Building for 2016 and Beyond
June 16, 2010
Starting at the 2009 Annual General Meeting, the Field Hockey Canada (FHC) Board of Directors and Senior leadership decided to take full stock of the current status of Field Hockey in Canada- and more importantly what was possible to achieve for 2016 and beyond. Over this past year, an incredible amount of work has gone into building a strategy for 2016 and beyond. One of the key phrases heard multiple times was: “The game of field hockey has changed; we need to understand what this means for our players, clubs, development, and National Programs in order to develop Field Hockey in Canada.”
To achieve the FHC Priorities and goals, a fundamental shift in how we operate and work together within our community and throughout our programs is required.
Stated as the first priority was the need for a review and revision of our athlete pathway- providing a clear pathway with requirements and standards at each level with partner roles and responsibility aligned and integrated throughout- whether this partner be a province, a club, an athlete, an official , a coach, or a parent.
Once the pathway is understood and embedded in all that we do at each and every level of our community, providing leadership and resources to build our future is required— and our Junior program is a pivotal area for development.
Once our Junior program is strong and operating successfully, the next priority for building Field Hockey in Canada is our continued support and investment in our National Men’s and Women’s program and a longer term development strategy.
Last but not least is the leadership to provide the ongoing support for the FHC strategy and implementation. This is a critical ingredient for our 2016 and beyond success.
The FHC Board has added two new positions to the Board and three Committees to address the key areas of importance which include Finance, Business Development (Raising Resources) and the High Performance Roundtable.
In addition, there are some staff role changes and a new addition to our Senior team.
Over the past few months, Coach Alan Brahmst has taken on the additional role and extended his leadership to the development of the FHC strategy– working within the field hockey community to support a fundamental transformation to achieve the goals set forth in the strategy. Throughout this process, Coach Brahmst declared that his coaching role for the Men’s National Team had been for a transition period, a period which has continued for longer than he had initially anticipated. He felt it was a good time to transition his role from FHC National Men’s Team Coach to continue his work supporting the High Performance Strategy, provide specialized coaching and support development project areas. He has supported FHC immensely during this past year and will transition his role from National Coach over the next few months. He remains extremely committed to the Men’s National team during this time, and will work closely with the new incumbent when they are selected.
FHC will also be posting an Assistant and Junior Coach position to support the Women’s National Team Coach, Louis Mendonca and the Women’s Junior Development Team. Coach Mendonca is currently focused on the competitions in Vancouver between the visiting National India Women’s Team and our Canadian National Women’s Team. “We have a busy few months ahead of us and I am very pleased with how my players are stepping up in their overall commitment to their fitness levels, and skill development.” stated Coach Mendonca from Vancouver.
In order to provide support for our National and Junior Team Program, Senior Technical Lead, Shiaz Virjee from Vancouver, BC has joined FHC. Shiaz brings over 20 years of domestic and international field hockey success and is an expert technical resource for the FHC long term athlete development strategy and the National Team Program. “I am extremely excited about this challenging opportunity to support our National and Junior Team Program. It is an exciting time and I look forward to helping build for 2012, 2016 and beyond”, stated Mr. Virjee.
“We have spent significant time reviewing our strategy and where Field Hockey Canada should be in the future – no doubt that our entire community is positioned to build a stronger brand and success, both in Canada and around the world,” stated Mary Cicinelli, President Field Hockey Canada.
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For further information please contact:
Karen O’Neill
Field Hockey Canada
k.oneill@fieldhockey.ca
(613) 791-7069
(613) 288-5245
