England Hockey
Encyclopedia
England Hockey is the national governing body for the sport of hockey
in England
. There are separate governing bodies for the sport in the other parts of the United Kingdom
. It was formed on 1 January 2003 to replace the English Hockey Association (EHA) which had had to suspend operations 2002 because of significant financial problems. The English Hockey Association had in turn been formed in 1996 to combine the function of the separate governing bodies for men’s, women’s and mixed hockey.
Following the demise of the EHA, England's international hockey was for a time managed through a separate limited company called World Class Hockey Limited, which was funded entirely by Sport England
. These operations were merged back into England Hockey on 1 July 2005. The second tier of hockey administration in England consists of six Regional Associations – East, Midlands, North
, South, West and the Combined Services, and below that there are county associations.
England Hockey is affiliated to the European Hockey Federation
and International Hockey Federation
. It runs a number of competitions, including the English Hockey League
.
While UK hockey is organised by separate bodies for each of the home nations
, the United Kingdom is required to enter a combined team in the Olympics
. This has created tensions between the governing bodies and those responsible for the Great Britain teams, which have performed disappointingly since Great Britain's men's team won gold at the 1988 Summer Olympics
.
in Milton Keynes
, but the cost of running the stadium was one of the factors that led to the demise of the English Hockey Association. The ground was leased to (later Milton Keynes Dons
) football club in 2003 and has not been used for hockey since then. On 17 December 2009, demolition of the stadium began, the site is to be used for a new national HQ for Network Rail
.
Regional Hockey Associations
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. There are separate governing bodies for the sport in the other parts of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was formed on 1 January 2003 to replace the English Hockey Association (EHA) which had had to suspend operations 2002 because of significant financial problems. The English Hockey Association had in turn been formed in 1996 to combine the function of the separate governing bodies for men’s, women’s and mixed hockey.
Following the demise of the EHA, England's international hockey was for a time managed through a separate limited company called World Class Hockey Limited, which was funded entirely by Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. These operations were merged back into England Hockey on 1 July 2005. The second tier of hockey administration in England consists of six Regional Associations – East, Midlands, North
North Hockey Association
The North Hockey Association is a hockey league based in the North of England. It feeds teams into the Slazenger England Hockey League and takes teams from sub-regional leagues, such as the Yorkshire Hockey Association.- League Structure :...
, South, West and the Combined Services, and below that there are county associations.
England Hockey is affiliated to the European Hockey Federation
European Hockey Federation
The European Hockey Federation is an European sports federation for field hockey, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is the umbrella organisation for all European national federations and organises the Euro Hockey League...
and International Hockey Federation
International Hockey Federation
The International Field Hockey Federation is the global governing body of field hockey...
. It runs a number of competitions, including the English Hockey League
English Hockey League (field hockey)
The English Hockey League is a national hockey league run by England Hockey. It is currently sponsored by Slazenger and known as the Slazenger England Hockey League or EHL...
.
While UK hockey is organised by separate bodies for each of the home nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
, the United Kingdom is required to enter a combined team in the Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. This has created tensions between the governing bodies and those responsible for the Great Britain teams, which have performed disappointingly since Great Britain's men's team won gold at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
Former National Hockey Stadium
Until early 2009, England Hockey was based at the former, purpose-built, National Hockey StadiumNational Hockey Stadium
The National Hockey Stadium was a sports stadium in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, with a nominal capacity of around 4,000 seats . It was used by England Hockey as their national stadium from 1995 to 2003 and as a professional football stadium from 2003 to 2007...
in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, but the cost of running the stadium was one of the factors that led to the demise of the English Hockey Association. The ground was leased to (later Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
) football club in 2003 and has not been used for hockey since then. On 17 December 2009, demolition of the stadium began, the site is to be used for a new national HQ for Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
External links
Main England hockey organisations- Official site for England Hockey
- Official launch site for England Hockey's new strip and identity
- National Programme Umpires Association
Regional Hockey Associations
- North Hockey AssociationNorth Hockey AssociationThe North Hockey Association is a hockey league based in the North of England. It feeds teams into the Slazenger England Hockey League and takes teams from sub-regional leagues, such as the Yorkshire Hockey Association.- League Structure :...
http://www.northhockey.org/ - Southern Counties Hockey Association http://www.southerncountieshockey.org.uk/index.html
- East Region Hockey Association http://www.east-hockey.co.uk/
- Midland Regional Hockey AssociationMidland Regional Hockey AssociationThe Midland Regional Hockey Association is the organising body for field hockey in the English Midlands. It covers the county associations of Bedfordshire , Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.The...
http://www.mrha.co.uk/ - West Hockey Association