Regular readers will recall that 8 months ago we made an appeal to help us find Great Britain (GB) Munich Olympian Sheikh Mahmood Ahmad, or Joe as he is known to hockey. This was so that we could present him with his GB honours cap. We made extensive enquiries around the hockey world including his old club and the RAF for whom Joe also played.

We knew that when Joe finished his international career he left the Royal Air Force (RAF) and moved to the Middle East as a coach. There the trail went cold, hence our appeal through Hockey Shorts and on the Museum website. Several people contacted us but only with information that we knew. We were confident that he hadn't returned to the UK, so where on earth was he?

Left: Sheikh Mahmood Ahmad (aka Joe Ahmad) representing Great Britain at the 1972 Olympic Games. Right: Joe Ahmad representing England at the European Championship 1970.

Well, the answer to that is that Joe remained in the Middle East until the 1990s. He then moved to Greece where he is still living. His son Arif, who was looking online for references to his Olympian father, came across Hockey Shorts (click here to sign up), told his dad and Joe phoned us.

An unknown number sprung up on our Hon. Curator’s phone. It said Corfu! “I believe you are looking for me” said the voice at the other end, to which our Hon. Curator responded, "You must be Joe Ahmad!?"

Joe was delighted. We are now trying to work out how we can set up a meaningful cap presentation – Corfu does present some logistical problems!

It was a definite wow moment because, after the call finished but with the line still open, Joe was heard to exclaim "Wow that was amazing!"

Joe Ahmad's GB honours cap, which we now need to get meaningfully presented in Greece. Answers on a postcard...

The collections within The Hockey Museum (THM) cover over 25 different subject areas and they often service or contribute towards our 30 or so active study subjects.

Most of the objects and material within the museum collections are donated by kind friends of hockey but occasionally we must buy items that are rare or important. Sometimes items appear in auctions and we have to move quickly to secure them!

Recently we were offered an original illustration of Stanley Shoveller that had appeared in Country Life magazine in 1912. We had no hesitation in moving to secure this unusual piece. Not only does this give us a valuable addition to our art collection, but it also provides us with a rare illustration of this great player – probably the only British hockey player who will win two Olympic gold medals (1908 & 1920). This picture of the great man will be included in the chapter on him that will appear in Hockey's Military Stories, one of our study subjects.

An illustration of England hockey player Stanley H Shoveller by Charles Ambrose (c.1912). The Hockey Museum collection.

Who was Stanley Shoveller?

While still at Kingston Grammar School, Stanley Shoveller played for Hampstead Hockey Club. He was a prolific goal-scorer at all levels of the game, scoring seven for England against Wales in 1906 and achieving 17 international hat-tricks. He would have played more international hockey were it not for business commitments as a stockbroker. In his early years as an international he formed an effective partnership with his Old Kingstonian contemporary, the inside-forward Gerald Logan (1879-1951), another who joined Hampstead HC.

Stanley was a highly deceptive player. He did not appear to be fast or to have remarkable stickwork or a devastating shot. But he was desperately quick off the mark, with wonderful control of the ball. His body swerve allowed him to evade defenders and his favourite and most effective method was to bring the ball up to the left side of the goal and to score with a flick shot that no goalkeeper seemed able to stop. He was known as the ‘Prince of Centre Forwards’ but remained a remarkably modest man.

Hockey was admitted to the London Olympic Games in 1908. Only two overseas nations (France and Germany) entered sides, so the four home nations competed separately to create a competition. Shoveller played centre-forward in an England side that emerged as gold medallists after defeating France in the preliminary round, Scotland in the semi-final, and Ireland in the final.

The sport was omitted from the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912, though an alternative international tournament was organised by the German Olympic Council at Hamburg in October 1912. The Hockey Association (HA) entered an England team and Stanley scored four times in an 8-3 victory over Germany, and three times in a 10-0 defeat of Austria.

The England men's team that played France on 26 March 1910 at Auteuil near Paris, before 1,000 spectators. Stanley Shoveller is standing in the darker jacket in the centre, only a couple of years prior to the above illustration.

On the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the Rifle Brigade and was commissioned second lieutenant. Wounded at Hooge, Belgium, in July 1915, Stanley returned to the front and was awarded the Military Cross (MC). Promoted to lieutenant in December 1915 and to captain in 1917, he served through the remainder of the Great War, relinquishing his commission in July 1919.

Stanley resumed hockey in 1919 and captained Great Britain to a gold medal at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games when he celebrated his 40th birthday.

Great Britain men's hockey team at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. Stanley Shoveller is standing in the centre of the back row.

His Hampstead HC teammate Cyril Wilkinson wrote:

“His most remarkable record was in connection with the Olympic Games. He was the only [hockey] player to have won two gold medals and though it must be conceded that the foreign challenge was not so strong, it was remarkable that in 1920, twelve years after his first medal, including four years of war, he again represented Great Britain when approaching his 40th year.”

England Hockey (EH) and Hockey Wales (HW) have submitted a joint bid to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to host the men’s Hockey World Cup in 2026. If successful, the tournament would be on the 40th anniversary of the 1986 men’s Hockey World Cup in Willesden, London – the last time the tournament was staged in England and largely considered to be the best Hockey World Cup up to that date.

With the final decision on the 2026 tournament host(s) set to be taken in the first week of November, the two Home Nation governing bodies are calling for your support. Excitingly for The Hockey Museum (THM), it is a bid with a powerful historical resonance and the potential for transformational change in hockey globally – a level of ambition well worth recording in the archives of the world’s only museum of hockey. EH and HW are requesting your support to demonstrate interest in and awareness of their joint bid. Help create history – it will take less than a minute of your time.

Back the bid by registering with either:

Back The Bid | England Hockey Men's World Cup 2026
Back the Bid | Hockey Wales

At the heart of the England and Wales 2026 bid is a desire to transform the sport, to bring the hockey community together, and reach more diverse audiences.
As part of the transformative bid, four stadia have been selected as venues including the Twickenham Stoop in London, cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton, and Cardiff Arms Park. The semi-finals and final would take place at the new and iconic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The plan is to take the sport to non-hockey venues and world class stadia across three cities to create a backdrop for audiences nationally and globally.

https://youtu.be/YvgIsG2YOLw

A Whole New Scale of World Cup: a Wembley Legacy

If successful, 324,000 General Admission tickets will be available for the 36 matches across the tournament, making it the largest Hockey World Cup in history and putting hockey’s spectator capacity on a par with rugby and football. With Tottenham’s 62,850-capacity stadium to host the semi-finals, third vs fourth place and the final, EH and HW have taken inspiration from hockey’s past – in this instance from England Women’s annual hockey international matches at Wembley which ran for 41 consecutive years between 1951 and 1991. At its peak, 68,000 watched England vs Scotland in 1976 – quite something to aspire to! The vibrant crowds and the excited, piercing noise – too loud to hear the umpire’s whistle! – are vivid recollections from everyone who attended or played. Will you help hockey bring that back?

Wembley crowds (1960 vs West Germany) and action from England vs Wales (1955). Photographs from The Hockey Museum collection / Marjorie Pollard Collection.

England vs Wales at Wembley in 1981. Photograph from The Hockey Museum collection.

Big Stadium Hockey: Innovation in Pitch Technology

The move to Wembley Stadium was an ambitious masterstroke for English hockey. Previously women’s hockey internationals were held at The Oval cricket ground, a much smaller capacity venue where hockey matches were limited to 10,000 spectators. A size comparison might be made between Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre (the England and Great Britain Hockey home venue) and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Like The Oval and Wembley, they are simply in different leagues in terms of scale.

An artifical turf hockey pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Just imagine a World Cup on this scale! Image courtesy of England Hockey and Hockey Wales.

Hockey at Wembley Stadium was only possible because this was the era of grass hockey, a surface made obsolete by the invention of artificial pitches. Since the introduction at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 and the gradual takeover during the 1980s, our sport has needed custom-built hockey stadia to thrive, however the England and Wales bid will use innovative portable pitch technology to lay a temporary hockey surface in existing stadia.

EH led the significant research and development to make this possible, investing in ‘Big Stadium Hockey’ (BSH) technology. This was used for the first time over a grass pitch at the Twickenham Stoop for the FIH Pro League in 2019 and attracted a crowd of 12,000+. All very adaptable, transferable and welcoming for fans in permanent sports stadia.

Supported by the FIH, the concept is now a proven technology that marks the next era in hockey pitches. Where better to showcase pioneering turf technology than at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with pitch innovation literally at its heart? The England and Wales 2026 World Cup bid would see a hockey pitch placed over an NFL (American Football) pitch, after ‘rolling’ the football/soccer pitch away and storing it under the car park!

The bid also has a very strong sustainability focus. The event will work with the FIH’s Official Supplier Polytan who now manufacture pitches from more than 60% organic-based plastic materials and who aim to develop a water-free hockey surface before 2026; a democratising move for hockey intended to make the sport more accessible nationally and internationally.

The England and Wales 2026 World Cup aspires to be a shop window for the new ‘Dry Turf’. In conjunction with ‘Big Stadium Hockey’ products, all of which are made from recycled products, it will leave a legacy of sustainable technology and innovation.

A World Cup for Communities

Most of the spectator base during the Wembley years was hockey-playing schoolgirls who travelled into London by bus and train from across the country.

Schoolgirl crowds at Wembley Stadium for England women's annual international hockey match c.1973. Photographs from The Hockey Museum collection / Pat Ward Collection.

The World Cup bid for 2026 will need to draw equally strongly on the hockey family, but EH and HW are working to engage local audiences as well as the host stadia’s sports fans. Partnerships will also target ‘Big Event’ goers and diaspora communities, all drawn to the novelty of Big Stadium Hockey on a rarely seen scale. Just as important for EH, HW and their ten delivery partners is the strong emphasis they place on community and togetherness. Working with the well-established community foundations at the host stadia and hockey clubs across the country, the opportunity to make a difference and use hockey as a vehicle to deliver social impact in the build-up to a home World Cup will be a key focus.

A community hockey session in front of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Photograph courtesy of England Hockey and Hockey Wales.

 

There is a historical nod too, to the approach taken to organising the last men’s Hockey World Cup held in England, the fondly remembered Willesden (London) World Cup of 1986. For 2026, the England and Wales bid partners plan to create a separate Organising Board to deliver a successful World Cup for the hockey family and local communities without impinging on, or distracting from, the day-to-day operations of both National Governing Bodies.

 

Action from the Hockey Men's World Cup in 1986: England vs Pakistan (left; 3-1 win for the hosts) and England vs West Germany (right; 3-2 win for England after extra time). Photographs from The Hockey Museum collections / credit Morley Pecker.

 

An oil painting of a penalty corner during the final of the 1986 World Cup in Willesden, London. England would go on to win the silver medal going down 1-2 to Australia who clinched their first World Cup title. Artwork by Aubrey Sykes from The Hockey Museum collection / Mike Smith Collection.

 

The plan to take the sport to non-hockey venues and world-class stadiums across three cities will create a backdrop for audiences nationally and globally. A home World Cup will change perceptions of hockey, encourage participation, and benefit local communities. The opportunity to host the World Cup and make it the biggest yet will leave a lasting legacy on the sport across England and Wales. The impact of staging major events in the UK is evidenced by the Commonwealth Games and football’s Women’s European Championship this summer – and there is no doubt a Hockey World Cup can have a similar impact.

The final of any World Cup is a highlight but hosting it at Tottenham’s iconic stadium will be a hockey experience like no other.

After two years of feasibility work, consultation and planning which drew strong inspiration from hockey’s past, the passion and commitment to secure and then deliver this bold, transformative and inspiring event for hockey is very evident. The England and Wales 2026 bid team see this as another watershed moment for the sport which, if successful, will create history anew.

“A time for hockey, a time to transform…. And the time is now”.

Wales and England men's hockey teams visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to encourage you to 'Back the Bid'. Photograph courtesy of England Hockey and Hockey Wales.

The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce that three new Trustees have been appointed to help further the work of The Hockey Museum. All three have extensive professional knowledge gained from working within the museum sector or sporting academia and will be invaluable in ensuring our continued growth and our role as a fully accredited museum.

Let's meet them:

Clio O'Sullivan

Clio O'Sullivan is the Head of Public Engagement and Communications at Chawton House in Alton, Hampshire where she oversees the House’s marketing and curates exhibitions. Clio has recently submitted her thesis for a creative writing PhD at the University of Southampton.

Chawton House: home to early women’s writing

Clio is involved in improving our marketing, in particular our digital marketing strategy encompassing social media, email marketing and our website.

Dr Heather Dichter

Dr Heather Dichter is Associate Professor of Sport Management and Sport History at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture based at De Montfort University. Heather has authored articles and books on sport history and in particular the Olympic Games, and frequently provides commentary to media outlets.

Heather will apply her experience and network to create a programme of university student placements for the Museum and to further academic research utilising the Museum’s collections.

Sport Management MSc (dmu.ac.uk)

Claire McQuillan

Claire McQuillan is a freelance heritage professional (McQ Heritage Consultancy) and prior to starting her own consultancy she worked as Archives and Collections Care Officer at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Drawing on her experience, Claire will support the curatorial team in ensuring that our collections are conserved and maintained to the best possible standards.

The Hockey Museum Chair, John Willmott said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have secured the services of these three heritage experts, each of whom also has sporting interests. With the expansion of The Hockey Museum’s activities and as a fully accredited museum with exciting future plans, these three professionals will bring new skills, expertise and experience that will help us in our mission to ensure that our unique collections are passed on to future generations in an excellent state and that we continue to progress our Mission Statement of inspirational, innovative and inclusive storytelling.”

The Hockey Museum: who we are | (hockeymuseum.net)

Read about all our Trustees in their own words: Trustee Biographies | (hockeymuseum.net)

How can you support The Hockey Museum?

The Hockey Museum is a registered charity (1170979). We need your support to continue to preserve, research, share and celebrate the history and heritage of hockey.

Make a regular or one-off donation, leave a legacy or volunteer with us. Click here to discover how you can support our work: Support The Hockey Museum | (hockeymuseum.net)

Please contribute to the creation of a world-class museum for hockey and help us to deliver on our Mission Statement:

"Inspiring people to embrace hockey's values by sharing engaging stories through innovation and inclusivity".

On Saturday 10 September, over 300 former students from Bedford College of Physical Education (BCPE) came together to be awarded honorary degrees from the University of Bedford. The first student to be invited to receive her degree was Hilda Moore (nee Hammond), a former England hockey player, who at 100 years of age is thought to be the oldest living recipient of an honorary degree.

Hilda was given an amazing ovation by the assembled students and guests and was visibly moved.

Hilda Moore receiving her honorary degree from the University of Bedfordshire. Credit: University of Bedfordshire.		Hilda Moore celebrating her 100th birthday with a card from Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: the family of Hilda Moore.

Hilda Hammond was born in 1922 and went to school at St Leonards School in St Andrews where she developed her love of all sports. After qualifying from BCPE in 1942 her hockey career developed and she was selected to play for England in 1947. After marrying Darrell Moore the same year, Hilda moved to Cambridgeshire to become a farmer, a life she loved until retirement 40 years later. Now living in Field Lodge Care Home in St Ives, Hilda celebrated her 100th birthday back in May.

Hilda was delighted to receive this recognition of her achievement all those years ago, although she did admit to not now remembering much about it after all this time. What Hilda did recall, however, was playing hockey for England: the white shirts and cherry red skirts – “a bit heavy to wear when it rained” – playing hockey at The Oval cricket ground in front of thousands of people and the iconic gasometers, and playing inside Mary Russell Vick who she remembers as a wonderful player – “You just had to pass her the ball and she would rush off down the pitch and score a goal”.

The England women's hockey team in 1947. Hilda stands in the centre of the front row, to the immediate right (as we look) of Mary Russell Vick who is wearing gloves. Credit: Bedford Archive.

A Brief History of Bedford College of Physical Education

The students who attended this special event all qualified between 1942 and 1978, at a time when the BCPE was not able to award degrees. After a six-year campaign led by Margaret Peggie, Jackie Gregory and Maggie Jackson, all former students and members of the Bedford Physical Education Old Students Association (BPEOSA), the University of Bedford agreed to recognise the depth and quality of the academic course at BCPE and award all former students an Honorary Degree.

Bedford College of Physical Education, Lansdowne Road, 1950s. Credit: Bedford Physical Education Old Students Association (BPEOSA).

For the greater part of the twentieth century, BCPE was one of the primary colleges for women intent on a career in teaching PE. It claims to have trained more PE teachers than any other UK institution. The College was founded by Margaret Stansfeld in 1903, at a time when women were not encouraged to take up a profession. Margaret was much influenced by Madame Bergman Ӧsterberg and her pioneering ideas of physical training. She decided to use her own money to purchase Wylam Lodge (37 Landsdowne Road, Bedford) and establish a college of physical education for women. Thirteen girls were selected to become the first entry of students and while they needed no academic qualifications, they all underwent a rigorous interview conducted by Miss Stansfeld herself.

In 1919 the two-year course was extended to three years. Four more properties were bought in Landsdowne Road to accommodate an increasing number of students. Over the following years the College continued to grow in size and reputation and in 1939 Margaret Stansfeld was awarded an OBE for Services to Physical Education. She also received the Swedish medal conferring the Grand Titre Honorifique de la Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Ling, making her the first English women to be so decorated.

BCPE trained students across a wide range of athletic disciplines including dance, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, swimming, cricket, and hockey. Their international honours boards demonstrate the strength and depth of Bedford’s sporting prowess with more than 700 international caps being awarded to its students. Hockey appears prominently in this list, with over thirty students going on to achieve international hockey honours for England. Among them: Mary Knott (England, 1923-1939; Captain 1931-1939); Biddy Burgum (England 1950-1960); Brenda Read (England 1964-1971); Chris Aspinwall (England 1967-1971; Captain 1969-1971); Sue Slocombe (England 1977-1981); and Mandy Pickles (England 1988-1997 and Great Britain 1990-97). Bedford students have also gone on to achieve hockey honours in other countries: Olive Andrews became the college’s first hockey international when she was selected for Scotland in 1918, and Iris Davies played for Wales in goal (1967-1977). All were great players in their time, but they also went on to significantly influence others in the years to follow, be it in teaching, lecturing, coaching or administration.

Shirley Nicholl (former England and Bedfordshire hockey international), Glynis Culley (former England cricketer and Ealing and Middlesex hockey player) and Stephanie Daniels (one of the event organisers and Trustee of the BPEOSA).

The Bedford alumni who attended had the opportunity to browse through a display of records, photographs and official documents from the University of Bedfordshire Archives. These detailed the rich history of the College from over a century of teaching. The display was curated by Stephanie Daniels (BPEOSA Trustee, pictured above) and Anita Tedder. Many memories were rekindled from time spent browsing through the wonderful selection of scrapbooks and year group photography on display.

Additional links

The University of Bedfordshire ceremony was reported in The Guardian newspaper: Over 250 women to receive honorary degrees at University of Bedfordshire | The Guardian

Hilda Moore's 100th birthday celebration was reported on by local newspaper The Hunts Post: Hilda says tipple before bedtime is secret to long life | Hunts Post

On the 27 August, over 40 Scottish former Great Britain (GB) players came together at Uddingston Hockey Club to be presented with their GB honours caps. Scottish Hockey, with the support of The Hockey Museum (THM), Hockey Internationals Club and GB Hockey organised this special event, which took place as part of the men’s EuroHockey Nations Championship Qualifier. The players received their GB caps from Sheila Morrow (GB Hockey President); the event was hosted by Colin Fraser (Scottish Hockey President) and Kaz Cuthbert (Scottish Hockey Vice President) and the Museum was represented by Katie Dodd (THM Vice President).

The event was an opportunity for former teammates to reconnect but also an occasion for long-overdue recognition of their GB achievements. Some players had not seen each other for 30 years: friendships were rekindled, old stories exchanged, and memories jogged. There was much laughter. Above all else, there was an overwhelming sense of pride.

Sue MacDonald wrote:

“It was fantastic to receive our GB caps, and really lovely to catch up with so many familiar faces! Having the presentation in Scotland was also lovely to enable family members to join, which was really appreciated.”

Vishal Marwaha added:

“Thanks to everyone involved in making this happen. It was very special to get acknowledged in this way and amazing to meet up with so many players from the past. I know it must have taken quite some time and effort which I really appreciate.”

The presentations opened with GB Hockey marking the achievements of four very special cap recipients who are no longer with us: George Black, Helen Weir, Joyce Hunter and Margaret Brown.

• George Black was Scottish Hockey’s oldest member at 95, when he passed away earlier this year. He played for GB in the 1960s and continued playing until late in life. His son David was presented with his honours cap.
• Helen Weir was the long-time Scottish GK in the 1950s & ‘60s and was selected to play for the very first GB women’s team that toured to the USA in 1965. As the GK, Helen Weir also has the distinction of holding the GB player no. 1. Helen’s niece, Helen Johnston, was presented with her GB cap by Sheila Morrow.
• Joyce Hunter was a distinguished Captain for both Scotland and the very first women's GB team in 1965. She was a talented athlete, also representing Scotland at javelin. When Joyce died, she had no close relatives so left her estate to The High School of Dundee where she had developed her love of all sports. Lise Hudson, the Rector of The High School of Dundee, attended the ceremony to be presented with Joyce’s GB cap.
• Margaret Brown, known to all as ‘Broon’, played for Scotland and GB in the 1970s and her cap was received on behalf of the family by former colleague, Mary Murphy.

Left: GB President Sheila Morrow with Lise Hudson, Rector of The High School of Dundee. Right: Sheila Morrow with Alison Ramsay, GB’s most capped Scottish player.
All photographs courtesy of Scottish Hockey and Mark Pugh.

Left: Chris Sutherland, Dennis Hay, Billy McLean, Sheila Morrow, David Leiper and Dougie Potter. Right: Mark Ralph, Vishal Marwaha, Stephen Dick, Sheila Morrow, David Mitchell, Graham Dunlop and Michael Christie.

Other notable presentations were to:

• Alison Ramsay, GB’s most capped Scottish player. Ali earned 107 GB caps and is a double Olympian winning bronze in 1992.
• Rhona Simpson, a double Olympian and Scotland's highest GB goal scorer with 34 goals in 80 appearances.
• Pauline Stott a double Olympian and Scotland’s only GB Captain.
• Dennis Hay who played at the 1972 Olympics and was coach of the GB women’s bronze medal team in 1992.
• David Leiper, who not only played for GB but went on to umpire at two Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008.
• Jenny and Chris Grassick in a unique double presentation: the only mother and son GB players.

Left: Sue Macdonald, Pauline Stott, Sheila Morrow, Diane Renilson, Janet Jack, Sue Fraser, Rhona Simpson and Mary Coutts. Right: Jenny and Chris Grassick, the only mother and son GB players.

Scottish Recognition for Umpires and Officials

Colin Fraser, the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the event, took advantage of the occasion to also recognise the considerable contributions made to GB Hockey by Scottish umpires, officials and administrators. Particular mention went to Wendy McLean and Lee Cousins.

• Wendy McLean played a role in the inclusion of a GB women’s team for the first time at an Olympic Games, at Seoul in 1988. Wendy went on to be the Chair of the Great Britain Women’s Hockey Olympic Committee from 1986 to 1996.
• Lee Cousins was the Scottish representative on the Great Britain Hockey Board from 2005 to 2013 and played a key role in the instigation of the GB Framework Agreement for Hockey, signed in 2006, that brought together the three Home Nations in a binding agreement.

Colin also said that Scottish Hockey was immensely proud of the contribution Scottish umpires and officials have made to world hockey at GB level. Six women and five men have umpired at Olympic Games:

• Margot Barr
• Jean Robertson
• Janice MacDonald
• Jean Duncan
• Anne McRae; and
• Sarah Wilson (who umpired the bronze medal match at Rio 2016 and the gold medal match at Tokyo 2020).
  
  
• Craig Madden
• David Leiper
• Andy Mair (the bronze medal match at Beijing 2008)
• Ged Curran (the gold medal match at London 2012); and
• Martin Madden (the bronze medal match at Rio 2016).

As a senior official, Evlyn Raistrick had officiated at three Olympic Games (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000), and more recently Scottish Technical Officials Anne Wotherspoon and Barbara Morgan had been Judges for the FIH Pro League.

The Scottish Hockey Heritage Group

The event was also an opportunity for Jenny Grassick to tell everyone attending about the recently set up Scottish Hockey Heritage Group for which she is Chair. With the support of THM and Scottish Hockey, the group are currently defining the scope of its activities as well as looking to identify where significant archive material is currently held and how this can be best preserved and made available to the wider hockey family. Jenny said that more information would be available soon but that if anyone wanted to get involved in this exciting project they should get in touch.

Discover more about the Scottish Hockey Heritage Group and their work to identify collections: The Jim Shepherd Collection: The Genesis of a Scottish Hockey Museum? | (hockeymuseum.net)

The Hockey Museum’s GB Caps Project Explained

The Hockey Museum mourns the passing and reflects warmly on the life of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The thoughts of our trustees, staff and volunteers are with the Royal Family, and we offer our condolences to England Hockey's patron, Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, daughter-in-law of the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II was patron of the All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA) from 1979. She attended the England women's hockey match against Wales at Wembley Stadium in 1981 (pictured) to be greeted by 62,000 of her adoring subjects.

Rest in peace, Your Majesty. God save the King.

Discover memories of Her Majesty the Queen's visit to Wembley Stadium in 1981: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Attends The Women's Hockey At Wembley Stadium in 1981 (hockeymuseum.net)

Discover the inspirational history of the England women’s annual hockey match at Wembley Stadium between 1951-1991. Purchase The Magic of Wembley for only £10 plus postage (UK £3.00, Europe £7.00, rest of the world £9.00). Payment via PayPal using the email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send a cheque. Please use our website contact form for further details: Contact Us | The Hockey Museum

"Incredible original photography and images alongside extracts from programmes, accounts from players and spectators make this a very special trip down memory lane. For any fan of hockey, Wembley or women's sport, this is a book that simply must be read."

– Sally Munday, former Chief Executive, England Hockey

For over forty years, the national stadium hosted the annual women's hockey international. It was a sporting event quite unlike any other: from the austere 1950s, with the players in thick skirts and heavy blouses and a St Trinians army of girls on the terraces in full school uniform, through the pop culture of the 1960s and '70s, when the players' skirts got shorter and the girls also sported allegiance to Marc Bolan and Donny Osmond – the hot popstars of the time.

It was a cauldron of unforgettable, good-natured screaming loyalty, delivered in that combinaion of high-frequency and ferocious volume which only be produced by 60,000 schoolgirls.

The book shares personal memories from players, umpires and spectators to help give a sense of how special these days were. As social history mixes with nostalgia for a bygone era, see how things changed over the four decades in which the matches were played – the rules, the kit, the sticks – and the wonderful songs shared in the community singing before the match.

Aerial view of the National Hockey Stadiumin Lahore, Pakistan.

Last weekend, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan held a political event at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. To accommodate the expected crowds, the former Pakistan cricket captain had the stadium's blue turf pitch removed. This led some commentators to question how a sportsperson could approve such a move which they saw as detrimental to the accessibility of hockey in Pakistan.

Despite the outrage, quite how often the stadium – which houses the offices of the Sports Board Punjab and the Pakistan Hockey Federation – was actually being used is open to debate. It has not hosted a Pakistan international hockey match since 2018 and appears to be falling into disrepair.

Thankfully, Punjab sports minister Taimur Masood confirmed that the iconic stadium’s turf is set to be replaced by a new pitch by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the ripped up turf is intended to be installed at the Sargodha Stadium elsewhere in Punjab. Yet these plans continue to be disputed by some sources and, according to the newspaper Dawn, “Officials of the Pakistan Hockey Federation … are tight-lipped as the stadium is in full control of the Punjab Sports Board”.

Pakistan is the most successful nation in men's Hockey World Cup history with four gold medals: 1971 (in Barcelona, Spain), 1978 (in Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1982 (in Bombay/Mumbai, India) and 1994 (in Sydney, Australia).

Prior to the Commonwealth Games (CWG) bronze medal match between England men and South Africa, South Africa coach Iain Shippey posted a story on Instagram (shown below) about England Assistant Coach Kwandwane ‘Kwan’ Browne. It is a story that embodies the values of hockey and of Kwan’s career, where he frequently put the needs and betterment of others before himself.

Incredibly, only two weeks before the CWG, South Africa men’s hockey team did not have a training venue confirmed and their participation hung in the balance. In a last gasp attempt, the team reached out to Kwan to see if he could help, unaware that he was a coach within the England set up. To their amazement, Kwan arranged free accommodation for them at Mill Hill School where he is Director of Hockey. A great act of sportsmanship.

South Africa coach Ian Shippey's Instagram post on the eve of the England vs South Africa men's Commonwealth Games bronze medal match, August 2022.

Kwan’s gesture should come as little surprise. The Trinidad & Tobago hockey international earned his first national cap at the age of 14. Aged 19, Kwan moved to England from the Caribbean. He joined Southgate HC, then Canterbury HC earning a place on the 30-man, National Lottery-funded England training roster. Yet Kwan’s integrity, selflessness and big-picture mentality led him to reconsider – those same values that led him to help hockey rivals South Africa this summer:

“I decided I could do a lot more for the game by playing for Trinidad and bringing players over to the UK … How can I make sure my time in the UK has an impact on hockey in Trinidad & Tobago?”

True to this philosophy, Trinidad & Tobago’s most iconic hockey player strove to create an enduring legacy.

Whilst studying at and competing as player coach for London Metropolitan University (LMU), Kwan pushed through a scholarship programme for Trinidadian players which increased in number alongside the team’s success. By the time Kwan left LMU, seventeen hockey scholarships had been taken up by Trinidad & Tobago players. The legacy of his programme saw players and coaches taking home all that they learned in the UK (in hockey and academia) to better the structures and standard of hockey in their homeland.

Kwan would go on to play and/or coach at East Grinstead HC, Hampstead & Westminster HC and, as of May 2022, return to Southgate HC as men’s head coach.

England Hockey’s tweet (below) about Kwan’s CWG gesture went viral and, at the time of writing, has amassed 1,000+ re-tweets and 8,000+ likes.

Credit:
Biographical information from an article in Hockey World News magazine, July 2019 (held digitally in The Hockey Museum’s collection).