).

Earlier this season, Field Hockey BC made a community commitment to undertake a performance stream athlete pathway review. The Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project launched on April 14th and shortly thereafter a Club Feedback Questionnaire was sent to all clubs in the province to solicit feedback that would help inform the development of a new Field Hockey BC Provincial Athlete Pathway and Athlete Program Model. A webinar was held on June 17th which provided an update on Phase 1 of the project, including the results of the club questionnaire.

The Field Hockey BC Board of Directors is pleased to announce the performance stream athlete pathway review has now completed Phase 2 and the project is ready to present the Provincial Pathway Working Group’s draft recommendations to all Field Hockey BC members and affiliated Clubs via a second webinar scheduled for July 22nd @ 6:30 pm.

Webinar #2 will include a presentation on the following:

  • Key Outcomes of the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project
  • Recommended Changes to Field Hockey BC’s Athlete Program Model
  • A Redesigned Field Hockey BC Athlete Pathway Model
  • Next Steps

Field Hockey BC encourages all Club officials and members to attend the July 22nd webinar to learn about the new proposed Provincial Athlete Pathway and Program Model prior to the project’s final recommendations being submitted to the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors. The webinar will include an opportunity to hear about the Provincial Pathway Working Group’s proposed recommendations, ask questions, and provide feedback.

Further engagement between Field Hockey BC and the Society’s membership will occur once the FHBC Board of Directors completes a full review of the project’s recommendations, including a risk assessment and review of the Society’s operational and environmental considerations.

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

On behalf of the FHBC Board of Directors, thank you for supporting this important initiative!

Date: Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020, 6:30 pm – 8 pm PST

Final Report

Now that the athlete pathway report has been received and approved, the next step is for FHBC to consider the report recommendations and build out an operational plan to determine areas of immediate priority and those that will be considered over time.

You can access the final report here.

If you have any questions regarding the Provincial Athlete Pathway Review Project, please contact Jennifer Taylor, Athlete Program Director, via jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com.

Invitation for Membership Engagement

As you may be aware, Field Hockey BC (FHBC) recently completed a comprehensive Provincial Athlete Pathway Review and the FHBC Board of Directors is pleased to extend an open invitation to all member clubs, organizations and leagues to meet with representatives from the Board and staff to discuss the results of the review. FHBC is excited to share information about the review process and outcomes and to answer any question you may have regarding the upcoming changes to the Provincial Athlete Pathway and FHBC athlete program model.

This engagement initiative is being led by Jennifer Taylor, FHBC Athlete Program Director, John Sacre, FHBC Head Provincial Coach and Performance Manager, and Krista Thompson, FHBC Regional Lead Coach, Vancouver Island. We are pleased to offer member clubs and leagues a flexible engagement format depending on what your organization prefers. For example, the engagement format could be an opportunity to meet with club or league officials, club or league officials AND members, and/or stakeholder families who are supporting those actively participating. FHBC will adapt the form of engagement, where feasible, to meet your organization’s needs and we will utilize technology to connect in a virtual capacity.

FHBC is currently conducting an operational review and assessment of the review’s published recommendations, which were officially approved by the FHBC Board of Directors in August 2020. This work is being done in order to quantify strategic intent in both the short and mid-term and to prepare for practical implementation. Operational planning is occurring within two distinct timeframes: the first focuses on the current 2020-21 field hockey year as a unique COVID-19 response year; the second represents a more traditional (‘new norm’ expectation) mid-term quadrennial plan (2021-2025).

If you would like for your organization to take advantage of this engagement opportunity, please contact your club administrators and ask them to reach out to Jennifer Taylor at jtaylor@fieldhockeybc.com by November 1st. Participation in this engagement initiative is completely voluntary; however, we hope your organization is able to take advantage of this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!

Communiques

IMPORTANT: COVID-19 Consideration and Planning (March 20, 2020)

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You can access the PDF version of this document here.

As the Organized Sport Sector in BC responds to the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19, Field Hockey BC continues to monitor the potential impact to our team sport environment. Given the growing and unprecedented uncertainty surrounding this health pandemic, Field Hockey BC is directing all members and affiliated clubs and associations to suspend all sanctioned field hockey activities in the province until further notice.

This decision will be monitored daily and reviewed on a week to week basis by the Field Hockey BC Board of Directors, with the expectation that a next suspension update will be posted early in April. As new information is received from both Federal and Provincial Government agencies, Field Hockey BC will provide appropriate program and service updates that we hope over time will include a responsible and gradual return to play. Field Hockey BC cannot emphasize enough that the health and safety of all participants in the field hockey community in BC is of the utmost importance and is central to any decision-making process.

To ensure the health and safety of the players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and fans in BC, Field Hockey BC recommends that all affiliated Leagues, Clubs, and Associations communicate to their members that they will cease all sanctioned field hockey operations immediately and until further notice. Field Hockey BC sanctioned field hockey activities include, but are not limited to, all indoor and outdoor competitions, leagues, training, practices, matches, in-person coach and official education, and formalized club group activities. The intent of this suspension is to limit situations of physical contact.

Whilst the entire Field Hockey Community in BC continues to work hard on contingency planning for the possibility that restrictions may be lifted over time, please stay patient as we collectively consider ongoing environmental implications. Field Hockey BC’s operational continuity plan is for Society staff to work remotely and all staff are equipped to continue their daily functions. Electronic media will be utilized to maintain lines of communication, with community members able to connect via phone and/or email in the normal way.

Field Hockey BC thanks you for your patience as we do our part to support all of the unprecedented steps taking place to slow the spread of COVID-19. You can stay up-to-date on COVID-19 information by visiting the BC Government website and the Ministry of Health website. Our thoughts are with all of you and your families during this challenging time.

FHBC BOD, March 20, 2020