The new EuroHockey Equality, Diversity and Inclusion panel has been introduced this year to help guide and radically advance diversity in hockey across all areas of our community; from those who take part to those who lead and drive our sport.
The main priorities areas are addressing and contributing towards the global sustainability strategy for hockey.
The expert panel has a range of expertise and experience in sustainability, safeguarding, inclusion, diversity, environment and equality and they met for the first time this year in March and will come together again next week to narrow their focus.
It is a group designed to provide support and advice around equality, diversity and inclusion to the executive board on a strategic level and to the EuroHockey staff team on an operational level.
That advice will include the development of a EuroHockey EDI sustainability plan whilst also providing specialist knowledge and experience of equality, diversity and inclusion and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
Current England and Great Britain international Darcy Bourne is among the seven inaugural panelists – co-ordinating with board members Levi van Havere and Cathelijne Rockall and EuroHockey staff Tom Pedersen-Smith and Gráinne Corry.
She says the scope of the panel is one she feels “very passionately about”.
“As the only person on colour in our squads, I feel very passionately about making hockey a more diverse and inclusive sport,” she said.
“I appreciate the opportunity we have as athletes to make an impact in the communities around us, so, when I was offered the opportunity to join the EuroHockey EDI panel, I knew it would be a great opportunity to help create positive change from the top-down alongside some wonderful members of the hockey community across Europe.
Positive Impact
“I would love for the EDI panel to have a positive impact in all levels of hockey across Europe and, ultimately, help make hockey a more equal, diverse and inclusive space so that more people can experience and enjoy the wonderful sport that we all love!”
With such a wide brief, the initial work of the group will be to find the right focus and balance to what they can initially put in place.
“In our first meeting, we addressed that there are so many potential avenues to explore within EDI,” Bourne added. “As our board has such an amazing variety of individuals, from different places with different experiences and passions it was difficult to decide on just one or two topics.
“But we all share the love of the game and the desire to make hockey better. So, we discussed potential focus areas where we could have the biggest impact, and will confirm these in our next meeting.”
Expanding on this, EuroHockey board member Levi van Havere adds: “It is a panel with a very wide and complicated area and if we want to create an entire playbook to dive into, the panel could be working full-time on it!
“From our first meeting, it was so interesting to learn everybody’s history, everybody’s feedback, everybody’s background and the how and why is they they are participating in the EDI panel.
“It is a very diverse set of people sitting around a table but all have the same passion, same dedication to what we want to achieve in hockey.”
What he sees as one of the key elements is EuroHockey deals with over 40 different nations, each with their own unique cultural traits and approaches.
In that context, it is important for the panel to build strong guidelines which can be applied appropriately – and not rigidly – to suit each region.
“I don’t think it is feasible to just impose a general rule for everybody to follow because you’re talking about culture and history; you just have to have an enlightened spirit.”
