A new chapter in Oxfordshire sport begins with the launch of Burford Hockey Club, the first mixed hockey club in the region in over 30 years.
The new Burford Hockey Club is based in the town at the new purpose built astro pitch at The Burford School. Open training sessions are held on Wednesday evenings 7.30 – 8.30 and are being well attended by a mixture of local youth, regular and returning adult players. The Mixed side is playing friendlies under the captaincy of Stephanie Wood and the Mens side is playing on Saturdays in the Cherwell 3 division of the South Central Hockey league under the captaincy of Nick Henry.
Burford has a proud Hockey history with the museum hosting pictures and details of the town’s mixed side playing fixtures as far back as 1895. However, no club had been operational in the town in living memory. That is until a group of friends from varied clubs around the county grew fed up of the travel and decided to start afresh.
The new club was brought into being at a well-attended foundation meeting on the 6th September at the Lamb in Burford and has already got primary sponsorships in place for the inaugural season. The club is welcoming those wanting to rekindle their love for the sport by just training, as well as those looking for competitive or friendly hockey from the area. With players already coming from Burford, Carterton, Witney, Chipping Norton, Banbury and across the county border in Gloucestershire, the opportunity is proving to be very attractive. Of course, a club needs all sorts of people to function so we are also seeking Umpires, administrators and other supporters willing to help make the venture a success.
The first home fixture is at 2.30pm on Saturday the 28th September with a mixed game at the same time on Sunday 29th, so why not pop along, watch and support.
Chairman and Co- founder Nick August said “We wanted to create a club to provide an enjoyable playing experience for everyone and take advantage of this fantastic new facility on our doorstep. We have been delighted by the response and we think a women’s side will soon follow the Mixed and mens sides.“
Vice Chairman, Co-Founder and Coach James Merrill said “We trained all last season with just six or seven people attending, but this summer the attendance has leapt with 15-20 attending most weeks. It is great to see such a range of ages and abilities training and turning out to play. from humble beginnings come great things.“
For more information and fixtures, visit the Burford Hockey Club Facebook page.
Club fixtures/results: https://southcentral.englandhockey.co.uk/teams/burford-1-mens
