HOCKEY ARCHIVES MUSEUM LAUNCHED

Hockey has its own archive museum at Butts Road in Woking, Surrey.

The Museum has come about through the energy and initiative of enthusiasts: Mike Smith and David Wareham, on one hand, and Patrick Rowley and Dil Bahra, on the other, with the  objective of  preserving hockey’s rich heritage. The group was  expanded to include Katie Dodd, the former England international, and Ian Wilson, Treasurer of England Hockey.

Enormous progress has been made. You can see the progress on

The collection, spanning 125 years of hockey’s existence,  consists of books, magazines, photographs, videos, drawings, paintings,  trophies, plaques, and changes of hockey clothing, balls, and sticks – even hockey stamps.

Statistical hockey records are being obtained both for the UK and international hockey. But this is not just about the higher levels of our game it is a montage of hockey at all levels.

The initial driving force came from Smith, of Mercian sports goods fame, and chartered surveyor Wareham, a former hockey umpire and official.

Rowley and Bahra, members of the Hockey Writers' Club, were aware of the dearth of readily available information on the game. When Dodd joined, she pulled together a historical display of women’s hockey. Her energy and drive made her a natural leader for the group. Wilson was responsible for saving the records of England and UK hockey from England’s old National Stadium at Milton Keynes. He set up an England Hockey Archive Steering Group finding, for hockey literature, a home at Bath University.

Our website is sponsored by Denys Shortt, the former England U-21 international. He is one of many supporting our venture,  people who want to put something back into the game they love.

If you know of anyone who would like to join our initiative or provide memorabilia, please call us: look under 'Contact' on our website.

We are extremely grateful to Woking Borough Council and its enterprising museum, The Lightbox, who have made the site at Butts Road available (at peppercorn rent) and provided valuable guidance and help.

Hockey now has two collections of archives. We played an important role in the setting up of the hockey section for Bath University’s sports  library where their archivist Lizzie Richmond has done a wonderful job.  Our next venture will be to have a display on view, possibly in Central London, in time for the London Olympics.

Soon we will seek to secure individual donations while currently we are working to make the Museum a Charitable Trust.  – Pat Rowley