The Underwater Hockey World Championships will take place in Hobart, Tasmania during Easter 2000. At a meeting on 25 July 1999, the B.O.A. Committee considered our international squad set-up. The B.O.A. Committee agreed that the squad management set-up would be substantially the same as for the European Championships. There would be four Coaches, two Team Managers and a General Manager. The roles of each person would be: Coaches - responsible for team selection and training teams. Team Managers - responsible for teams at world championships - getting teams to pool on time, putting in team sheets, etc. General Manager - in overall charge of U.K. national squad. Responsible for team discipline, organising accommodation, travel, booking pools for training, Arbiter of disputes either within the U.K. "squads", Represents UK squads in disputes at the World Championships, etc.

It was also agreed that a mini-Committee (made up of all Committee members present at the World Championships) would be the final arbiter in any dispute if any person or team disagreed with decisions of the General Manager. The following people were elected to these posts:

Now we have a management system, we need players. Many of you (particularly those that played in the European Championships) may already have been contacted by the Coaches about playing in Tasmania. If you haven’t been contacted and seriously wish to be considered for a squad then you should get in touch directly with the relevant coach as soon as possible. As the Women’s elite team do not currently have a coach (the position is advertised in this issue of O.C.N.), any women wishing to be considered should contact Jane Fahy (the current women’s elite team captain). Jane we will organise the Women’s Elite team until a Coach becomes available.

If a Coach does not materialise, then I will consider what to do next. The trip to Tasmania will not be cheap, there is unlikely to be any change from £1500. I will try to keep costs down as much as possible (although given that it is Easter in Hobart, the hotel prices are unlikely to be cheap). I will also be producing a brochure which we can use to try to get sponsorship. Once it is completed, I will arrange to send copies out to all the coaches to distribute. The organisation booking our accommodation in Tasmania require a AUS$500 deposit. I would be grateful if all those trialing for the World Championships could send £100 by the end of October to Keith Hadland (see contact listings) (made payable to the B.O.A.) so that he can pay the hotel deposit. The balance will be put into separate B.O.A. accounts for each team and you will be reimbursed if you are not selected, provided the team has 12 players. Basically you have to make a financial commitment now. All four teams will be staying at the same hotel and will be travelling to Tasmania together. Now you know as much as I do about the World Championships, except for one thing . . .

*The reason that I only accepted the General Manager’s job on a temporary basis was because I was disgusted by the fiasco over the Women’s Elite Coach role. The one person that wanted to do the job was removed and now there is no one willing to take up this particular poisoned chalice. The Women’s Elite team do not deserve to be treated in this way. I also seriously question whether the motives of those that voted against Antoine at the Committee meeting were anything other than personal. I do wonder sometimes how this organisation continues to exist.

By Grant Mosedale, Islington

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