England Hockey requires data on injuries sustained across the sport so that trends can be identified and reported to both England Hockey’s Board and the International Hockey Federation (FIH). It is imperative that England Hockey collects this data in order to influence rules changes and improve the safety of the sport.

In order to collect meaningful data, England Hockey requires clubs/associations to report injuries sustained that require one or more of the following:

Treatment from a first aid specialist (e.g. Team doctor/ first responder)
Hospital treatment
Subsequent visit(s) to a GP

The reporting of injuries sustained on the field of play is a requirement for all clubs/ organisations who are affiliated with England Hockey as part of England Hockey’s Injury Reporting Policy. England recommend clubs use “SportSmart” in order to do this.

As part of our commitment to prioritise player welfare at Oxford Hockey Club our coaching staff uses SportSmart, an app that can log, monitor and manage any injuries that happen during any training session or match. It enables us to keep a clear record of each player’s injury history, manage any concussions following the latest UK Grassroots Sports Concussion guidelines and guide them safely back to participation.

As part of the SportSmart programme, we offer a free app for players/parents/carers and this is where you come in. On the SportSmart app, you can:

- View any injury updates that we have logged in the app.

- Provide injury updates – for example, a visit to the doctor or physio.

- Help us manage a safe return to activity and sport.

Once you have created your account you can view any activity or injury reports that are logged about you. This is especially important should a player suffer from concussion when playing. A player can also enter any new information to ensure what we have on file is as up to date as possible.

Accordingly, to enable effective reporting if a player sustains an accident, we’d like all players to download the “SportSmart” application which can be found on the Goggle playstore here or the Apple app store here.

If you’ve already had an invite then do use the links within the invite, otherwise please enter this unique organisational code: 144568 (which links you to the club) and following the step-by-step process in the app.

More information about SportSmart may be found here and here

Reporting of Injuries and Damage to our Insurance Company

England Hockey have confirmed that if the SportSmart report is completed then that is sufficient for injury reporting to the insurance company, even if there was an insurance claim made further down the line. EH have confirmed they have continuous dialogue with the insurers. Everyone goes direct when their claim arises. Do note this does NOT include personal accident cover (see below) or other components of our insurance policy, which are detailed here. In these cases contact our insurer.

Concussion Guidelines

Identifying and dealing with concussion is a vital part of assessing injuries. Guidelines are to be found here and detailed EH instructions here.

England Hockey – Personal Accident Insurance
The insurance mentioned above also includes personal insurance for members participating in hockey.

Personal Accident cover provides a set financial payment in the event of an accidental injury, whilst playing or practising the sport of Hockey, including travelling to and from any such activity.

Full details of the policy, including terms and conditions, and how you can claim may be found on the England Hockey website.

Do remember that it is your responsibility to assess whether the above insurance is sufficient for your circumstances, and, if not, to take appropriate action.