We are now into the second week of the Men’s and Women’s Champions Trophy Events at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The Hockey Museum (THM) marquee and exhibition have again been a great attraction for many of the spectators who braved the monsoon conditions on some days in the first week. Play might have been suspended over the first weekend when the pitch flooded but it was a great opportunity for the Museum to welcome over 500 visitors into THM marquee to see the many new displays.

With this event being the last major competition before Rio 2016, THM has taken an Olympic theme for its exhibition – a selection of kit worn by players and officials at previous Olympics, a display of memorabilia from previous Olympics including medals won by Great Britain (GB) players at the three London-based Olympics (1908, 1948 and 2012) and archives including the playing records and results from many Olympic events. We also invited Kingston Grammar School (KGS) to prepare a display from their amazing hockey archives. KGS has a fabulous and long hockey pedigree and the exhibit feature not only many school boys and girls who went on to play for England and GB (including Richard Dodds, GB captain of the gold medal squad in the 1988 Olympics) but also includes a very poignant section on KGS pupils who went on to fight in World War I.

One of the most popular exhibits this year has been a display of the winning and highly commended entries to the Art of Hockey competition that THM ran in UK primary schools this spring. The entries had to reflect a hockey and South American theme. This display has attracted many, many, schoolchildren into the exhibition and they have been voting for their own favourite image – it will be interesting to see which entry the visitors like the best. The exhibition has also featured all the nations playing in this year’s tournaments displaying stamps, images of former star players and flags from all the competing nations. The spectacular 60 metre Hockey Timeline that was first displayed along the length of the south wall at the Euros last summer has been updated and now also features all the nations competing this June.

It’s not too late to come down to Lee Valley and see some great hockey and come into THM marquee and see our displays. Click here for tickets or you can buy them at the entrance to Lee Valley.

We hope to see you.

Katie Dodd
Chair THM Trustees