Present: Bernie Tarling (Chairman), Grant Mosedale (Secretary), Tony Mourad (Men’s veterans team manager), Cliff Underwood (Publications Manager), Neil Dixon (Chief Referee), Clare Straiton (Director of Coaching), Marion Wheeler (Vice-Chairman), Angela Adams (Women’s elite team manager), Zoe Chester.

Minutes of previous Committee meeting

1. These were agreed. It was further agreed that the item concerning election of positions would be taken as the last point on the Agenda.

Apologies for absence

2. Apologies were received from Dave Simpson (Elite men’s team manager), Keith Hadland (Treasurer) and Martin Reed (Development Officer).

Draft new Constitution

3. Marion had prepared job descriptions for all the main offices of the BOA. Current Officers were asked to give comments on their job descriptions by the end of September. A new draft would then be circulated before the next Committee meeting for discussion/Committee approval. The new draft constitution was also being scrutinised by the Sports Council.

Officers Reports

Treasurer

4. The Treasurer had sent a letter by way of a report (attached). He confirmed that he had accepted the combined Treasurer/Membership Secretary post. He had decided to transfer the BOA bank account from the Yorkshire bank to the Midland bank. The Bank needed a copy of the minutes before they would open the account. There had been a delay in sending out the subscription renewal letters due to problems over insurance cover for members but the letters would go out by 12 September. He confirmed that there would be a slight increase in subscriptions this year due to the increased cost of insurance. He raised the question of allowable expenses and suggested that the Committee agree a list of allowable expenses that would be published in Octopush News. The Committee agreed that the treasurer should produce a list of allowable expenses for Committee approval, which would then be published in Octopush News.
5. He also questioned whether the BOA should sell Australian pucks or mouth guards. Cliff Underwood explained that the BOA had a "Sales Manager" post, which was set up to sell Pucks, kit, etc. to make money for the BOA. The Competitions Manager further explained that at a previous Committee meeting, he had offered the BOA the opportunity to sell pucks (and keep the small profit) that he himself was importing. At that time the Committee had decided that this was a good opportunity to make some money for the BOA and took up the offer. The Committee reaffirmed that the BOA should continue to sell Australian pucks. The same applied to mouth guards.

TREASURER TO PRODUCE LIST OF ALLOWABLE EXPENSES FOR NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING

SECRETARY TO SEND THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING TO THE TREASURER ASAP

Vice-Chairman

6. The Vice-Chairman noted that the Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Surrey Advertiser had all published articles on the Octopush women’s national finals. An American newspaper was publishing a piece on the Octopush World Championships held in San Jose.

Chief Referee

7. The Chief referee noted that two Referees courses had been booked for November and the same for December. He noted that 10 courses were normal for the year.

Competition Manager

8. The Competition Manager noted that dates for the national competitions had been booked. The inter-regional tournament had been such a success last year that he intended to add a Women’s division to the current inter-regional tournament. He may also add an Under-21 division. In response to a written query from the Treasurer about feedback on tournaments it was suggested that a comments form be attached to tournament invitations. This was agreed although the Competitions Manager pointed out that only "positive feedback" was wanted or would be acted on. In response to a request by the Director of Coaching about organising "junior" competitions, the Competitions Manager noted that he was willing to organise any tournaments (if asked).

COMPETITIONS MANAGER TO ADD FEEDBACK FORM TO TOURNAMENT INVITATIONS

Director of Coaching

9. The Director of Coaching had drafted a coaching plan covering areas such as the skills needed and how to set up a coaching course, which was currently being studied by the National Coaching Federation (NCF). She noted that the NCF had a number of general coaching courses that could usefully apply to coaching Underwater Hockey. There was the possibility of getting funding for coaching courses through liaison with local council sports officers. The Sports Council was trying to set up a "volunteer network" of coaches that could be tapped into. A letter will be sent to all clubs that run Octopush sessions in an attempt to build up a profile of current coaching skills. A 3-day training course for juniors on "how to play Octopush" had been held during the summer in Orkney. An 8 week pilot project on "how to play Octopush" at Guildford will now take place. Evaluation of these projects is in progress. A written report covering these areas in greater areas is attached.
10. Cliff Underwood noted that most clubs would find it difficult to take advantage of coaching/training guidance, as most clubs did not have any structure. The Committee should recommend a set structure/standard to clubs on how they should be set up/run. Coaches/coaching could then be built into this structure. The Committee agreed that this was necessary and the Director of Coaching agreed to produce a guide on running a club and send it to all clubs. The same should also apply to the regional structure (area representatives).

DIRECTOR OF COACHING TO PRODUCE A GUIDE TO SETTING UP/RUNNING A CLUB AND SEND TO ALL CLUBS

Records/Publications Manager

11. The Records Manager apologised for not producing either Referee logbooks or Octopush News. He explained that pressure of work was making it increasingly difficult for him to do BOA work. He offered to pass the work on if there was anyone willing to take the job on, otherwise he would try to carry on as best he could. The Committee agreed that the Director of Coaching should add a "request for help with publications" to her letter to all clubs.

DIRECTOR OF COACHING TO MAKE A REQUEST FOR HELP WITH PUBLICATIONS IN HER COACHING SKILLS ASSESSMENT LETTER TO ALL CLUBS

Secretary’s report

12. No report given.

Chairman

13. The Chairman noted that the AGM had been very divisive. The Chairman’s policy until the next AGM would be to try to heal the rifts within the BOA - particularly those on the Committee. The Committee should work together for the good of the sport, if it cannot he will resign.
14. Cliff Underwood echoed the Chairman’s concerns. In particular he was concerned about the alleged representatives of teams at the AGM. He asked that something be put in place to ensure that this did not occur again. The Committee agreed that the nominated representative for a club (the person nominated on the BOA club contact list) had the clubs vote. If the representative could not attend the AGM, then the representative should nominate an alternate to vote and a clubs behalf. The Club contact must then sign and send in a "notification of change of club representative for the AGM" form to the Secretary. If no form is received then that club will not have a vote, even if the alternate turns up at the AGM. The notification form will be sent out with the AGM notice. No other types of nomination (telephone call, etc.) will be acceptable. A notice explaining this change will be put in the next Octopush News.

SECRETARY TO PREPARE THE "NOTIFICATION OF ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE" FORM AND SEND OUT THE FORM WITH THE AGM NOTICE. HE WILL ALSO WRITE A NOTICE FOR OCTOPUSH NEWS EXPLAINING THE CHANGE.

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

15. The Director of Coaching gave a presentation on sports psychology.

Review of World Championships

16. Various views were heard on the UK performance at the World Championships held in San Jose, California. For the record, the performance of UK teams was Elite men – 7^th, Elite women – 8^th, veteran men – 2^nd (Silver), veteran women – 3^rd (Bronze). A letter had been received from Dave Simpson (Elite men’s manager - attached) which praised the quality of the tournament and its organisation. He had not been able to take a full squad but those players that went now knew what was needed to compete at the very highest level. Unfortunately at crucial times, the team did not perform well, that said, at least they were willing to test themselves at the highest level. He looked forward to more players coming forward to represent their country. He also pointed out that team members had paid out a minimum of £2000 of their own money to play.
17. Bernie Tarling (Veteran men’s team captain) pointed out that their final against South Africa was probably the best ever witnessed at the world championships. Unfortunately the team was not quite good enough to take the gold medal. Serious problems occurred within the team early in the competition but a meeting was held and all problems were discussed. Once a decision had been agreed on everyone committed to that decision – whether they liked it or not. This led to great team spirit and was a major factor in gaining a silver medal.
18. Cliff Underwood noted that as Assistant Chief Referee at the World Championships and Assistant Rules Director, many teams had complimented him on the excellent performance of the UK referees. He asked that a letter of appreciation be sent to Neil Dixon, Dave Poyner and Cliff Underwood for their efforts. Neil Dixon agreed that all our referees did well. He noted that there had been some problems with the refereeing but overall the standard was good. He explained that he had resigned as Assistant Rules Director but was continuing in his position as Assistant World Chief Referee.
19. As BUSA representative to CMAS, Cliff attended the rules Committee and reported that a number of playing rules had been discussed - many of which had been amended to the BOA rule. There had been a major review of the CMAS Underwater Hockey Committee. A new structure geared towards a BOA style Committee was proposed. This will be voted on at the next Commission AGM. The Underwater Hockey Commission’s AGM’s take place at the World Championships. It was likely that more teams, such as South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia would attend the next world championships. In response to a request from the Chairman to change the veteran’s age to 40 in line with Olympic sports, Cliff Underwood explained that the BOA needed to send a letter via BUSA (our CMAS representative organisation) to the Underwater Hockey Commission. He sounded a note of caution as a request was made at the rules Committee meeting during the world championships to realign the age of women’s veterans’ back to 35 from 32. This request was thrown out.
20. Two letters had been received from women’s team players (Mel Waterworth and Eileen Remedios – both attached) about their performance at the world championships. Zoe Chester (elite women’s player) attended the meeting and was invited to comment. Generally, the women thought that the experience had been good for the players individually and the teams. They had gained a lot of ideas for improvements. However, elite players playing for the veteran squad had upset the younger members of the squad and had had a detrimental effect on the performance of both teams. They thanked Cliff Underwood and Neil Dixon for their support during the competition. Clare Straitton pointed out that the USA had been strongly pushed to enter a team.
21. The Chairman rounded up by confirming that the overall performance of the UK was not good enough we needed to improve. He stated that players playing for more than one team would not be allowed in future.

European Championships

22. The Secretary had sent a notice of intent to send five teams to Slovenia – Elite and veteran men’s, elite and veteran women’s and open under 21 teams. This did not commit the BOA to sending these teams. There had yet been confirmation of the date of the championships but the third week of June had been suggested in their letter.

Request to nominate Neil Dixon as Chief Referee for the next world championships

Request to nominate Cliff Underwood as vice-president to the CMAS Underwater Hockey Commission

23. Both of these items were taken together. Neil Dixon wanted to become the next World Chief referee. Cliff Underwood wanted to be vice-president of the Underwater Hockey Commission. Cliff Underwood confirmed that a number of countries had approached him during the world championships to ask if the UK would nominate Neil as well as himself for these positions as they wanted changes in the CAMS Underwater Hockey Commission. The only possible problem that Cliff foresaw was that CMAS would not accept the Chief referee and assistant chief referee coming from the same country. However, as Cliff Underwood wanted to be vice-president of the CMAS Underwater Hockey Commission, he would have to resign his position as Assistant Chief Referee so the problem would resolve itself. The Committee agreed to support these proposals. The Chairman would write to BUSA asking for Cliff and Neil to be nominated for these two positions.

THE CHAIRMAN TO WRITE TO BUSA ASKING FOR NEIL AND CLIFF TO BE NOMINATED TO THE ABOVE POSITIONS

World Championships 2004 and 2006

24. 2004 is the 50^th anniversary of the formation of Octopush. This would be an ideal time to host the World Championships. Initial enquires had been made by Dave Poyner about a venue and the owners of the new pool being built in Manchester for the Commonwealth games in 2002 were interested in hosting the event. The pool owners wanted to see a presentation from the BOA about the event. The competitions Manager had been liaising with Dave Poyner and thought that the project was viable but needed help in producing a presentation. The Chairman noted that the organisation and logistics of this project was a major task and was not a job for one person. He offered his backing if the Competitions Manager came back with two other people ready to put 100% time and effort into the project. The Vice-Chairman supported saying that a feasibility study would be a good idea but agreed to write a 20-minute presentation within six weeks. Cliff Underwood pointed out that the BOA lost £2,500 on cancelling the first world championships. It was noted that South Africa lost £20,000 when it hosted the world championships – a sum that the BOA does not possess. The deadline for any proposal was the AGM of the underwater hockey commission at the next world championships (18 months time). A decision on whether the BOA should make a proposal would be taken at the first Committee meeting after the AGM. The Director of Coaching wondered whether securing the Manchester venue would allow the BOA access for other competitions/tournaments.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT WILL WRITE A 20 MINUTE PRESENTATION ON THE WORLD UNDERWATER HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS WITHIN SIX WEEKS

THE COMPETITIONS MANAGER WILL FIND TWO OTHER PEOPLE WILLING TO WORK ON THIS PROJECT

THE SECRETARY WILL PUT THIS ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR THE FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING AFTER THE AGM

AOB

25. The following AOB points were made.

Insurance

26. See Treasurers letter. The previous treasurer had put personal insurance as a voluntary item but the Committee had previously agreed that from September 1998, personal insurance would be made compulsory. The insurance company had offered two possibilities – joining individually or as a team. There were problems with team coverage for many teams, as the Insurance Company demanded that session attendance records be kept. It was thought best for each team to have individual insurance for each player and keep adding players as they began playing. It was agreed that the Treasurer would explain the implications of personal insurance in his letter to clubs and recommend that clubs take out personal insurance for each player. The cost would be £1.50 per player.
27. It was noted that the insurance policy did not cover the first £500 of medical treatment or any dental work – whether or not mouth guards were used. The Committee was unsure whether this was the same insurance company as the one the previous Treasurer dealt with. Angela Adams volunteered to check the Insurance policy wording and liaise with the Treasurer so that members would be clear on the actual coverage they were paying for. On the issue of mouth guards, the Committee agreed that the BOA should strongly recommend their use with the view to making their use compulsory within the next two-three years.
28. A disclaimer should also be sent out to the effect that teams are not covered by the BOA insurance if they are injured playing non-BOA clubs (as the insurance is third party only). The University tournament falls into this trap. Participants need to be made aware that separate insurance is needed for the competition. The BOA should sanction no tournament unless it has adequate insurance liability. All students should be urged to join the BOA. The Committee agreed that the Treasurer should write to University clubs offering free membership of the BOA for one year on condition that they take out BOA insurance and personal insurance. It was suggested that this could form part of the tournament entry fee.

THE TREASURER TO EXPLAIN IMPLICATIONS OF PERSONAL INSURANCE AND RECOMMEND INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE

THE TREASURER TO LIAISE WITH ANGELA ADAMS ON THE WORDING OF THE INSURANCE POLICY

THE TREASURER TO SEND A DISCLAIMER NOTICE TO ALL CLUBS REMINDING THEM THAT THEY ARE NOT COVERED BY THEIR INSURANCE IF THEY PLAY NON-BOA CLUBS

THE COMPETITIONS MANAGER WILL NOT ORGANISE ANY BOA TOURNAMENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE INSURANCE COVER

THE TREASURER WILL WRITE TO ALL UNIVERSITY TEAMS OFFERING THEM ONE YEARS FREE MEMBERSHIP ON CONDITION THAT THEY BUY BOA INSURANCE AND PERSONAL INSURANCE

Club discounts

29. See Treasurers letter. A £25 discount will be offered if new teams join mid-season.

World-wide web – Octopush sites

30. Concern was expressed that articles about Octopush were appearing on the web that the BOA had no control over. It was pointed out that freedom of speech meant that anyone could put their own personal views on their own web-site. That said, it was of great concern that the impression may be given that these views were the official view of the BOA. It was agreed that an official BOA web-site would solve the problem. Once a BOA site was set-up, the BOA would put a notice in the next Octopush news that there is an official BOA page and that site is the only one where official BOA views/statements would be made.

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER TO ESTABLISH BOA SITE

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER TO PUBLISH NOTICE IN NEXT OCTOPUSH NEWS ABOUT THIS OFFICIAL SITE

Election of Officers

31. A number of positions were left vacant after the last AGM. They were Development Officer, Junior Organiser, Competitions Manager, and UK Squad Managers. Martin Reed had offered to take on the role of Development Officer. He had sent a note outlining his qualifications for the job (attached). There were no other candidates and the Committee elected Martin Reed to the post.

THE CHAIRMAN WILL WRITE TO MARTIN REED CONFIRMING HIS APPOINTMENT. THE DRAFT JOB DESCRIPTION SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE LETTER

32. Alistair Skene had written confirming that he could no longer continue to cover the role of junior organiser whilst a replacement was sought. A member of Farnham & Guildford club – Kevin Hyman - had expressed an interest in helping with the job but could not take it all on. He had sent a note of his qualifications for the role. The Committee agreed that this was not a job for one person. But as Kevin was the only acceptable candidate at present he was voted in to the post. The Committee further agreed that a letter should be sent to all junior contacts/ organisers notifying them of Kevin’s appointment and also saying that the job is too much for one person and asking for people to come forward to help Kevin. Clare Straiton agreed to write to all junior contacts. The Competitions Manager offered to help with organising tournaments.

CLARE STRAITON WILL WRITE TO ALL JUNIOR CONTACTS NOTIFYING THEM OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KEVIN HYMAN AS JUNIOR CO-ORDINATOR AND ALSO ASKING THEM TO HELP HIM BY "SHARING THE LOAD"

THE CHAIRMAN WILL WRITE TO KEVIN HYMAN CONFIRMING HIS APPOINTMENT. THE DRAFT JOB DESCRIPTION SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE LETTER

33. There was only one candidate for Competitions Manager – Antoine Mourad. The Committee agreed his appointment.

THE CHAIRMAN WILL WRITE TO ANTOINE MOURAD CONFIRMING HIS APPOINTMENT

34. At the AGM only the elite men’s team manager position had been voted on. It was agreed that all other positions would wait until after the world championships. This covered Men’s veterans Manager, Women’s elite and veterans managers and the under 21 manager. There were two candidates for the women’s elite manager post – Antoine Mourad and Zoe Chester. Letters had also been received regarding these two nominations and it was clear that the selection of this post would be contentious. Before discussion began on the merits of candidates for this position, the Chairman proposed an alternate solution. The Chairman proposed that there be a single (general) manager for all UK squads. This was a post that all the major playing nations had. The manager enabled coaches to coach at Championships rather than be distracted by administrative tasks. He did not feel that anyone could do more than one job i.e. play/coach, coach/manage, captain/manage, etc. The Chairman felt that the post holder’s job should encompass the following:

As General Manager of the UK squads to European/World championships:

• present the best possible profile of UK underwater hockey
• in charge of team discipline (and would have the ultimate sanction of sending home any member of the UK team (including officials) if the situation warranted it)
• ensure that all the administration for each team was completed properly and in good time
• Ensure that teams turned up on time.
• Ensures dress code
• ensure that all members of UK teams represented British Underwater Hockey properly

At home:

• Organise/CO-ordinate training sessions with the coaches of each team.
• Set playing policy in conjunction with coaches
• Support/help coaches, regional coaches and co-manager with team preparation as necessary
• Member of team selection panel

In the future, he felt that the Manager ought to be able to pick (and sack) the coaches but he did not feel that we were ready for such a big step yet. Only the Manager post would be a Committee appointment (with voting rights) rather than at present where each team manager/coach had a vote on the board. The General Manager will be answerable to the Committee.

35. After some discussion the Committee thought that this was a good idea in principle. As a Manager had already been voted into post the Committee agreed to amend the proposal in the following way for this year:

• A CO-manager for each team (men’s elite & veterans, women’s elite and veterans, open under 21) will assist the National squads Manager. The national squad manager and each CO-manager will agree and select coaches for their team, agree team direction, playing style, etc.

• The Committee shall be responsible for firing coaches.

• A three-person team will select the team for championships – National squad’s manager, CO-manager and an independent selector (either team captain or CO-manager from a different squad).

36. The Chairman then suggested that as our current way of national selection had not really produced the goods we should move straight to this new system rather than voting on individual team managers. There was nothing to lose in trying the system out for the next European championships. If it didn’t work then we still had time to review the situation and think of something else before the world championships. In The Chairman’s view there was only one candidate for this job – Antoine Mourad.

37. Both Antoine Mourad and Zoe Chester gave presentations on how they thought the women’s elite team should be coached. It was clear from both proposals that they were both thinking along the same lines. To avoid potential conflict, the Chairman suggested that Antoine Mourad be selected as National squads manager and that Zoe Chester be selected as the women’s elite CO-manager; Grant Mosedale as men’s veterans CO-manager; Dave bailey as open under 21 CO-manager. The Committee agreed. Antoine Mourad offered to find a suitable candidate for women’s veteran CO-manager. The Chairman agreed to reply to letters received on this issue. A vote was taken and those below were selected into the following positions:

UK nationals squads general manager - Antoine Mourad

Mens’ elite co-manager - Dave Simpson

Women’s elite co-manager - Zoe Chester

Men’s veteran co-manager - Grant Mosedale

Women’s veteran co-manager – unknown.

THE CHAIRMAN TO REPLY TO LETTERS ABOUT WOMENS TEAM MANAGER SELECTION

Date of next meeting

38. It was agreed that the next meeting would take place on third week in November (venue and exact date to be decided later).

Grant Mosedale

BOA Secretary

20 September 1998

THE CHAIRMAN TO REPLY TO LETTERS ABOUT WOMENS TEAM MANAGER SELECTION