Hockey Match Day Planning Guide

It's 11:15am on a Saturday. Your ladies' first team pushes back at noon. The astro is still occupied by an under-12s training session that should have finished fifteen minutes ago. Your men's seconds are playing at 2pm on the same pitch and the umpires for that match haven't confirmed. The person who was supposed to organise teas for the afternoon is stuck in traffic. And your pitch booking runs out at 5:30pm, which gives your men's firsts exactly two hours for their 3:30pm push-back - including warmup.

Hockey match days are uniquely challenging because of one constraint that most other sports don't face: you don't own the pitch. Almost every grassroots hockey club in England plays on a hired astroturf surface, shared with schools, other clubs, and casual bookings. Your entire Saturday runs to someone else's timetable. That makes planning not just helpful but essential.

The week-before timeline

Monday

• Confirm fixtures. Check your league's system - England Hockey's competition platform or your county league website. Confirm opposition, push-back times, and venue for all teams. Hockey clubs routinely field four to eight teams on a Saturday. Every fixture needs checking.
• Pitch booking confirmed. If you haven't already block-booked for the season, confirm your slots with the facility. Know the exact times - start and end - for each booking.
• Umpire confirmation. Hockey requires two umpires per match. That's twice the coordination of single-referee sports. Check appointments through your league's umpire appointment system or your club's own umpire coordinator.

Wednesday

• Volunteer roster published. Across a multi-team Saturday, you need: pitch-side coordinator (one), umpire liaison (one), teas team (two to three), scoring table (one per match), and overall match day coordinator (one). Named people, confirmed times.
• Teas confirmed. If your club provides match-day teas - and most hockey clubs do - confirm who's preparing them, what the menu is, and when they need to be ready. Teas between fixtures are a hockey tradition. Don't let them die through poor planning.
• Schedule published. A written timetable for the day: pitch access times, warmup allocations, push-back times, tea service, and pitch hand-back time. Share it with every team captain and volunteer.

Thursday

• Equipment check. Match balls (check your league's specification - FIH-approved outdoor ball for outdoor fixtures). First aid kit. Scorer's equipment - scoresheet or electronic system, pens, team sheets. Water bottles and carriers.
• Opposition communication. Each opposition club gets your venue details - postcode, which pitch (many facilities have multiple astros), changing room allocations, parking, and the day's schedule. When you're running four fixtures on the same pitch, the opposition needs to know their exact window.
• Umpire follow-up. Any unconfirmed appointments get chased today. Two umpires per match means eight umpires for a four-fixture Saturday. One no-show creates a crisis.

Friday

• Final confirmations. All volunteers in place. Umpires confirmed. Pitch booking confirmed with the facility.
• Weather check. Astroturf is playable in most weather conditions, but extreme frost or heavy snow can close a pitch. Check with the facility if conditions look marginal.
• Teas shopping. Buy supplies today. Saturday morning shops near sports centres are unpredictable.

Match day timeline

Ninety minutes before first push-back

• Arrive at the facility. Confirm the pitch is available and in acceptable condition.
• Set up the scoring table. Scoresheets, team sheets, pens, timing device.
• First aid kit in an accessible location pitch-side.
• Defibrillator - check the facility has one and note its location. If you bring your own, make it visible.
• Changing rooms allocated. Label them if the facility doesn't - "Home" and "Away" signs prevent confusion.

Sixty minutes before first push-back

• Greet the opposition. Changing rooms, parking, schedule for the day, tea arrangements.
• Greet umpires. Offer refreshments. Confirm match details - push-back time, team colours, any known issues.
• First team warms up on the pitch. Allocate twenty minutes for warmup - that means starting at push-back minus twenty-five, not push-back minus ten.

During each match

• Scorer maintains an accurate record. Hockey scoring is straightforward but must be precise - goals, green/yellow/red cards, and their times.
• Umpire liaison available if officials need anything at half-time.
• Note attendance - useful for facility negotiations and grant applications.
• Photograph at least one match per Saturday for social media and club records.

Between fixtures

This is where hockey match days succeed or fail. The transition between back-to-back fixtures needs managing:

• Allow fifteen minutes between the final whistle and the next push-back. Teams need to exit, the incoming teams need to enter, and umpires need to change over.
• Swap scoring personnel. Brief the incoming scorer.
• Teas service. If teas fall between fixtures, serve them efficiently. Players from the outgoing match and the incoming match may overlap. Make sure there's enough for both.
• Umpire changeover. New umpires need to meet captains, inspect the pitch briefly, and confirm match details. This takes five minutes that isn't optional.

Post-match (after the final fixture)

• Results submitted to the league via England Hockey's platform or your league's system.
• Scoresheets signed and filed.
• Teas cleared, kitchen cleaned.
• Pitch returned to the facility in the condition you found it - goals returned to storage positions if required, any club equipment removed.
• Changing rooms checked for lost property.
• Leave on time. Overrunning your pitch booking creates problems with the facility and jeopardises future bookings.

The teas tradition

Hockey teas are a Saturday institution. Between fixtures, teams gather in the clubhouse or a function room for sandwiches, cake, and tea. It's the social glue of the afternoon and one of the things that distinguishes hockey culture.

Planning the teas:

• Budget £40–£60 per Saturday depending on numbers.
• A standard spread: sandwiches, sausage rolls, crisps, fruit, biscuits, cake. Hot soup in winter is appreciated.
• Serve between the second and third fixtures, or at whatever natural break point works for your schedule.
• A rota of volunteers, with each contributing one Saturday per month. Two to three people per session.
• Dietary needs - check with teams. Vegetarian options as standard. Nut allergies flagged.

If your club has lost the teas tradition, bring it back. It's the single cheapest thing you can do that makes your club feel like a club rather than a collection of people who happen to play on the same pitch.

Umpire logistics at scale

With two umpires per match, a four-fixture Saturday needs eight umpires. Many leagues struggle to fill appointments, and clubs often need to provide their own officials.

Building your umpire base:

• Encourage members to take the England Hockey umpire qualification. Level 1 courses are affordable and can be completed in a day.
• Maintain a club umpire roster of at least eight to ten people so no one is umpiring every week.
• Communicate umpire appointments clearly - which match, push-back time, opposition, and who their co-umpire is.
• Offer umpire expenses promptly - petrol money, match fee, whatever your league standard is.
• Treat your umpires as you'd want your players treated at away fixtures.

Managing the facility relationship

Your club's relationship with the facility owner - whether it's a school, a leisure trust, a local authority, or a private operator - is one of your most important assets.

• Book early. Season-long block bookings give you certainty. Last-minute requests compete with every other user.
• Leave the pitch better than you found it. Clean up your bench area, take your rubbish, don't leave cones out.
• Pay on time. Pitch hire is often your biggest expense. Pay promptly and the facility manager will work with you when you need flexibility.
• Communicate issues. If the pitch surface is degrading, lights aren't working, or changing rooms are in poor condition, report it constructively. You're a long-term customer, not a one-off booking.

How TidyHQ helps with hockey match day

A hockey club running six teams on a Saturday has dozens of volunteer slots, eight or more umpire appointments, and a tea roster to manage - every week, for thirty weeks. Manual coordination through WhatsApp and spreadsheets breaks down at this scale.

TidyHQ's event management lets you create each fixture with specific volunteer roles. Umpires, scorers, tea volunteers - everyone signs up, gets a reminder, and confirms. By Wednesday, you see the gaps, not the full list of things you still need to chase.

For clubs managing England Hockey affiliation, membership renewals, and match fees alongside match day operations, a single system means your committee spends less time on administration and more time running a hockey club.

FAQs

How do we manage back-to-back fixtures on one pitch?

A written schedule, shared with every captain and volunteer by Wednesday. Build in fifteen minutes between fixtures for changeover. Allocate specific warmup times for each team. The match day coordinator owns transitions - their job is to keep the afternoon on time.

What if an umpire doesn't show?

Check your league's regulations. Most allow a qualified replacement from either club. Having eight to ten qualified umpires in your membership gives you cover. For leagues that appoint centrally, report no-shows so the system can adjust.

Do we need first aid cover for every fixture?

Yes. Hockey involves sticks, a hard ball, and collisions. A stocked first aid kit and someone who knows how to use it is the minimum. For larger fixture programmes, consider having a qualified first aider present for the full afternoon.

References

• England Hockey - National governing body for hockey in England, including club support and competition management
• England Hockey Club Support - Resources for club governance, development, and operational guidance
• England Hockey Officiating - Umpire qualification pathways and development programmes
• Club Matters - Sport England's free support programme for community sports clubs
• Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) - HMRC guidance on CASC registration and tax reliefs