England Hockey League

England Hockey League

Sport	Hockey
Founded	2003
No. of teams	80
Country	England
Official website	www.englandhockey.co.uk

The England Hockey League (EHL) is the top tier of the national field hockey league system in England, and is run by England Hockey. The men's league is known as the Men's Hockey League, and the women's league is sponsored by Investec and is known as the Investec Women's Hockey League.

Divisions

The EHL was founded in 2003. The league structure was altered for the 2008/2009 season with the aim of promoting appropriate competition for the teams involved whilst reducing the overheads incurred by teams having to travel long distances. Previously there was a national Premier and national Division One league, which had players fed into it by a North league and South league. There is now only one Premier Division, which is fed by three "Conference" leagues, split into North, West and East regions.^[1]

The EHL takes new teams into the National North/West/East leagues from five separately run regional hockey associations: East, Midlands, North, South and West. These associations run a multiple-division league structure of their own, and are in turn fed by teams from county or sub-regional hockey associations or leagues. For example, the Yorkshire Hockey Association runs 11 divisions, and those promoted out of the top Division will be received into the lower divisions of the North Hockey Association. Those promoted from the North Hockey Association's top league will be entered into the EHL Conference North league, from which they can gain promotion to the EHL Premier league.

History

The premier competition for men was the National Inter League Tournament which started in the 1974–75 season, this was replaced by the National League in the 1988–89 season and it is now the run by England Hockey. ^[2] The premier women's competition was the National League introduced in the 1989–90 season ^[3] and now run by England Hockey. A Men's and Women's Cup has taken place in addition to the League competitions; both were originally called the National Clubs Championship. The Men's Cup was inaugurated in the 1971-72 season and the women's in the 1977-78 season. ^{[4] [5]}

Teams for 2016/17 season

The following tables list the teams playing in the England Hockey League for the 2016/17 season.^[6][7]

Men's Hockey League

Premier Division	Conference East	Conference North	Conference West
Beeston	Brighton & Hove	Bowdon	Cardiff & Met
Brooklands MU	Cambridge City	Cannock	Cheltenham
Canterbury	Indian Gymkhana	Deeside Ramblers	Chichester
East Grinstead	Oxted	Doncaster	Fareham
Hampstead & Westminster	Richmond	Leek	Old Georgians
Holcombe	Sevenoaks	Olton & West Warwicks	Isca
Loughborough Students	Southgate	Oxton	Team Bath Buccaneers
Reading	Teddington	Preston	University of Birmingham
Surbiton	Wapping	Sheffield Hallam	University of Bristol
Wimbledon	West Herts	University of Durham	University of Exeter

Women's Hockey League

Premier Division	Conference East	Conference North	Conference West
Bowdon Hightown	Cambridge City	Beeston	Bristol Firebrands
Canterbury	Chelmsford	Belper	Buckingham
Clifton	Hampstead & Westminster	Ben Rhydding	Exe
East Grinstead	Harleston Magpies	Brooklands Poynton	Gloucester City
Holcombe	Northampton Saints	Liverpool Sefton	Isca
Leicester	Sevenoaks	Loughborough Students	Olton & West Warwicks
Reading	Southgate	Sutton Coldfield	Oxford Hawks
Slough	St. Albans	Timperley	Stourport
Surbiton	West Herts	University of Durham	Swansea
University of Birmingham	Wimbledon	Wakefield	Trojans

League Champions

^[8]

Men's Hockey League

Season Champions Runners Up 1974–75 Bedfordshire Eagles Southgate 1975–76 Slough Bury St Edmunds YMCA 1976–77 Southgate Bedfordshire Eagles 1977–78 Southgate Trojans 1978–79 Isca 1979–80 Slough Westcliff 1980–81 Slough Westcliff 1981–82 Slough Cambridge City 1982–83 Slough Fareham 1983–84 Neston Lyons 1984–85 East Grinstead Slough 1985–86 East Grinstead Isca 1986–87 Slough Old Loughtonians 1987–88 Southgate Stourport 1988–89 Southgate Havant 1989–90 Hounslow East Grinstead 1990–91 Havant Indian Gymkhana 1991–92 Havant Hounslow 1992–93 Hounslow Southgate 1993–94 Havant Hounslow 1994–95 Teddington Reading

Season Champions Runners Up 1995–96 Cannock Reading 1996–97 Reading Teddington 1997–98 Cannock Canterbury 1998–99 Cannock Southgate 1999–2000 Canterbury Cannock 2000–01 Reading Surbiton 2001–02 Reading Surbiton 2002–03 Cannock Reading 2003–04 Cannock Reading 2004–05 Cannock Reading 2005–06 Cannock Surbiton 2006–07 Reading Cannock 2007–08 Reading East Grinstead 2008–09 East Grinstead Reading 2009–10 East Grinstead Beeston 2010–11 Beeston East Grinstead 2011–12 Reading East Grinstead 2012–13 Beeston Surbiton 2013–14 Beeston East Grinstead 2014–15 Wimbledon East Grinstead 2015–16 Wimbledon Reading

Women's Hockey League

Season Champions Runners Up 1989–90 Slough Leicester 1990–91 Slough Leicester 1991–92 Slough Leicester 1992–93 Ipswich Hightown 1993–94 Leicester Ipswich 1994–95 Slough Hightown 1995–96 Hightown Ipswich 1996–97 Slough Ipswich 1997–98 Slough Clifton 1998–99 Slough Ipswich 1999–2000 Hightown Ipswich 2000–01 Leicester Ipswich 2001–02 Slough Olton & West Warwicks 2002–03 Slough Canterbury

Season Champions Runners Up 2003–04 Hightown Chelmsford 2004–05 Leicester Ipswich 2005–06 Leicester Canterbury 2006–07 Leicester Slough 2007–08 Slough Bowdon Hightown 2008–09 Bowdon Hightown Olton & West Warwicks 2009–10 Slough Leicester 2010–11 Reading Leicester 2011–12 Leicester Reading 2012–13 Reading Leicester 2013–14 Surbiton Canterbury 2014–15 Surbiton Canterbury 2015–16 Surbiton Canterbury

Premiership Tournament/Super Cup Winners

Men

Season Winners Runners Up 1998–99 Cannock Reading 1999–2000 Cannock Canterbury 2000–01 Surbiton Guildford 2001–02 Reading Surbiton

Season Champions Runners Up 2002–03 Reading Loughborough Students 2003–04 Reading Cannock 2004–05 Cannock Reading 2005–06 Reading Surbiton

Women

Season Winners Runners Up 1998–99 Slough Clifton 1999–2000 Hightown Ipswich 2000–01 Slough Ipswich 2001–02 Olton & West Warwicks Slough

Season Champions Runners Up 2002–03 Slough Canterbury 2003–04 Hightown Chelmsford 2004–05 Canterbury Leicester 2005–06 Leicester Canterbury

Cup Winners

Previously known as the National Clubs Championship & Hockey Association Cup. ^[9][10][11]

Men's Cup

Season Champions Runners Up 1971–72 Hounslow Norwich Grasshoppers 1972–73 Hounslow Bristol 1973–74 Southgate Bedfordshire Eagles 1974–75 Southgate Nottingham 1975–76 Nottingham Hounslow 1976–77 Slough Beckenham 1977–78 Guildford Slough 1978–79 Slough Neston 1979–80 Slough Guildford 1980–81 Slough Southgate 1981–82 Southgate Slough 1982–83 Neston Slough 1983–84 East Grinstead Blackheath 1984–85 Southgate Blackheath 1985–86 Southgate Pickwick 1986–87 Southgate Slough 1987–88 Southgate Hounslow 1988–89 Hounslow Bromley 1989–90 Havant Stourport 1990–91 Hounslow Havant 1991–92 Hounslow Teddington 1992–93 Hounslow Teddington 1993–94 Teddington Old Loughtonians

Season Champions Runners Up 1994–95 Guildford Teddington 1995–96 Reading Old Loughtonians 1996–97 Teddington Reading 1997–98 Cannock Beeston 1998–99 Reading Cannock 1999–00 Reading Old Loughtonians 2000–01 Guildford Reading 2001–02 Cannock Belper 2002–03 Reading Cannock 2003–04 Reading Surbiton 2004–05 Cannock Loughborough Students 2005–06 Reading East Grinstead 2006–07 Cannock East Grinstead 2007–08 Beeston Bowdon 2008–09 Reading Beeston 2009–10 Beeston Hampstead & Westminster 2010–11 Beeston Doncaster 2011–12 Beeston Hampstead & Westminster 2012–13 Surbiton Hampstead & Westminster 2013–14 Cannock Brooklands MU 2014–15 Reading Surbiton 2015–16 Beeston Chichester

Women's Cup

Season Champions Runners Up 1977–78 Chelsea CPE Prestwich 1978–79 Chelmsford 1979–80 Norton 1980–81 Sutton Coldfield 1981–82 Slough Sheffield League 1982–83 Slough 1983–84 Sheffield Hightown 1984–85 Ipswich Slough 1985–86 Slough Ealing 1986–87 Ealing Ipswich 1987–88 Ealing Hightown 1988–89 Ealing Sutton Coldfield 1989–90 Sutton Coldfield Hightown 1990–91 Sutton Coldfield Leicester 1991–92 Hightown Slough 1992–93 Leicester Ealing 1993–94 Slough Hightown 1994–95 Hightown Trojans 1995–96 Ipswich Clifton 1996–97 Hightown Clifton

Season Champions Runners Up 1997–98 Clifton Slough 1998–99 Slough Leicester 1999–00 Clifton Sutton Coldfield 2000–01 Slough Olton & West Warwicks 2001–02 Ipswich Olton & West Warwicks 2002–03 Canterbury Slough 2003–04 Hightown Leicester 2004–05 Leicester Clifton 2005–06 Bowdon Hightown Chelmsford 2006–07 Bowdon Hightown Slough 2007–08 Leicester Slough 2008–09 Bowdon Hightown Reading 2009–10 Leicester Reading 2010–11 Bowdon Hightown Surbiton 2011–12 Univ of Birmingham Surbiton 2012–13 Bowdon Hightown Clifton 2013–14 Surbiton Hampstead & Westminster 2014–15 Surbiton Clifton 2015–16 Clifton Buckingham

External links

• England Hockey League
• Women's Hockey League

References

1. "2008/09 Structure - England Hockey". England Hockey. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
2. "Sydney Friskin. "Hockey." Times [London, England] 15 Sept. 1975". The Times Digital Archive.
3. "Joyce Whitehead. "Slough are the first national champions." Times [London, England] 19 Mar. 1990". The Times Digital Archive.
4. "Sydney Friskin. "Hockey." Times [London, England] 17 Apr. 1972". The Times Digital Archive.
5. "Sydney Friskin. "Hockey." Times [London, England] 10 Apr. 1978". The Times Digital Archive.
6. "Men's Hockey League". England Hockey. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
7. "Investec Women's Hockey League". England Hockey. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
8. "England Hockey League - History". fixturelive.com. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
9. "Men's Cup". England Hockey League.
10. "Women's Cup". England Hockey League.
11. "Joyce Whitehead. "Hockey." Times [London, England] 19 Apr. 1985". The Times Digital Archive.