OLD LOUGHTONIANS HOCKEY CLUB LIMITED – Development plan 2018-2023
Introduction
In 2017 the members of Old Loughtonians Hockey Club set up a new company called Old Loughtonians Hockey Club Limited (the "Club") and with effect from 1 May 2017 the activities of the Club have been run through the Club.
This development plan addresses the aspirations of the Club in the light of new national league structures, anticipated changes to the overall governance of hockey in England and stated priorities of England Hockey regarding international players and the concentration on outdoor hockey (rather than indoor hockey). It reflects the perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ("SWOT") of the Club as highlighted in the SWOT analysis annexed to this plan.
Summary of key conclusions
The Club is ambitious for its members. It describes itself as the "premier hockey club in North East London, Essex and the East of England" and aspires to live up to that billing.
The Club is known for the quality of its playing and coaching and aims to have its M1s and L1s in the top tiers of the National League and its Colts teams regularly competing for National and Regional titles.
It also wishes to continue to provide a centre for players of all ages and standards to learn and enjoy the game.
Accordingly the primary objectives of the Club over the next 5 years are to:
(a) get promotion for the M1s into the new South 1 league and then Premier league of the National league ("M1s");
(b) get promotion of the L1s back into the National league ("L1s");
(c) see the Club Mini and Colt teams regularly contesting national and regional competitions both indoors and outdoors ("Junior sections");
(d) continue to cater for hockey for all ages from Mini, through Colt and Adult up to Supervets and for all standards from beginner and Back to Hockey to National League ("Family Club");
(e) continue to provide our own excellent facilities at Luxborough Lane for use by the Club itself as well as schools, other clubs and societies and for use in National, Regional and other competitions ("Own Facilities");
(f) invest in order to cover the anticipated costs of pitch renewal and replacement and the refurbishment of other amenities ("Investment");
(g) seek to attract additional financial support to cover ongoing and anticipated costs and to fund top quality coaches and enable the Club to recruit new and returning talent ("Expanding Support");
(h) remain committed to developing players at school and after university and not just buying in players ("Long term commitment"); and
(i) work hard and play hard ("Be More Purple").

Detailed Plan
The following comments set out the thinking behind the key conclusions. Separate individual action plans are in place and being developed on an ongoing basis to achieve the objectives. Those individual action plans are not specifically incorporated in this plan.

1. M1s
The men's first team survived their first season back in the East conference after winning the East Premier league.
The new National league structures will be both a challenge and an opportunity and the team intends to use the interim arrangements as a springboard to promotion into the South 1 league and then back into the Premier league.

2. L1s
The ladies first team has suffered in recent years from relegation out of the National league and the subsequent inability to persuade its best players to remain at the Club or return from university to help revitalise the fortunes of the team.
The ladies have an excellent opportunity to regroup and turn itself into a team challenging for promotion back into the East Premier league and then the new East Conference.

3. Junior Sections
The Colt teams remain strong and continue to attract the best players in the area and challenge for trophies both outdoors and indoors. The Club will continue to bring on its home grown talent and also welcome players from smaller clubs wishing to play at a higher level and benefit from more intensive training. The Club remains committed to introducing Colts into its adult teams when ready and helping them to play at the highest levels both at the Club and at a representative level.
The Mini section has been the Club's jewel in the crown for many years and many players now playing at first team level have started in the Mini section. The Club will continue to its commitment to early years hockey and to nurturing talent.

4. Family Club
The Club currently provides hockey for those beginning the game, wanting to play recreational hockey, aspiring to play representative hockey and playing performance hockey.
We have:
(a) a thriving Mini section starting with Seedlings from age 6 and with mixed teams for those under 8, seven a side competitions for those under 10 and eleven a side competitions both indoors and outdoors for those under12;
(b) an excellent Colt section which is regularly successful in regional and national competitions both indoors and outdoors;
(c) 5 ladies adult teams and 7 adult men's teams;
(d) a Supervets team; and
(e) an expanding Back to Hockey group which plays both mixed and single sex hockey.
Our adult teams play in the National League (Conference East), Higgins London League, Essex Ladies League and East League.

The Club is fortunate to have the paid and volunteer services of good coaches and the volunteer services of countless members and parents. This size of club and its infrastructure are costly to administer and time intensive to run. We compete with some clubs which have no infrastructure of their own, dedicated coaches only at performance level and no involvement in the community beyond playing. We compete with clubs which do not nurture youngsters or include youngsters in adult teams or run youth academy sides. We compete with clubs who buy in players rather than bring them up through a youth system.

We recognise these different models and the challenges they bring.

However the Club remains committed to offering hockey to all (from the elite to the beginner) and being based at its own ground with its own facilities.

5. Own Facilities
The Club has the benefit of a long lease from the OL Trust for the use of its pitches and the clubhouse and grounds at Luxborough Lane. The maintenance of this facility is costly and the Club employs a general manager, groundsman and other staff to run the facility. This is an overhead which many competitor clubs who rent pitch time (whether at Lee Valley or Richmond Park or elsewhere) do not have.
The Club makes its pitches and clubhouse available to other clubs, local schools and societies and for national and regional competitions.
The Club intends to stay at Luxborough Lane and to continue to offer these excellent facilities to its members.
The Club has considered its location. Having the National centre at Lee Valley Centre only a few miles away means that potential members (especially those living and working in the City) may choose to play for East London, Crostyx, Wapping or other nomad clubs who rent pitch time in Stratford. Transport to the Club is not ideal and although Lee Valley is no easier to get to than Luxborough Lane, it is perceived to be more central and thus more attractive to some living in North East London.
Nevertheless the Club intends to stay where it is and offer its own facilities.

6. Investment
In 2011/2012 the Club benefitted from the replacement of its pitches when the Olympic Development Authority provided grants to the Club to install new Olympic pitches as a training venue for the Olympic games. Those pitches, floodlights, watering system and other infrastructure will need to be replaced or restored within the next 5 to 10 years and pitch cleaning costs are already a regular ongoing cost. The Club does not have sufficient reserves to cover all such costs and will need to invest heavily through fund raising events, advertising, sponsorship and the commercial use (to the extent permitted by charity rules) of its facilities in order to finance the work. That investment must start immediately.
A separate detailed financial development plan to cover those costs will be discussed and agreed in conjunction with the freehold owners.

7. Expanding Support
The Club has been remarkably fortunate to have the committed and enthusiastic long term support of its two most recent Presidents (Derek and Richard Higgins) and the financial support of Higgins Group plc ("Higgins Group") and the Old Loughtonians Trust (the "OL Trust"). Without them the Club could not function in the way it does.
It would however be imprudent for the Club to rely entirely on the generosity of its key sponsor Higgins Group and the long term financial requirements suggest the need for substantial additional capital.
It is not just the infrastructure costs which need to be considered. A number of National league clubs with ambitious and wealthy sponsors have now been paying players substantial sums to join them and play for them and coach them. As a result players who might previously have stayed at the Club or returned to the Club after university have moved to play for clubs which are gaining success by paying the best players to join them. The new England Hockey proposals to allow second teams to play in the National League, will, in our opinion continue to polarise the player talent as the best players are attracted to a reduced number of clubs. In order to compete the Club will either have to perform outstandingly with the amateur players it has and attract new players through its success or find additional finance to enable it to offer inducements of its own to potential recruits. If it needs to pay then it will need to raise additional funds and the Club seeks to find a volunteer to act as a long term fundraising officer.

8. Long term commitment
For the moment the Club will continue to aspire to see itself as the long term home for players returning from university, maternity leave, overseas or otherwise whilst also welcoming players from other clubs who have now settled in or around Essex and the City.

9. Be More Purple
Players train hard and play hockey hard but primarily for enjoyment. The Club is not a series of teams playing at a common location but a genuine club where the 1st XI coach the juniors and players from across the Club socialise together.
It is important to preserve the ethos of inclusivity and mutual support and the sense of being a club run by many of its members as volunteers for all of its members. Whilst the Club will strive for success at all levels, play to win and applaud those of its members who are selected for representative squads it wants to attract like minded players who will support each other in adversity and celebrate together in success and (with apologies to Kipling) treat those two imposters triumph and disaster just the same!