HKHAWS 15-16 Circular No. 12 - Promotion and relegation policy
To: Convenor of Affiliated Club (Women’s)
Cc: HKHAWS Committee
Dear Convenor,
We would like to advise all clubs how the WS Committee intends to manage the promotion and relegation of teams between divisions at the end of this current 2015/16 season.
We firstly note that the bye law sections 11.9 to 11.12 discusses this topic, with the practicalities and actual decision making left to the WS Committee at the time.
In order to foster the growth of the quality of women's hockey in Hong Kong, one aim within the WS is to have 8 teams playing in the Premier division. This will expose more players to the best available hockey, which in turn will help support a stronger league, and a stronger Hong Kong National Team.
The promotion/relegation process will be as follows:
- Following the conclusion of the final league matches for 2015/16 the WS will meet and review the final placings for all divisions. The Committee will decide which teams will be promoted/relegated for the 2016/17 season. All clubs will be notified, in writing, of the divisions for 2016/17 - i.e. specifically which teams will be in which divisions. This review and communication to clubs will be completed within two weeks of the conclusion of the final league matches.
- Clubs will then have one week from the date of this notification, to raise any comments, concerns or objections (in writing) that they may have about the notified structure of the divisions for 2016/17. An exact deadline date for this will be made clear to all clubs, once the fixtures for the second half of the season are available.
- Following this deadline, the Committee will consider any submissions from clubs, (including discussion with clubs as appropriate), and finalise the promotion/relegations. All clubs will be advised of this final result within two weeks.
Start to finish, this whole process should take no more than five weeks.
The following points will be taken into consideration by the WS Committee, in this decision making:
- Results and placing of teams within each division during the completed league.
- The quantity of teams from any one club in each division.
- The resulting number of teams that any division can be practically run with – we are ideally, trying to achieve even numbers, of between 8 and 10 teams per division.
- Any other factors regarding teams and clubs that may be advised in writing to the WS Committee as part of this process.
- As a guide, it is unlikely that more than two teams would be required to moved up, and/or down within any division.
The Committee hopes that by advising all clubs of these steps and timeline now, that clubs will feel comfortable that a transparent and communicative process will be in place to consider and determine promotion/relegations in the future.
Please contact me directly if your club has any questions.
Kind regards,
Rhona Barr
Chairwoman
HKHA – Women’s Section