About us

Written by Tony Perrin - President of Lincoln Hockey Club

Lincoln Ladies Hockey Club was founded in 1898, but, due to a poor transport system, few matches were played during the early seasons on the grass pitches at their base at Swanpool, south-west of Lincoln. They soon fielded two teams with players representing the Eastern Regional side.

In the early 1930s until the outbreak of World War 2, mixed hockey was also played at Swanpool, although this ceased when the men were enlisted and had to go off to war, but the ladies continued to play.

In 1946 the Club moved to the Lindum Sports Ground in Lincoln where the men’s club was also formed and called Lincoln Imps Hockey Club. The Lindum became both hockey clubs’ base for the next 43 years, although Lincoln Ladies played some of their matches at the Bishop Grosseteste Teacher’s Training College.

At this time Lincoln Ladies played in sky blue tops, navy skirts and sky blue socks and Lincoln hockey Club played in royal blue and white quartered shirts, white shorts, with royal blue and white hooped socks. The basic club colours are similar today, the womens section play in royal blue shirts, navy skirts, royal blue socks and the men’s section play in a royal blue shirt with white shoulders and royal blue socks with white turnovers.

In 1980 the men’s club was approached by the lady’s club with a view to merging, as the economical side of running a hockey club was proving much more expensive. Extraordinary General Meetings were held in both clubs and it was unanimously agreed that the two clubs should merge, with the one club being called Lincoln Imps Hockey Club. A new General Committee was formed containing both male and female members, who would work efficiently together and plan out the running of the club each season to produce one of the best run hockey clubs in Lincolnshire.

In 1989 the importance of having a synthetic turf pitch was becoming more and more apparent and, unfortunately, Lincoln Imps had to sever the playing side of the club away from the Lindum base. This was disappointing, as efforts to obtain a synthetic pitch at the Lindum fell on deaf ears. The hockey club had to find a new base to play hockey and approached the North Kesteven Sports Centre in North Hykeham, near Lincoln, to adopt their new synthetic pitch as their “home” venue. All was agreed and Lincoln Imps Hockey Club had its synthetic pitch at last, only to find that the nearer Yarborough Leisure Centre, at the north end of the City, was to have one some two years later!

The hockey club tried desperately to keep its ties with the Lindum, but the efforts of spending 20 minutes travelling from the NKSC through Lincoln to the Lindum proved a major problem. It was decide that the club should use the NKSC for teas, but this proved unsuccessful and they eventually found a new base for teas and after match socialising in 1997, when they moved to the North Hykeham Playing Fields Association pavilion on Newark Road. This has proved a very similar atmosphere to the one that they had at the Lindum and the club has remained there to the present day.

In 1998 the club held an Extraordinary General Meeting to change the name of the club, as it was thought that, as Lincoln Imps Hockey Club was the premier hockey club in Lincoln it should be renamed Lincoln Hockey Club. Still known as “The Imps” Lincoln has now risen to being one the best hockey clubs in the county of Lincolnshire and is the envy of many of its peers. Many of its members serve on other general county hockey committees in Lincolnshire.

In 2009, it was decided to make a move towards returning Lincoln Hockey to The Lindum, with home matches now being hosted at Yarborough Leisure Centre with post-match teas and beverages being provided by Lindum Sports Club. Plans are ahead to bring hockey back to The Lindum with its own synthetic turf hockey pitch. Watch this space!