I am going to research the provisions that England has in place to for both males and females and athletes with disabilities, and how these provisions allow them to develop from grass routes level to becoming an elite performer. These provisions will be discussed along with funding and sponsorship as to draw conclusions about the overall necessities available for all hockey players. For hockey players, grass routes level is essential for development and acts as the basis to the hierarchy of hockey. Grass routes level is mainly for the young children learning the basic skills and rules they need.
This age is critical for development as a child will retain the skills learnt, and use them as a basis to the rest of their hockey career, this means that provisions for this age group need to be easily available and of good standard. Schools are vital in providing sufficient hockey coaching because a child can be encouraged to join a local club while enjoying hockey with people the same age. Junior sections for local clubs also play a vital role in introducing new players because club hockey is far better than school hockey, and it’s a much better environment. Through looking at international players, most of them started hockey at the grass routes level which shows its importance. Therefore England hockey has been encouraged to focus on the development of the younger players and offering juniors a wider range of competitions and coaching opportunities. This is shown within the junior international sides where teams are varied to accommodate the younger players in order to prepare for the future, and this is spread down to grass route level as well.
In order for success in English hockey, the provisions from the bottom of the hierarchy have to be secure. An example of this in Derbyshire is Belper hockey club, which coaches children from young ages. They participate in junior competitions and have been successful in winning many national titles. Clubs often rely on sponsor ship from local businesses for funding, and success can result in rewards of sponsorship deals for the club. Individual sponsorship is also available for more promising athletes. Many players who started at a young age are now playing for junior international teams at Belper. These people have also benefited from schools in that they have been identified and either encouraged to join a club or know or friend within the community who plays. Schools also have competitions for juniors which lead up to be a national tournament, and these also are designed to encourage young players and also individuals with potential can be identified. Generally within hockey, each player will progress stage by stage within the hierarchy of hockey from:
School club county regional international.
Selectors from different levels look at players from a lower level to be included in the next stage up. Examples of this are when a player is selected from a regional tournament to attend an England camp to be assessed further. With each level, the standard becomes higher so therefore it is important for each level to link together and feed into each other to help English hockey. Schools can send teachers on courses and they can be provided with coaching tips due to the manager for education and secondary schools being appointed in 2005. Also outside of school and club, England hockey set up the England youth hockey panel in 2003 to give young people a voice in hockey and to set up extra tournaments and events.
Hockey is an expensive sport so clubs generally rely on payment of subs from players to cover costs, and sponsorship is becoming increasingly important. Little money is supplied into hockey, so close ties with local communities and businesses are important. Government funding generally varies with the success of the higher international teams. England Hockey works hard with UK Sport to maintain any funding. Recently, funding has increased due to the approach of the 2012 London Olympics. Elite athletes often meet at the national sports centers such as Bisham Abbey; these are well equipped for the players and can often provide physiotherapists and personal trainers. UK Sport is involved with The Community Club Development Programme, which is a link between the government and sport. It allows problems such as lack of club facilities to be addressed.
Hockey in England is very equal for both males and females. Girls and boys are separated at the age of 11 due to physical nature of men. Mixed hockey is available for some players who choose to, but mainly hockey stays separated. However, both males and females have the same opportunities at making international standard as the hierarchy and selection process is the same. Both the men and women’s section of England hockey work closely together as a whole to improve both women’s and men’s hockey. There is no general prejudice and benefits for either gender. Media coverage on hockey is very little in England but what coverage there is, the men’s and women’s is very equal.
Hockey has certain provisions for disabled people looking to play hockey. Zone Hockey is an adapted version of hockey and can include players of all abilities. It is a five or six aside game which can include players in wheelchairs. It runs on the principles of playing in zones and can be very fun and fast. Zone hockey is becoming bigger with thanks to special volunteers and England hockey. It is also funded by sport England and supported by the youth sport trust, and many more organizations however, there are no local clubs to go to so players must go to hockey tournament which usually also holds zone hockey as another activity.
In conclusion, I feel that the England hockey is beginning to understand the importance of youth development in hockey .This is eventually going to improve English hockey at the very top levels. The links within each level could be improved especially at county level, but otherwise they are naturally getting better. It seems that the higher the level you play at, the more government funding you will receive, which is also true for individual sponsorship. More money could perhaps be put into clubs and schools to improve the grass route level and encourage younger players to start hockey. This could stop clubs having funding troubles from sponsor’s etc. zone hockey is becoming increasingly popular and the funding should continue to be available, however there needs to be local facilities put in place. Overall, I feel that all English hockey is getting better as a whole as it’s equal for all. New possibilities are being opened up due to the improvements at grass routes level which will eventually show through the senior international teams.
Bibliography
Internet sites http://www.parasport.org.uk/sports