Collection: Hockey Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The first stirrings of interest in the history and heritage of hockey by English hockey’s national governing body occurred at the men’s World Cup in London in 1986. Then President of the Hockey Association, Phil Appleyard OBE, asked Mike Smith, David Wareham and Ken Howells to mount an historical display in the Exhibition Hall at the Willesden Stadium. Following this event, Phil Appleyard ensured that a display was incorporated into the plans for the National Hockey Stadium that was being planned at Milton Keynes. The National Hockey Museum was formally set up in 1992 and Mike and David made plans for the display of various memorabilia, archives and illustrations in fourteen display cabinets in two function rooms of the stadium. The stadium opened in 1995. Sadly, it was a short-lived facility which closed in 2003. Upon closure, the memorabilia and some of the donated collections were rescued by Mike and David, together with Pat Rowley and Dil Bahra. The material was put into storage, primarily in the warehouse of Mercian Sports. Mercian also provided an office to house the library and playing records that were regularly viewed by hockey enthusiasts and students.

  The four enthusiasts (Mike, David, Pat and Dil), who were later to be founding trustees of THM, held occasional meetings to discuss any possibilities for creating a permanent home for a hockey museum. In 2007 England Hockey (EH – the present iteration of England’s governing body) set up the Archives Steering Group (ASG), partly to recognise the efforts of the four volunteers and in the hope that a museum reincarnation could happen. In setting up the ASG, the EH Finance Director Ian Wilson joined the founding four. History and heritage enthusiast and former international player Katie Dodd also joined the group during this period and was voted in as Chair. She had the very useful credential of being an EH Board member. Unfortunately, this was a period of serious financial constraints for EH and no further initiatives were forthcoming from the governing body. The ASG met regularly but there was little to report.

  Prior to this, in May 2005, EH discovered that it still possessed the archive from the All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA). Realising its importance, they entered into a partnership with the University of Bath for the professional storage and cataloguing of the AEWHA paper archives. In return, the university would store on loan and provide access to the archives for twenty years. Although the ASG knew absolutely nothing about the setting up of this arrangement it has proved to be a very valuable association, one that THM has inherited and developed.

  In 2011, following discussions between Mike Smith and Woking Borough Council, The Hockey Museum was offered empty premises near Woking town centre. In June the Butts Road offices became the Museum’s first proper home and the ASG members started to move in all the collected artefacts, objects from various lofts, garages and the Mercian warehouse. Additional volunteers joined the team and work started to sort the items already in store and those now beginning to arrive from around the country.

  Collections and archives continued to arrive as the hockey world began to learn of the museum’s existence. Major collections arrived from the Nevill Miroy and Mary Russell Vick estates and from the major personal collections of Mike Smith and Pat Rowley. The museum moved into new premises in Poole Road two years later and subsequently, having proved to the local council that larger accommodation was needed, the museum moved into its current home in the High Street in 2018. Offers of collection material continue to arrive and to date the museum has collected approximately 80,000 objects and archival items relating to the history of hockey.

  The museum was constituted as a Charitable Trust by a Trust Deed dated 11 July 2012, with the assets and operations later transferred to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which was formed on 4 January 2017 for that purpose. Each structure recognised that the history and traditions of the sport of hockey needed to be preserved for the benefit of future generations. The museum is supported by England Hockey and has a close working relationship with the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

  The Hockey Museum was awarded Full Museum Accreditation by Arts Council England in May 2018.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Hockey Museum is a relatively young organisation whose aim is to preserve, share and celebrate the rich heritage and history of the sport of hockey in keeping with its Vision, Mission and Charitable Objects.

  The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of hockey and pre-code hockey material, in both physical and digital form, from the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries. In addition, there is evidence of stick and ball games going back thousands of years on five continents.

  Although the focus of the collection is hockey, the museum provides a fascinating insight into the social history and influence of team sport in popular culture. The collection includes hockey memorabilia and souvenirs reflecting the passion and involvement of players and supporters of the game.

  The collection is divided into several areas; examples of key sections follow.

  Archive

  Perhaps the single greatest resource of hockey history drawn from many varied collections of paper-based material. Rule books, fixture lists, scrapbooks, press cuttings, match and tour reports, minute books and accounts dating from the mid-19^th century to the present day. These span the history of the sport and chart its development from amateur status to the semi-professionalism of today. Of outstanding archival importance are the game’s first written laws, dating from 1874, the first minutes of the founding clubs, of the first Hockey Association, of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), and of the Hockey Rules Board. The archive also holds the official minutes, accounts and other records of National, Regional, County and Umpiring Associations.

  Key archives held by The Hockey Museum include those from:

  • Patrick Rowley
  • Marjorie Pollard
  • Peter Luck
  • Patricia Ward
  • Mercian Sports/ Michael Smith
  • Mary Eyre
  • Nevill Miroy
  • The Hockey Association/England Hockey

  Art

  The art collection includes paintings, sculpture and textiles pieces, limited-edition prints and mass-produced engravings and posters. Two important acquisitions are the oil paintings by Aubrey Sykes: one depicts two artisans from the Indian sub-continent hand carving hockey sticks from wood; the other captures the final of the 1986 men’s Hockey World Cup, contested by England and Australia. Another is a limited-edition print of a female hockey player by the Spanish artist Jordi Alumà, donated to the museum by FIH past President Leandro Negre. The museum also holds in its collection a five-part applique quilt by Pat Deacon which depicts Home Nation and Great Britain Olympic medal successes.

  Badges and pins

  There are approximately 2,000 pin badges, keyrings, cloth badges, medallions and tie pins in the museum collection. The largest numbers of badges are from England and Great Britain, but there are a variety of international badges represented. The earliest Olympic pin badge is from the 1948 Games in London. There is a smaller collection of tournament and championship badges which include the World and European Championships, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy, as well as badge collections chronicling international hockey tours showcasing club hockey from around the world.

  Equipment

  Spanning the technological advancement and innovation in goalkeeper equipment, hockey sticks and balls since the 1870s, from when the game was played on grass to its current use of artificial pitches. The evolution of sticks, balls and goalkeeper and outfield protective equipment reveal how the sport has become faster, more powerful and more technical. The collection also includes umpiring paraphernalia such as whistles and cards, as well as training and match equipment such as corner flags.

  Film and video

  The cine film reels in the collection cover a range of topics from events and matches from the 1930s-1970s. Examples include the 5^th International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) Triennial Conference and Tournament played at Folkestone in 1953, and women’s internationals played at Wembley Stadium, to educational film loops produced by the HA and AEWHA. The museum has a collection of VHS and Betamax videos. These cover matches and hockey season highlights, as well as technical and coaching themes. They range from home recorded events to professionally produced tapes. Additionally, the museum also holds an archive of performance analysis tapes used by England Hockey in the 2000s.

  Honours caps

  A collection of honours caps formerly belonging to individuals who earned distinction at club, county, territorial and national level. Honours caps have been awarded inconsistently at international level and following work to create definitive statistical records for Great Britain (GB) and England, The Hockey Museum is engaged in a project to recognise and award honours caps to current and past GB and England players or their families.

  Kit and clothing

  Reflecting fashion and ergonomic developments from across 150 years of the ‘modern game’ as well as the sport’s ‘amateur’ history. The kit and clothing collection includes many male and female Olympic, Commonwealth Games, international, county and club playing kits (including shirts, blouses, pinafores, shorts, skirts, skorts and tracksuits), playing shoes and boots, and uniforms (including blazers and ties) for players, officials and umpires from the 1900s onwards.

  Library

  Books, magazines, handbooks and publications relating to the history, coaching and umpiring of the sport from the 1890s onwards. There are around 1,500 book titles represented in the collection covering aspects such as coaching, biographies and obituaries, official club histories, umpiring and tournaments including the Olympic Games. The ambition is to collect copies of every hockey book in existence.

  Oral histories

  Capturing the lived experiences of prominent hockey players, administrators and officials, spanning grassroots to international level. Their recollections are recorded and preserved for the education of current and future generations and to encourage greater awareness of, and participation in, hockey. The museum uses the Oral History Metadata Synchroniser (OHMS) software to index its interviews and present them online in word-searchable, accessible form.

  Philately

  Stamps – the hockey stamp collection is mounted in volumes. Over 250 stamps featuring the sport have been issued by 115 countries since the first hockey stamp was issued by Japan on 27 October 1951 for the 6^th National Athletic meeting at Hiroshima. The collection covers issues from around the world and is probably 95% complete. The stamps in the collection might be mint (unused), postally used, or First Day Cover with the envelope itself often depicting a hockey theme. There are also, if available, other variations such as special hockey postmarks, miniature sheets etc.

  Postcards – hockey postcards were first produced in the early 20^th century with caricatures and cartoon images often of children playing or posing holding a hockey stick. The collection, spanning hundreds of postcards, includes many team photographs, showing men’s, women’s, mixed hockey and military teams, or individual players.

  An extensive collection of photographs (printed and digital), slides and photographic negatives depicting matches, teams, individuals, dinners, official presentations and more. The images range from personal snaps to professional photography and includes photographs of the first club and international sides. Photography gives a fascinating insight into the development of the game and the people that have played, officiated and supported it. There is a multitude of action shots and portraits received via donated collections, from clubs’ histories or from retired or current players.

  Programmes and brochures

  Hundreds of match programmes and tournament and festival brochures covering club, county, regional and international level hockey, both outdoor and indoor. The Hockey Museum holds a complete set of programmes for ladies’ international matches played at Wembley Stadium between 1951 and 1991. The collection also includes schools and youth hockey programmes, programmes for the annual Oxford vs Cambridge Varsity match, and several overseas programmes.

  Statistics, playing records and club histories

  The Hockey Museum holds the most extensive database of playing records and statistics for hockey internationals and playing records for England and Great Britain national teams since the 1890s. The museum collects information about all forms of the game and at all levels. It seeks to hold information on approximately 8,000 English clubs that have played since organised hockey began. The museum encourages hockey clubs to provide information to verify and enhance their club histories, but actively advises clubs on how to best preserve their own history.

  Tableware and earthenware

  Non-trophy cups, plates, bowls and cutlery (often memorabilia, sometimes artistic) relating to hockey teams and events, from club to international level.

  Trophies and presentations

  The traditional trophy or presentation piece might be a cup, bowl or a shield and the museum has a range of these, but trophies come in all shapes and sizes: plaques, vases, scrolls, swords, plates, statues, flasks and decanters, honours boards and flags. The oldest trophy in the collection is a cup from 1913.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC