A New Chapter: From Vision to Execution
The Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation (RBIHF) would like to inform its clubs, players, parents, coaches and all other stakeholders about a new phase for Women’s Ice Hockey Belgium.
At the end of September, the collaboration with Tina Moons within Women’s Ice Hockey and the National Teams will come to an end.
The RBIHF would like to sincerely thank Tina for her many years of dedication, energy and commitment to Belgian women’s ice hockey. She has contributed to the development and visibility of the women’s game and supported several initiatives that are now part of the foundation on which we can continue to build.
At the same time, we are looking ahead.
One Integrated Women’s Ice Hockey Program
The RBIHF wants to further strengthen the existing foundation and structurally grow Women’s Ice Hockey, both within our clubs and towards our national teams.
This does not mean starting again from scratch. What works well, we will retain. Where improvements can be made, we want to develop them together.
Our ambition is clear: one integrated Women’s Ice Hockey program, from the first introduction to ice hockey all the way through to our national teams.
We are building one clear and recognisable development pathway:
Recruitment → Experience → Club → Development → Talent → National Teams
The new approach will therefore focus on the complete development of women’s ice hockey: recruitment, retention, club development, competition, talent development and National Teams, with one clear direction and strong cooperation between the federation and its clubs.
Welcome to Our New Working Group
The first meeting of the renewed Women’s Ice Hockey Committee (WIC) has now taken place.
During this first working session, we not only looked towards the future, but also established an initial concrete roadmap to turn our vision into action step by step.
During this first phase, the project will be led by our Project Manager Didier Delannoy.
The new working group consists of:
Project Coordination
- Didier Delannoy, Project Manager
Working Group
- Kelly Verbinnen
- Tamara Tielens
- Marc Fransen
- Chinouk Van Calster
- Michael Kolodziejczyk
We warmly welcome Didier, Kelly, Tamara, Marc, Chinouk and Michael to this new structure and thank them for their commitment to building the future of Belgian women’s ice hockey together.
Each of them will take on specific responsibilities based on their individual expertise. This division of responsibilities is currently being further defined and will be clearly communicated in our upcoming communications.
The working group will also receive structural support from Terence Giblen, Leagues Director, Ben Boute, Development Manager, Gil Paelinck, Sports Director, and the Board of RBIHF.
From Vision to Concrete Action
The first priorities and actions have now been defined.
Among other initiatives, we are working on Recruitment & Experience Days, structured Development Days, adapted game formats such as 3-on-3, Girls activities and a clear pathway towards our U18 Women and Senior Women National Teams.
One of the first important moments will be the Global Girls Weekend in October, during which we want to work together with our clubs to introduce new girls to our sport and bring existing players together.
Over the coming weeks, this roadmap will be further developed, with new initiatives and activities communicated step by step.
Building Our Culture Together
Alongside sporting development, we also want to build a strong, positive and recognisable culture throughout the entire program.
Our core values are:
Respect • Stability • Collaboration • Continuous Development • Continuity
With one important message for everyone involved in the program:
“Leave your ego at the door.”
The program must be bigger than one person, one team or one generation.
Moving Forward Together
The RBIHF would once again like to thank Tina for her many years of contribution to Belgian women’s ice hockey and wishes her all the best for the future.
At the same time, we warmly welcome our new working group and look forward to building the next chapter of Women’s Ice Hockey Belgium together with our clubs, players, parents, coaches and volunteers.
Over the coming weeks, the focus will be on recruitment, development, communication, Girls activities and the further development of the pathway towards our national teams.
One program. One development pathway. One future for Women’s Ice Hockey in Belgium.
All players, parents, clubs, coaches and other stakeholders will soon be contacted with further information about the new structure, planned activities, responsibilities within the team and the next steps.
Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation
Women’s Ice Hockey Committee