Club History
Background
Wakefield Hockey Club was founded in 1899 and has a history of producing representative players at regional & international level.
In recent times, the club has worked hard to improve the quality of facilities to both its members and the wider sporting community. The development of the site at College Grove centres around the Olympic specification water-based Astroturf pitch which was built in 2005. The project, which also included new changing rooms, was part of an overall investment of over £1 million pounds. This was one of the largest investments in new sporting facilities in the Wakefield area in recent times and was backed by various partners including England Hockey & Sport England.
The club has greatly benefited from these facilities and has now becomes 1 of only 10 sites in the UK to be classed as a hockey academy by England Hockey. As a result, we see various county & regional sides at both senior and junior level using the facilities for matches and training. We have also hosted England Hockey events such as the Slazenger English Hockey League playoffs - both men's & ladies.
In March 2008, it was announced by Sport England that Wakefield Hockey Club will feature in the London Organising Committee Pre-Games Training Camp Guide. The guide features elite sporting facilities to give teams and athletes a selection of venues in which to prepare for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In 2007 the club achieved the England Hockey Clubs 1st award. This prestigious award recognises the club's determination to provide a safe, equitable and enjoyable environment for children.
In 2008, Wakefield Ladies merged with National League setup Bradford to create a new side in the EH National Conference North League called Bradford/Wakefield.
At the start of 2009-10 season saw the last piece of the merger jigsaw take place as Bradford Ladies 2nd XI became part of Wakefield HC.
Most recently the club has started proposals to build a brand new astro-turf pitch, creating the only club in the North of England to have two state-of-the-art water-based pitches. If planning permission is successful the new pitch will boast a covered stand, with seats making on the best facilities in England to train and compete.
In 2011 the Chinese womens national team confirmed they would use Wakefield Hockey Club as their training base for the London 2012 Oympics. The club is proud to have such a big international team preparing for the biggest and best olympic games in history. We will welcome them with open arms and hope it signals a successful era for Wakefield Hockey Club.
Wakefield Hockey Club has 12 senior teams and 12 junior teams with a combined membership of well over 300.
The club is split into 3 sections:-
Men's section
The Men's section has 6 teams playing in the Yorkshire & North leagues. The flagship side is the 1st XI who play in North Premier after gaining promotion in 2008/09. They are only 1 division away from playing National League hockey - which is one of the club's key aims. This would also match the achievements of the Ladies 1st XI and would mean that Wakefield HC would have both of their flagship sides in National League.
Ladies section
The Ladies section run 6 teams playing in both England Hockey, North & Yorkshire Leagues. The flagship side is the 1XI who play in EH National Conference North League, playing side from as far North as Sunderland and as South as Northampton Saints. The ladies 1XI also play in the EH National League Division One Indoor League and play all over the country.
Junior section
The Junior section is thriving with over 200 members training and playing each week. The training sessions are led by Norman Hughes (Ex England & GB Player/Coach) supported by his team of coaches and assistants (mainly senior members of the club).
During the season, the junior section have various age groups playing in the Yorkshire Youth Leagues and national cup competitions.
2009 was an excellent year for the section with U15 Girls claiming back to back U15 National Cup titles , whilst the U18 Girls were runners up in the U18 National Cup Competition.
