News and Announcements

Please see information below about the upcoming Spring General Meeting. We apologize for the delay but we had some issues securing a venue and therefore couldn’t confirm the date. Here are the details:

VILFHA Spring Annual General Meeting and Awards Night
Date: April 9, 2024Time: 7:00-8:30 pm
Location: Highland Room at the Juan de Fuca Rec Center

Agenda is attached and note that the Highland room is not the usual room we are in. The rooms are located in the Juan de Fuca Childcare Centre situated on the upper level of the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. This is the upper parking lot so you do not need to drive down towards the velodrome or golf course. 

Awards information will be circulated shortly as will information about this weekend’s jamboree.

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Please fill out the below information to sign up as a volunteer coach for the 2024 Victoria Junior Field Hockey League (Boys and Girls) from April 13 to June 23, 2024. Please note that the information collected will be used to best place you with a team (age, gender, etc.) and other coaches to both meet your availability and preference as well as your experience level. We won’t be able to accommodate ALL requests.

Please sign up ASAP online here: https://forms.gle/ULyVG75R6Lvydn5fA

Full season schedules are listed here: http://victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca/pages/6257
(older age groups on Sunday afternoon times may be TBD or flex)

Coach Certification requirements:
1) ALL: Making Headway
2) ALL: Making Ethical Decisions (MED)
3) ALL: Safe Sport
4) ALL: Fundamental Movement Skills (Feb. 25 or Mar. 3)
5) Head coaches + Asst Coaches: Coach Initiation in Sport
6) Head coaches: FHC Community Coach course

Coach education can start now: http://victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca/clubs/393/pages/182500

If you have questions, please contact Ali Baggott at techdirector@victoriajuniorfieldhockey.ca or 250-418-5633.

Please fill out ONE online form PER volunteer.

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On Jan. 26, several Victoria-based and Victoria-connected field hockey members were honoured at the Annual Volunteer and Community Contribution awards hosted by Field Hockey BC at Heritage Hall.

Field Hockey BC President, Denise McGeachy, emceed the event that featured annual award winners, volunteer recognition awards and community club recognition awards. Victoria was well represented in those awards. Long-time national team member for both the senior outdoor and indoor women’s team Kathleen Leahy was honoured as the top female senior athlete. Leahy was away in the Czech Republic with the indoor national team at the time so Ali Baggott was there to accept the award on her behalf. Recent mainland-transfer Mackenna Brown, who follows her sister Wynn’s footsteps is an adopted-islander who is now attending St. Michael’s University School, was named the top U16 female athlete after leading BC to a U16 National Championship title this past summer. Mackenna is also a member of the Lynx FHC and a NextGEN athlete.

Long-time Sailors FHC member and former UVic and national team member Ali Baggott was honoured for her contributions to women’s field hockey, joining a prestigious list of names on the Barbara Schrodt award. Former Vikes men’s field hockey player and now Canada’s top male official, Tyler Klenk, was named Umpire of the Year following a season being recognized as the Canada West and U SPORTS Umpire of the Year and umpiring the gold-medal games at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago and one of the men’s Olympic qualifiers in Oman just earlier this month.

Long-time former FHBC board members Brian Groos and Brenda Rushton were honoured for their volunteer contributions after both have given much time to both the provincial organizing committee and the local hockey scene. Rushton was highlighted for her time and energy starting technical officer training and mentorship in the province.

The Victoria Junior FH Association nominated long-time equipment manager Kelvin Kum for a community club recognition award. Throughout all three of his children going through the junior league, Kelvin has been the equipment manager and a board member giving most of his time on the weekends throughout the 10-week program and beyond to keeping players and coaches armed with what they need to have a great season.

FH Victoria also nominated Jagir Dhanowa for his contributions in the umpiring circle on Vancouver Island. Never one to shy away from a last minute spot that has opened up or driving to Duncan to umpire, Jagir has been so important to keeping the officiating circles going. Jagir also contributed heavily so that local umpires could be well-equipped with jackets and radio head sets, and is a valued member of the umpiring circle.

Annual Awards
Senior Female Player of the Year: Kathleen Leahy (Team Canada, UVic, Lynx FHC, Hawks FHC)
Junior Female Player of the Year: Mackenna Brown (Team BC, North Vancouver FHC, Lynx FHC, SMUS)
Barbara Schrodt Award for contribution to women’s field hockey: Ali Baggott (Sailors FHC)
Umpire of the Year: Tyler Klenk

Volunteer Recognition Awards
Governance support: Brian Groos (Rebels FHC)
Governance & Technical program support: Brenda Rushton

Community Club Recognition Awards
Kelvin Kum (Sailors FHC, VJFHA)
Jagir Dhanowa (FH Victoria, Vancouver Island Umpires Association)

Congratulations to everyone.

Field closures and icy travel conditions with the continued decline in temperatures have led the executive to make the call that all games (in Victoria and in Duncan) on Saturday, Jan. 13 are CANCELLED.

The safety and health of all participants is the top priority so please stay warm this weekend. Looking forward to seeing folks out on the pitch the following week.

- VILFHA Executive
vilfha@gmail.com

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The 2024 Field Hockey BC (FHBC) AGM will take place on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 6.30pm PST. The 2024 FHBC AGM will be hosted as a virtual meeting and conducted via video conference.

All pertinent AGM details will be made available on the Society website at the following link https://fieldhockeybc.com/annual-general-meeting-agm/. Documentation will also be replicated in the Documents section of the Society website to allow for two avenues for any Club Member or Registered Participant to intuitively access AGM information.

This first AGM notice also draws community attention to the process for Board of Director Nominations. We encourage all Club Members to disseminate the opportunity for nominees to be put forward for election in 2024 and welcome Nominations from both inside and outside of the Society’s Membership and Registered Participant base.

Call for Field Hockey BC Board of Directors Nominations

To submit a Board of Director Nomination, please download, complete, and return a nomination form by the deadline date of January 28, 2024. A Board Nomination form can be downloaded at the following link: https://fieldhockeybc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-AGM-Board-Member-Nomination-Form.pdf

Of note to potential New Board Members is the change in Society bylaws that now move the Board of Directors away from individualized sport specific portfolios to a more nimble approach, where the Directors at Large will form ad hoc committees and working groups to oversee the necessary projects and tasks required within governance duties. The Board of Directors will also choose and vote in the Officers of the Society (President, Vice-President, Finance Director) on an annual basis. This will begin with the Officer positions of President and Finance Director in 2024.

FHBC is inviting nominations for FIVE of the nine board member positions at the 2024 FHBC AGM. Some of the skills and competencies highlighted by the Society at this time are as follows:

  • governance experience within the non-profit sector
  • governance experience within the organized sport sector
  • financial accountancy experience and/or qualification
  • policy development and policy oversight experience
  • communications and media experience/leadership
  • legal services background and/or qualification

A rudimentary understanding of our sport and the roles of the various parties involved would also help a candidate be brought up to speed in a timely fashion.