Further to the announcements of 26^th March and 9^th April, the 2019/20 season was deemed to have finished due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic.  At the direction of Hockey Ireland the provinces were requested to use a percentage equalisation method to determine league positions.

Leinster Hockey can now confirm the final placings for the senior men’s and ladies league competitions using the percentage equalisation method – please see attached documents.

It should be noted that there will be no playoff matches to determine league placings for the 2020/21 season.  

Clubs should be aware that placings on these tables do not indicate promotion/relegation for the 2020-21 season, this will be determined when there is more certainty.

Additionally, all Junior Age Competitions – both club and school – are concluded for the 2019/20 season.

Planning for the new season will be undertaken when we have greater certainty about same from Hockey Ireland and the Irish Government.  This will probably be July at the earliest.

Read the latest update from Hockey Ireland here.

Leinster Hockey will finalize their 2019/20 season in line with Hockey Ireland’s recommendation. 

However, no planning for the next season will be undertaken until we have greater certainty about next season from Hockey Ireland and the Irish Government. This will probably be July at the earliest and hopefully before September.

As it stands we simply do not have any clear idea how things will evolve.

We would suggest that clubs and schools should be prepared for potentially substantial adaptations for next season, as may be necessary to accommodate the constraints placed upon us.

LHA

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 numerous 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 anticipate 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, 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    

Further to the circular from Hockey Ireland (click here)  the LHA Board recommends that players, coaches and officials refrain from shaking hands before/after matches until further notice. 

Teams may prefer to clap each other off the pitch – similar to other sports.

Leinster are appealing to Clubs to assist in the running of the Leinster Finals this coming St. Patrick’s Day. They would appreciate your help in securing volunteers to assist with the smooth running of the day.

The slots involved are:

• Slot 1: 9am – 11am
• Slot 2: 11am – 1pm
• Slot 3: 1pm – 3pm
• Slot 4: 3pm – 4.30pm

All volunteers should wear warm and waterproof clothing. Volunteers will be provided with an identifying bib and provided with food and drink vouchers.  Tasks involved will include gate and general stewarding. Support and supervision will be provided by members of the Leinster board.

On all previous occasions volunteers have indicated that they enjoyed the experience and they can also cheer on club members who may be involved in the Cup finals.

To register as a volunteer, please complete this short form and we will be in touch very soon: https://forms.gle/u6iZcMesLhAu82BVA

For any additional queries in relation to volunteering on the day, please contact Ruth via email: PR@leinsterhockey.ie