The magic of Wembley is the first publication from The Hockey Museum. It tells the story of how a Saturday in March saw thousands of schoolgirls and hockey supporters enjoy an annual day out to the famous stadium, to see England playing regular visitors such as Scotland, Ireland and Wales – as well as countries from all over the world.
For over forty years, the national stadium hosted the annual women’s hockey international. It was a sporting event quite unlike any other: from the austere 1950s, with the players in thick skirts and heavy blouses and a St Trinians army of girls on the terraces in full school uniform, through the pop culture of the 1960s and ’70s, when the players’ skirts got shorter and the girls also sported allegience to Marc Bolan and Donny Osmond – the hot popstars of the time.
It was a cauldron of unforgettable, good-natured screaming loyalty, delivered in that combinaion of high-frequency and ferocious volume which only be produced by 60,000 schoolgirls.
The book shares personal memories from players, umpires and spectators to help give a sense of how special these days were. One section looks back to the day in 1981 when Her Majesty the Queen came and gave a particularly special royal seal to the occassion.
As social history mixes with nostalgia for a bygone era, see how things changed over the four decades in which the matches were played – the rules, the kit, the sticks – and the wonderful songs shared in the community singing before the match.
“Incredible original photography and images alongside extracts from programmes, accounts from players and spectators make this a very special trip down memory lane. For any fan of hockey, Wembley or women’s sport, this is a book that simply must be read.”
– Sally Munday, Chief Executive, England Hockey
Buying The Book
The magic of Wembley is on sale in the Museum shop at 13 High Street, Woking as well as available for purchase from the Museum exhibition during the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup, 21 July-5 August 2018.
The book is also available via PayPal using the email address shop@hockeymuseum.org for £10.00 plus postage and packing (UK £3.50, Europe £7.00, rest of the world £9.00). To send a cheque, please contact the shop (using our contact form) for further details.
