Adult league news

So closes the fourth season of South-Central Hockey, and our Premier Champions this year are Oxford University Ladies 1s and Marlow Men's 1s. We wish them well in their respective Conference leagues next season.  Congratulations to all other divisional champions who have worked hard and achieved promotion.  Thank you to all clubs and team admins who have helped to make this year a success. 

With the addition of other Men's teams added by clubs, to make the divisions more equitable, we are looking at adding additional North M6 and South M6 divisions which will be at Grade 4.  The structure for 25/26 will be released shortly, once the ALMC have confirmed final placings.

There have been the usual administrative challenges this year, and your Adult League Management Committee (ALMC) has worked tirelessly to support fair play and selection across all divisions.  Pleasingly, there was a reduction in the number of PNs, from 340 in 2023-24 to 284 this season and fingers crossed, the downward trend continues.

Selection Exemption Passes have been a challenge this year, with a steady stream throughout the season and a large number at the latter end, approaching 100 a week in the last four weeks.  This puts a tremendous workload on a small subcommittee that reviews every request and is the reason for a strict timeline.  From this experience, we are trialing a new, more automated way of receiving the SXPs for next season, which will hopefully make the decision-making easier and timelier. 

The Adult League Regulations are currently under annual review across the eight EH Areas, and your ALMC has submitted 40% of the proposed changes, including requests from a small number of clubs that gave feedback.  We are expecting the new Regulations to be available by the end of June, and we ask that you take the time to read them and understand how they affect your club’s participation in the league and the principles of Fair Selection.   More details on them will be provided in the 2025-26 welcome letter.

In preparation for next season, we would ask that all clubs ensure their contact details are up to date in GMS, particularly a contact email for every club administrator, and of course for every team in your club.  This will assist the ALMC in ensuring that communications and the service provided reach the right people.

Finally, I would like to thank your current ALMC for their time and effort this season. You will be informed of any changes to divisional responsibilities in the 2025-26 Welcome Letter.

I wish you a refreshing summer and rest, and your ALMC look forward to welcoming you back for next season in due course.