We are a family-friendly hockey club based in the commuter town of Harpenden, Herts, with our home matches in nearby St Albans. We are a growing club with 7 competitive adult teams (4 Men's and 3 Ladies) and a thriving junior section ranging from Under 8s to Under 16s and enjoy close links with St Albans School.
Our teams compete in the East Leagues, have enter teams in the England Hockey Master Cup and Mixed Cup competition. Over the last few seasons we have seen many teams win promotion and perform well in the regional competition.
We welcome new players of any age and of any standard to join us. Please feel free to get in touch with any of the Committee or the Membership Secretary
Our Club is affiliated with both England Hockey and East Hockey.
As a club we aim to:
1) Provide the opportunity to play both competitive and social hockey at a variety of levels to suit all members' requirements.
2) Provide a structured organisation to the coaching and selection of teams to enable the development and progression of all players.
3) Provide sufficient quality coaching to our members to allow them to reach their maximum potential and to further their enjoyment of the sport.
4) Provide a clear pathway for junior section members to progress from the junior teams to the highest adult teams they are capable of playing for.
5) Provide an atmosphere and environment in which everyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy the sport
Harpenden Hockey Club can be traced back to 1939, when a group of keen hockey players in Harpenden decided to form a club. A ground and site for the pavilion were found in a corner of Rothamsted Park but the outbreak of the Second World War prevented a match being played.
During the late 40s a mixed hockey team played regularly on Sundays, comprising members of the Harpenden Ladies Hockey Club, who had reformed after the war, and Harpenden residents who were members of neighbouring hockey clubs.
At a meeting on May 4th 1949 the male members of this mixed side decided to form their own club under the Presidency of the pre-war President Dr Donald McLean. The Club became affiliated to the Herts County Hockey Association in that year and two sides were fielded on a fairly regular basis.
Throughout its existence the club has never had its own headquarters, but despite this it has thrived. In the early days the teas produced at Mary Ellen’s Tea Rooms were renowned throughout Hertfordshire Hockey, while for stronger refreshment the club had spells at The Railway Hotel (now The Harpenden Arms), The Cock, The Queen’s Head and The Cross Keys. It was at the latter hostelry where the club spent many happy years in the 70s before the sheer growth of the club necessitated a move to larger premises. So, in 1980, the club’s social base moved to Harpenden Cricket Club on the Common where many successful social events were held. In recent years though it is with the support of The Plough and Harrow in Southdown that we are able to host our opposition for teas and have many a laughter filled evening.
The advent of astroturf has changed the game significantly. Where once all teams would play at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, congregating at 5ish to talk about their games over a jug of beer, today’s hockey is played throughout the day and the early evening beers at the Cricket Club are a thing of the past. Now we host our socials in a variety of venues around Harpenden, all enthusiastically attended as is the nature of such a social club.
The hockey club is the last sporting club in Harpenden to retain links with our German twin town, Alzey. This relationship was forged in 1963 and many visits have been exchanged since, most recently when a party of nearly 20 embarked on a Tour to the Alzey Wine Festival in September 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the relationship. Apparently it was a tremendous weekend, although no-one can remember it…
Summer 2004 saw Harpenden (Men's) Hockey Club and Harpenden Ladies Hockey Club finally merge, becoming Harpenden Hockey Club, representing the beginning of a new era for both.
The club now fields four men’s and three ladies teams on a Saturday, Junior teams from U8s to U16s on a Sunday, and Mens Over 40s plus a Mixed side entering into England Hockey Competitions. Home fixtures are currently played at Woollams Playing Field at St Albans Boys School and Clarence Park throughout the season. Recent years have seen tremendous performances from all the teams, each of which have at some stage been promoted. The men's 1s recently got promoted to East Division 1 South and ladies 1s are currently playing in East League Div.2 South West.
So that’s a brief rundown of the club’s first 80-odd years. Want to be a part of our future? If so please get in touch!
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