This is a consultation paper
Please return comments to your club chairman
Proposal for the formation of Oxford Hockey Club
The proposal
City of Oxford HC and Rover Oxford HC both have strong histories. In order to maintain our progress we have
the opportunity to unite these two clubs, both based in the east of the city, to ensure a great future for our
distinctive brand of hockey in Oxford.
This paper covers 4 key areas:
 Why should we consider this merger proposal?
 The key principles of the merger proposal
 The benefits that we can achieve from the merger
 How we intend to manage the club
Why should we consider this merger proposal?
In any sports or social club the natural instinct of many of us is to continue with what we know and love. We
are proud of it and it serves us well. However the way hockey is played has changed out of recognition in the
past 20 years and we have all moved with the times whether we realise it or not.
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Matches played on astro have increased costs and fragmented the club’s social life
Costs have risen as pitches, training, coaches, travel, insurance, teas eat into our hard earned cash
Players have been more inclined to move clubs if their aspirations cannot be met by their current club
More juniors go to university so clubs have to work harder to refresh their talent pool each year
We all lead busier lives and clubs need to be bigger to ensure they have enough people to take on
leadership roles
Those clubs that have not responded to these challenges have often faded away or closed down.
For some clubs with the luxury of their own grounds and club house the answer has been to develop their
own on site astroturf. A great solution, although it can come at the price of increased subs and match fees.
This solution, in any case, was not one that City (or the clubs that merged to form Rover) could take advantage
of.
Our own solution at City, nearly 20 years ago, was to move from our traditional home in Horspath Rd and to
do a deal with the newly opening Brookes Sports Centre. Taking this bold move required the loss of cherished
club activities but refreshed our club and gave it a new lease of life. But we must also face the fact that we
have areas of our club that we want to improve: playing standards, teas, social life, a clubhouse that feels
more like ‘our own’ on a Saturday and spreading the workload of running the club are a few that are regularly
mentioned.
For many clubs the option has been to merge with other like minded clubs to take advantage of their shared
resources and to enable them to create a strong vibrant future. This is the opportunity that now presents
itself to our two clubs and gives us the opportunity to retain control of our own future.
Both City and Rover are clubs with proud histories of their own, but with a similar ethos, providing
competitive but friendly hockey from the same location. Both of us face similar challenges for the future but
can consider this proposal from a position of strength where we both have lots to offer each other.
Merging is never easy; it requires the need to embrace new people and ideas, and to reach compromise. We
would need to manage a merger carefully so that we all continue to enjoy our hockey. That is the priority for
all of us and to ensure that we deal with people’s concerns. As members, we believe that this is possible.
This is a consultation paper
Please return comments to your club chairman
The key principles of the Merger.
The clubs both have aspirations to continue to grow and improve and see it as key that a merged club would
retain a similar club ethos.
Other principles essential to the new club
Seniors:
Value for money
Friendly
Sociable – based at Brookes
All teams and all players valued.
Juniors:
Inclusive – all abilities
Child centred
Accredited (Club first)
Value for money
The benefits that we can achieve from the merger
Immediate Benefits
Playing & Social – Seniors
Provide a more extensive range of playing standards,
catering both for those with more aspiration and those
more social players
Better quality paid coaches – there is the opportunity to
allow more people to be coached by these coaches.
Opportunity to have dedicated section of Brookes Bar on
Saturdays.
Ability to negotiate improved teas.
More opportunity to see other sides from your club play on
Saturday – Brookes would potentially have games from
10am to 5.30pm and Headington School from 12 noon to
4.30pm – this would enhance club spirit.
Socials would require a smaller proportion of total
membership to hit “critical mass” – we could also do more
specific “in section” socials. Possibility of mega-events!
Provision of umpires will be easier as more chances to find
teams playing at similar times to find umpires from.
Financial – Seniors
There will be savings on full annual subs compared with
stand alone clubs of well over £10.
Better utilisation of coaches and coaching pitches
Save money on club insurance
Playing – Juniors
More coaches/helpers for the juniors spreads the workload
Opportunity to offer both midweek and weekend coaching
to fit around other commitments
Improved management of older juniors into the senior
section
Larger player base from which to select competitive teams
Enter all the EH cup competitions with competitive teams
Continued opportunities for juniors progression with
Development, Oxfordshire and Mercian Leagues
No longer splitting up some friends from school
An annual Youth Festival, already run by Rover
Financial - Juniors
Retain and develop family friendly rates for juniors
Save money on club insurance
Time & Effort
- No longer splitting effort and resources for recruitment.
- Fewer points of contact with Brookes/Caterers/Leagues.
- Strength in numbers – more potential helpers – sharing workload amongst umpires/captains.
- Time for management roles to focus on expanding the club.
Club Presence
- Oxford HC – logical first input for new players to the area on Google!
- Less confusion for new players and parents.
- Improved player recruitment profile.
Subsequent Benefits
(Most would be seen within 1-3 years)
Playing and Social – Seniors
More choice to find your level – especially as teams
naturally distribute more evenly across the leagues.
Continued better integration with youth sides.
Playing and Social - Juniors
Develop more consistent/effective coaching delivery by
appointing a Director of Coaching
Budget to have a quality paid coach to develop hockey in
club and schools
This is a consultation paper
Please return comments to your club chairman
Will deliver a better playing standard for top teams and
enable further progression of the 1st teams which would
have a greater depth of talent to draw upon
Potential for second men’s vets side – and opportunity to
look at ladies vets side (albeit in standard league
structure).
Improved range of social opportunities.
Girls to compete in Thames Valley League (or equivalent)
More people to help develop the Youth Festival into a
bigger fundraiser
Consider developing U18 boys/girls teams
Financial
Continuing economies of scale in terms of pitch rental requirements for training, insurance costs and coaching.
More leverage with facility provides to strike better deals.
More chance to attract sponsorship and raise funds – bigger numbers give us greater selling power.
Therefore creating a greater opportunity to keep costs down.
Time & Effort
- The ability to split ‘off pitch’ management from ‘playing’ decisions will make for more effective management.
- Administration reduced by skilled jobs being done by 1 person not 2 (e.g. Child Protection Officer), freeing up
volunteers to take up other neglected roles e.g. sponsorship.
Club Presence
- Much clearer identity to newcomers to the Oxford area.
- Build upon existing very successful joint youth teams playing under the name “Oxford HC”
- Improved community link opportunities by working together – schools, community and marketing.
How we intend to manage the club
Teams
The most important part of the club is the hockey. So it is important that the way we run the individual teams
and the movement of players through that structure works well.
 Teams will be managed as per the existing City Men’s online system, allowing a system where all
players’ availability can be organised quickly
 Players will more easily be able to find “their standard” – with, in many cases, smaller league gaps
between teams and easier player progression pathway
 A structure will be created where, in the lower sides, you can still play with your mates
The following is a suggestion of what the likely teams/league structure would look like (based on best guess
promotions/relegations as at 22nd March).
The suggestion is to name teams 3 and 3a as Reading and a number of other big clubs do. The nicknaming of
teams (e.g. Hamsters) could be considered.
Women
League
South League Div 2
South League Div 3a
Trysport Premier 2
Trysport 3 Counties Div 1
Trysport 3 Counties Div 2
4 & 4a Trysport 3 Counties Div 4
Current Team
Rover Oxford 1
City of Oxford 1
Rover Oxford 2
City of Oxford 2
City of Oxford 3
Rover Oxford 3 & City of Oxford 4
Future Team
Oxford 1
Oxford 2
Oxford 2a
Oxford 3
Oxford 3a
Oxford 4 and 4a
Men
(not including the vets league currently - City of Oxford Bulls)
League
Current Team
MBBO Regional 1
Rover Oxford 1
MBBO Regional 2
City of Oxford 1 & Rover Oxford 2
MBBO Div 3
Rover Oxford 3 & City of Oxford 2
MBBO Div 6
City of Oxford 3
Future Team
Oxford 1
Oxford 2 and 3
Oxford 3a and 4
Oxford 4a
This is a consultation paper
MBBO Div 7
MBBO Div 9
MBBO Div 10
Junior Teams
U8/U10 mixed and U12 Girls/U12 Boys
U10/U12 Girls & Boys
U14 Boys & Under 16 Boys
U14/U16 Boys & Girls
U14 Girls/Under 16 Girls
Badgers
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Rover Oxford 4
Rover Oxford Hamsters & City of
Oxford 4
City of Oxford 5
Oxford 5
Oxford 5a and Oxford Hamsters
Oxford 6
Multiple teams in friendly fixtures and tournaments
Oxon Mini Hockey
Mercian League and EH Cup
Oxfordshire Leagues x 2 in each
England Hockey Cup
Boys & Girls Development League x 2
Suggested Colours
Shirts – Royal Blue
Shorts/skirts – Navy
Socks – Royal Blue
(To be taken forward by sub-committee straight after EGMs)
Suggested Structure
To many of us the way we mange the club is not something we see. For others, who are, or have been, more
involved in the running of the club, it is important. The proposal is to organise the club on the following lines.
Both clubs have vice-presidents and other honorary roles, often from long standing members who have
contributed much to their respective clubs. It would be the intention of course to carry these important roles
across into the new Oxford Hockey Club.