The EHF Board meeting took place via Webinar on 19th September 2020.
Presidents Welcome
The President welcomed everyone to the online meeting. Marijke expressed her regret that we were not able to all meet together in Berlin as planned but hoped that we will all soon be able to meet each other in person. The Office Bearers’ had recently met in Cologne and had taken the time to prepare a number of the papers for today’s meeting. In general, despite the current challenges, the President feels optimistic about the future of the EHF, as a number of projects were planned and are on hold whilst we deal with the COVID crisis. There was then a short round table update from each of the board members highlighting the current situation personally and in each of the National Associations where they come from.
The minutes of the meeting held online on 13th June were reviewed and approved.
Finance and Office Bearers meeting update
The Treasurer updated the Board on the year to date figures for the end of August and the current cashflow position. The income is down as would be expected but the expenditure is being managed and is also down.
The Director General then updated the Board on the revised outlook for the year and where the main income/expenditure items had moved since the June meeting. He considers the numbers presented as still being prudent allowing for the unusual year we are having.
He then talked through the budget for 2021 where 3 scenarios had been drawn up. The Board discussed these scenarios and their potential impact on income areas, reserves, and on the organisation as a whole. It was agreed that we will present two budgets for approval at the General Assembly as it is still unclear what the next year will look like.
Director General Report
The Director General updated the Board on a number of topics.
EHL – The EHL Board is meeting next week and work is ongoing on finalising the accounts for this season the budget, for the next season and finalising a host for the Finals next Easter. A timeline for the draw, host announcement and ticket sales will be discussed next week in the EHL Board.
EHC2021 – work is restarting with the KNHB on preparations for the EHC 2021 scheduled for next June. The next meeting is Thursday 24th Sept.
EHC2023 – The Director General has written to the bidding NAs informing them of the process going forward. It is planned that the Bid Committee will have a recommendation for the Board at the December meeting following site visits to the NAs.
FIH Update
The President gave an update on the FIH EB meeting of the 7th August and the actions arising from the meeting. The audited accounts from 2019 were approved and ready for publication. Another subject is whether the FIH will start with a new data and match system. EHF has asked for a meeting with the CEO of FIH to understand completely what a change in the system would mean for us.
The President then updated the Board on the discussions held about certain Pro League matches clashing with the EHL next Easter and the outcome of those discussions. The Director-General updated the Board on the collaboration with FIH on the World Cup Qualifiers and that 5 European NAs had expressed an interest in them. Lastly, the Director-General updated the board on his recent video meeting with the European Hockey Clubs Association.
EHF Executive Board Reports
Competition Committee Outdoor Report
Walter Kapounek updated the Board on the recent Competitions Outdoor Committee. The recommendations for hosts for Outdoor Nations events were discussed and approved. An update was received on the Hockey5’s entries and process. 17 men’s teams and 15womens teams had entered this new competition as part of the Hockey5s World Cup qualifying process.
Competition Committee Indoor Report
Walter Kapounek updated the Board on the Indoor season. At this stage, it is still not clear what will be able to be played. Indoor hosts and participants are being asked for regular updates. The Board agreed that in principle we like to run the events even if it means a reduced number of teams participating. The promotion and relegation process needs to be reviewed and a recommendation put to the Board in due course. Host Nations were approved for the 2022 season.
The meeting concluded after this report, already running out of time. It was agreed to have a short Board meeting at the end of October to cover updates from the remaining reports, from the FIH Board meeting scheduled in October and about the preparation for the General Assembly on November 7th.
The President thanked the Board for their time and contributions and the meeting closed at 13:45.
