Leinster Hockey (Corona Virus) Update
March 23, 2020
Message from Leinster Hockey Chair
Dear Hockey Friends
I hope this message finds you all well in these challenging times.
Covid-19 has impacted every part of our day to day lives and everyone’s focus must be on ensuring they are following the guidelines as set out by the Government and the HSE.
While things are uncertain at the moment, I wanted to assure the Leinster Hockey family that the Board and Committees are working on various contingency plans for when we can resume the season. We anticipate that the various Development Programmes will also be affected over the coming months, regardless of when our sport suspension is lifted.
We had hoped to hold the annual Club Forum later this month but this has also had to be postponed - so we are looking at possibly hosting a webinar that clubs can dial into and expect to have information on this in due course.
We also expect that the Annual General Meeting will not take place before the end of May and again, we will be observing all national guidelines in respect of gatherings.
In hockey our clubs work on a tight budgetary environment. While we have lost 4/6 weeks of the season costs remain constant. It will be important that clubs engage with employees/ coaches, schools and local authorities to see how these costs can be mitigated. Some of our partners may be able to claim from the Government for loss of income, we cannot do that.
Leinster Hockey continue to explore avenues of support to our clubs and will keep you informed.
In the meantime, I would urge clubs to work on their strategic plans, governance and safeguarding procedures at this time. There are resources available on both the Leinster Hockey and Hockey Ireland sites or you can contact Claire Kelly, our Executive Officer (admin@leinsterhockey.ie), who will be able to point you in the right direction.
As we get more information, we’ll be in touch.
In the meantime, please follow the HSE guidelines, wash your hands and respect social distancing.
Regards
Trevor Watkins
Leinster Hockey Chair
23rd March 2020
