Our Management
In line with the demands of a modern hockey club, we have created a Management Board to oversee the day-to-day and strategic management activities.
This Board, consisting of 8 directors, each with a clearly defined remit and organisational structure enables the Club to be run more effectively and more efficiently. Certain roles and duties are paid.
With this new level of accountability and focus means we can drive more quickly towards our Hawks@90 vision.
The Executive Board member profiles are below – get in touch if you’d like to get involved or if you have a question!
Jacqui Barlow - Managing Director
Jacqui has overall responsibility for the management and running of the club
Well connected to the fabric of hockey in Oxfordshire, regional and national level, Jacqui’s been involved in many of the key changes at the club over her 35-year association. This included the merger of two ladies clubs to create our current Ladies section.
Whilst Jacqui’s focus has shifted from playing to umpiring these days, you may still see her wielding a stick from time to time!
Professionally, Jacqui leads major change programmes, so will be hands-on steering us through the Hawks@90 plans in the coming months!
Neil Biggs - Director of Finance and Admin
Neil has responsibility for the administrative aspects required to run the club. This includes the more obvious bookkeeping, accounts and membership as well as essentials such as employment, welfare and compliance and; facility management. He also leads our relationship with our tennis club partner, and oversees our Club First accreditation, health and safety and environment and sustainability.
Neil’s been part of the furniture of the club for many years now (he’s been a member since 1978!) and has played an important part in shaping the club as it is today. Neil led the work to own our pitches at BRN, a cornerstone of our stability.
His day job was corporate finance, but he is now semi-retired and splits his time between Hawks and being a Grampy!
Neil hated having his photo taken and this is a rare one of him smiling!
Kara Kerr - Ladies Section Director
Kara’s been playing hockey since she was a wee lassie (her words!), starting unsurprisingly at a club in her native Scotland.
Since moving to Oxford Hawks in 2008, she’s been heavily involved In both the Ladies and the Junior Section, including captaincy and coaching.
Oxford Hawks has proved to be a source of her closest friendships, and with her role leading the Ladies Section she’s focused on creating the environment for that to happen for all at the club
Guy Biggs - Men's Section Director
Guy takes up the role of Mens Section Director having spent the last two years as Men’s Club Captain.
Guy started playing as a teenager, no surprise given his family pedigree – scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games for the club!
His favourite memories at Hawks have come from the community-focused side of club – watching the Falcons (including his dad) from the sidelines, and playing in the Boxing Day fixture.
He’s a Liverpool fan. I think that’s football or something
Colin Burrell - Junior Section Director
Colin has responsibility for the Junior Section within the club
Colin has been at Hawks since 2017 and has previously captained the Men's Masters teams and coached our Flyerz Programme (grassroots disability inclusive hockey in England). He also represents Scotland at International Masters. He is a qualified level 2 coach, a level 1 umpire and for the past 3 seasons has been the club's safeguarding and welfare officer.
Having been the Officer Commanding RAF Air Cadets across Thames Valley until 2023, he brings significant safeguarding and youth development expertise.
Professionally, Colin is a management consultant specialising in technology and business change, so will be an asset to the ongoing Hawks@90 transformation as well as our Junior Section!
How Does Our Club Operate?
The new Executive Board comprises of five directors, elected by the Club’s membership at AGM, as follows;
- The Managing Director replaces the position of chairman, with overall responsibility for the management and running of the Club.
- The Director of Finance and Administration replaces the position of treasurer. Broad areas of responsibility would include bookkeeping and accounts, membership, employment, welfare and compliance, facility management, relationship with the tennis club, Club First accreditation, health and safety and environment and sustainability.
- The Men’s Club Director replaces the existing role of club captain and would have overall responsibility for the smooth and efficient running of the section.
- The Ladies’ Club Director replaces the existing role of club captain and would have overall responsibility for the smooth and efficient running of the section.
- The Juniors’ Club Director replaces the existing role of Junior Section Manager and would have overall responsibility for the smooth and efficient running of the section.
The three Non-Executive Director positions (not voted for by the membership) are;
- The Director of Club Community whose broad areas of responsibilites include fund raising, sponsorship, partnerships in the community, marketing and promotion, communications, social media, website and IT, grants, professional network, past members and alumni, hospitality and social events and bar and catering.
- The Performance Director has overall responsibility for the performance end of the club - that is the men’s and ladies 1st and 2nd teams, including emerging juniors. Broad areas of responsibility would include the hockey programme, coaching, player development, talent identification and junior pathway, player recruitment, goalkeeping, coach education, strength and conditioning and medical.
- The Director of Hockey Operations will support the three sectional directors in areas such as fixtures, pitch allocations, liaison with opposition teams, umpires and umpire appointments, kit and equipment and safeguarding.
At the discretion of the Managing Director, the Non-Executive Directors will attend Executive Board Meetings, but will have no voting rights. Recruitment for these positions will be overseen by the managing director, the director of finance and administration and the three sectional directors.
Each director (both executive and non-executive) will recruit and appoint support staff as necessary or needed. Where at all possible, such support staff will be recruited from a pool of volunteers - who will remain vital to the running of the Club - but it is anticipated (and budgets have been provided for) that in order to ensure the requisite level of professional skill, the performance of some duties will be remunerated.
The position of Club President will be retained as a figure-head and will continue to be elected by the membership at AGM. But the position would be non-executive and would not sit on the executive board.
Explore our four key pillars...
Our Future
Nurturing Young People to be the sustainable heart of our community on and off the pitch
