Scottish Hockey reduces adult membership fee by 50% for season 2020-21

We live in challenging times and everything possible is being done to ensure that Scottish Hockey, and its member clubs, are safe and financially sound.

As such, Scottish Hockey will reduce its adult membership fee by 50% for season 2020-21 to reflect the impact of Covid-19 on adult participation, and help our clubs manage financial strain in these unprecedented circumstances.

It means for the current season that an adult membership will be £20, instead of £40. If any club feels that they are in a position to help Scottish Hockey by paying the full fee of £40 we will give you that option. If clubs can make this gesture to help it would be hugely appreciated and we will make sure that any additional income raised is ring fenced for future investment, in a manner to be agreed with members.

All other membership fees, including the U18 membership fee, remain the same. The membership fee for U18s remains frozen as the level of participation for U18s isn’t as affected by restrictions as it is for adults. It has been fantastic to see our clubs raring to go again and offering youth activities; training and development; and competition whether that be through friendlies or in our regional conferences.

Our club affiliation fees will also remain the same and will be invoiced for at the same time as membership fees.

Compared to previous years there will be two significant changes to the invoicing process to make it more streamlined and efficient. The first is that we will move to using the membership figures at the time of invoicing for Stage 1 invoicing, as this gives a higher level of accuracy than using the figures from the end of last season.

By using ‘actual figures’, it allows us to make the second significant change, which is removing the invoice process in January. Then an invoice will come out in April similar to current process.

This means we will collect 50% of membership fees in November, and 50% in April.

For clubs that played in National, Regional or Championship leagues last season we committed to return 40% of the fees for those competitions or add those fees to our youth teams. For those that asked to have it returned it has been credited to your account.

For Scottish Hockey, membership fees help deliver key programmes across Scotland, such as the development and maintenance of the CORE data management and membership system; Club Accreditation; Player Pathways and international programmes; HockeyHub; Lead the Way; umpire and coach development; as well as general business costs.

With the financial challenges presented to Scottish Hockey further operational savings are being made. Scottish Hockey is using the Job Retention Scheme, and currently 50% of staff are on flexible furlough, working a reduced number of hours. We will provide further information on staff furlough details shortly and keep you informed as and when we identify other operational savings we can make.

Membership fees also contribute throughout the year to media and promotional activities, such as live streaming; video highlights; press engagement; the Scottish Hockey website; social media activity and newsletters.

For members, as well as benefiting from the key programmes already mentioned, the membership fee ensures that all registered players taking part in Scottish Hockey competitions will be covered by Scottish Hockey’s personal accident insurance, which includes life and limb, dental and optical cover. Their membership fee allows their club all the development opportunities and benefits that Scottish Hockey continually delivers.

Our thanks to you and the other committee members involved for everything you are doing to support hockey in Scotland, and for the fun, friendly, exciting and safe environments you have created for people to continue to participate in these uncertain times.

Best wishes,

David Sweetman, CEO, Scottish Hockey

Robin McLaren, Chair, Scottish Hockey

Find out more about Scottish Hockey membership HERE

Support for clubs

For any questions on the membership fees or invoicing process, please contact [email protected]

We are very aware that the current Covid-19 outbreak may present difficulties for our clubs and we will work with you to mitigate this.

Any clubs experiencing financial difficulties at this time can contact our Regional Development Managers for support.

  • Scott Madden – Regional Development Manager (Midland) – 07787151063
  • Chris Anderson – Regional Development Manager (East) – 07793240920
  • Mark Pain – Regional Development Manager (North) – 07506854126
  • Jamie Frail – Head of Domestic Game (West)

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