August 16, 2022

During this period of transition, we felt it pertinent to update you on what has been happening at the EIHA as we cautiously outline a roadmap for the short-term changes we are looking to introduce.

Firstly, the EIHA would like to apologise for the difficulties and disruption the clubs and members are currently experiencing. Please rest assured that we are committed to developing the sport, alongside serving our existing members; the changes currently being implemented are ultimately designed to serve this purpose, though we acknowledge that this has not been a smooth process to date.

Registrations
We are in the process of moving from FixturesLive to a new registration management system, Spordle, the launch of which has regrettably been delayed due to technical issues. The registration system currently in place is therefore an interim solution. We appreciate this is not optimal, but vital to the operation of the Association.

We will keep you updated with the introduction of Spordle and would like to assure all members, clubs and administrators that this will be brought in to streamline the registration process and that full training will be provided for all users.

Fixtures
We are in the process of finalising the fixtures for the upcoming season and thank you for your patience waiting for the publication of these. With the NIHL fixtures now in place, we will be able to provide the women’s and junior fixtures shortly. In future, the introduction of Spordle will make this process much smoother and we will endeavour to ensure fixtures are published with plenty of notice.

EIHA Education Programme
The improvement of education through the coach and manager pathways has been identified as a key area of development in the EIHA, designed to support and equip our amazing volunteer workforce to continue to fulfil their vital roles effectively and help the Association achieve its aims to increase participation, improve standards and performance and ensure a fulfilling experience for all participants.

The first phase of the programme, the Manager Pathway, was launched successfully earlier this year. Phase two will be delivered this month with the introduction of an online e-learning suite for all volunteers and confirmation of the practical offerings for the next season. As the new programme gets underway, clubs should rest assured that existing coaching and manager qualifications will continue to be recognised by the EIHA.

An ever-evolving programme, this remains a work in progress as we gain your valuable feedback and look to continue developing our pathways to drive the sport forward.

Operations
The EIHA has introduced a small operational team to support the Board with their objectives. However, we must acknowledge that things will not change overnight and it will take some time for the team to get up to speed with the organisation and ice hockey landscape in England and Wales. We do however envisage that this will be a huge step in improving the communication framework, operational capacity and delivery of the EIHA’s goals, and thank you for your patience and support with this restructure.

The Board will, in time, divert their focus to the short and long-term strategic development of the Association. During this process, we recognise that the input of our members is vital and encourage people to provide feedback and raise concerns so that we can utilise this constructively to transform our sport and Association.

Throughout this transition we will provide regular and transparent communication to ensure the membership are kept informed of any changes and developments. We thank you in advance for your patience and for bearing with us as we implement these changes. We are looking forward to taking this exciting and challenging journey together.

Please do engage with us directly by emailing info@nulleiha.co.uk and a member of the team will get back to you.

The EIHA Board and EIHA Office