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Darlington Hockey
Club was founded at the beginning of the last century and began
to thrive during the twenties and thirties. After the Second World
War, the club played at a variety of venues before returning to
Feethams (in Darlington) in 1971.
During the seventies
Darlington produced a number of junior players that reached international
standard at youth and junior level. Unfortunately, this steady stream
of talent dried up during the eighties and nineties as key members
of the club retired from active participation.
In 1997 Darlington
hockey club moved to the synthetic pitch at Catterick, and this
saw an increase in senior membership. However, the distance needed
to travel proved an obstacle to increasing the junior membership,
and the search for a pitch back in Darlington began.
In 1999, with
the help of the National Lottery, Darlington Borough Council laid
a synthetic turf pitch at Eastbourne school. Finally Darlington
Hockey club had a base in Darlington with a high quality pitch on
which to play. The benefits of this have been most evident in terms
of the junior membership, with young players joining the club from
the local schools.
The 2000/2001
season brought substantial success to the club. The men's 1st X1
won the NEHL Division 2 and promotion to the 1st Division, whilst
the Mens' Indoor squad won the regional plate indoor final.
The Future of
Darlington Hockey Club is set firmly in the development of the junior
membership, not only in hockey skills but also teamwork and sportsmanship.
The foundations have been set and we are now setting up a structured
approach to achieve this.
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