1 Dolphin House
Green Lane
Alverstoke
Gosport
Hampshire
PO123QB
28 Mar 15
GBHC Mens 1 Squad
GBHC Committee Members
GBHC Mens 1 Squad DISCIPLINE AND FUTURE DIRECTION - CALL TO ARMS
Over a week has passed in which we have had time to reflect on the GBHC Mens 1 vs Trojans game on 19 March – a game which I watched and which was marked by the number of cards and MMOs awarded. It followed on from several other games this season where discipline has been an issue.
Hockey is a competitive game by design. We all enjoy that fact and it is inevitable that some cards will be awarded against players in a team as they strive in this contest and fouls occur. Umpires are there to make the game safe, fair and enjoyable. As individuals they will always vary in competence and always make mistakes - but they are not the competition. Smart players with emotional intelligence (which means they can read and react well to people’s feelings) will realise how their or their team’s actions are affecting the umpires’ tone and then adjust their own game accordingly. Failure to be able to do this will always, ultimately, lead to escalation and the award of red cards. And there is absolutely no place for dissent against an umpire. It is an own goal for the player, it shames and burdens the team, and it damages the reputation of club.
I completely understand the frustrations of the Trojans game which were caused by the officials who, in my opinion, misjudged the real mood of the game. It was competitive, but it was safe and there was no animosity between the teams. I understand that there have been similar frustrations about umpiring decisions made in previous games this season. However in the Trojan's game I saw that the reactions to the umpires' decisions during the game continued to fuel their imperious tone thus making matters go from bad to worse as we lost men from the pitch. Both teams were affected in this way but at the end of the day we suffered most and we lost.
Many of you will have heard the statistic that Gosport M1 now have a markedly disproportionate 4 red cards/MMOs issued this season against 9 as the total for the rest of the teams in the league. This headline is causing problems with the league and it has also started to attract adverse local publicity. From our own team's perspective, whilst we have had a slightly better season than last year, we have also underperformed compared with our athletic potential and it does not make us attractive to new players.
On top of this I understand that several, or perhaps more, of our current Men's 1 squad are already disheartened with their hockey at present. Umpiring, discipline and performance may be factors but there may be others of importance such as leadership, training, committee support and so on. Not all factors will affect individuals in the same way and they are all important for the club because of the obvious benefits for progression and ambition by running at least 3 successful mens' squads.
In GBHC's response to the league about the red card and MMO issued during the Trojan's game, we reported the performance of the umpires during that game. This is one of the reasons we have not sought to extend the mandatory sanctions imposed. However we recognised the disciplinary record that exists and proposed a meeting between the Chairman, Discipline Officer, Club Captain and the Men's 1 squad to discuss the future direction, including discipline, of the team and squad.
I will therefore be asking your 3 current managers/captains (Ben, Dan, Andy) to liaise with you to identify a suitable date and time for this meeting that suits the majority. Please consider the above issues carefully and make plans to attend.
CF
Crawford Foster
Chairman, Gosport Borough Hockey Club