By Nick Crowther

We've done the same thing for 10 years and have gradually slid down the rankings Simon Mason Mason could quit internationals

Simon Mason is frustrated.

The 31-year-old was part of the Great Britain team that finished a disappointing ninth at the Athens Olympics but says unless new proposals regarding preparations for Beijing are adopted, the team could cease to exist.

Mason, who has earned 63 GB goalkeeping caps, issued a passionate statement on behalf of several British hockey players urging the home nations to support a four-year plan which would see GB compete regularly.

"We desperately want to get better, improve and challenge for medals at the biggest and best sporting event on the planet - the Olympics," he said.

"We know that there are political and logistical issues that need to be resolved but GB must run for a full Olympic cycle, supported by the home nations."

And that's where the problem lies.

The three home nations have reacted differently to the idea, with Wales and Scotland raising concerns about how it would affect the sport in their countries.

"We need confirmation that it would not affect our participation at European levels as Wales and also for the clubs," Chris Brewer, the operations manager for Wales Hockey, told BBC Sport.

"We would not be able to give our support or otherwise to the proposal until it's been put before our membership at the annual general meeting in early January."

Academy: Mason passes on his goalkeeping tips

And Mason thinks that will be too late.

"The time scale and the sense of urgency and the issues that surround it don't appear to be being treated as important," he said.

The next meeting of the Great Britain Olympic Hockey Board is on 25 October, and Mason would like them to approve their plans so they can present them to the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) congress at the end of November.

And England Hockey seem to agree with him.

"The best time to put teams in place for the next Olympics are soon after the last one," said chief finance and administration officer Ian Wilson.

"The athletes want to start the preparation for Beijing now and we agree with them.

"There are lots of issues and we understand the context under which Scotland and Wales operate but we don't want to be having exactly the same conversation after the next Olympics."

But Brent Deans, performance manager for Scottish Hockey, does not believe that the British team is under immediate threat and there should not be any rushed decisions.

Britain were thrashed 8-2 by Pakistan in Athens

"A lot of the athletes are having a knee-jerk reaction to a poor performance," he said.

"There's no question that we need a four-year programme but we are asking is 'what is the best way to deliver that'? There are a number of questions to be answered.

"There is far too much emphasis put on what the players want. We really have to think about what we are doing."

It all started at the recent Olympics when Great Britain chiefs wrote to the FIH asking if they could compete as GB in some competitions but as home nations in others.

"They wanted to play as England in the World Cup and GB in the Champions Trophy and Champions Challenge but we said 'why don't you also perform in the world cups also as GB'," explained the FIH's marketing and communications manager Steven Morris.

"The executive board considered that and said that from a global rather than home countries point of view they consider it more appropriate for Great Britain to compete in all world level events," added FIH events manager Dennis Meredith.

"That in no way will compromise any of the home nations in their participation in the European Nations cups or club competitions."

But the problem also lies in how Wales and Scotland will earn world rankings, which they need to qualify for various events.

"Currently because England are the nominated team, they are the ones who get the rankings points if Great Britain play," Meredith added.

"Now the FIH would like feedback from the home countries as to whether that situation should continue or whether another alternative may be put forward - for instance on a proportional basis of the number of players from each country in a GB side.

"There's not a November or bust deadline - not at all. The timetable is back in the lap of GB and we can't advance it until we hear further."

Mason could quit over row

Hence Mason's frustration.

"We've done the same thing for 10 years and have gradually slid down the rankings. We now need to do something that actually prioritises Great Britain," he said.

And British Olympic Association spokesman Philip Pope agreed, saying: "The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of hockey. If we as a nation aspire to have great hockey teams again we must do so with more of a British philosophy.

"The philosophy they need to drive the sport needs to have a British hat on it but not at the expense of the other nations."

And therein lies the rub.