Many thanks to John Oliver for passing on his archive of fixture cards, newspaper clippings, photos and memories from his time as a member of the Club from 1955 to 2004.

Please click on the links within this section to see some of the memorabilia that John shared with us as the club celebrated its centenary in the 2019/20 season.

John joined the club in 1955, aged 19. He played in Men's 3rd XI until the beginning of 1957 when he moved up to Men's 2nd XI. From the 1957/58 season he played in Men's 1st XI, and did so until 1973 before continuing to play for the club in the 2nd X1, 3rd X1 and veteran teams. When his playing career was over, he continued to support he club coaching and umpiring for several years.

It is believed John holds the club record for most goals scored - the exact number is not known but it is thought to be approximately 200 for the club. An amazing achievement! He also played in every team position for the club over the years, including goal keeper.

Swindon Hockey Club was formed during the 1919/20 season and the first training sessions and games were played in the sports field near the bridge over the M4 at Wroughton. Great to see with our move to The Deanery CE Academy 100 years later, we are back to where our roots began!

When John first joined the club the home ground was in Moredon, on the Akers Way sports ground. There were 2 pitches: one for the men's team and one for the ladies. SHC then moved to the astro pitch at Dorcan during the mid-late 1980s which became known as Swindon Hockey Centre. After that, the club played at Greendown School (now Lydiard Park Academy) in Grange Park before moving to Isambard School (now Abbey Park School).

John has many fond memories of playing for Swindon Hockey Club and we thank him for his commitment to the club for almost half a century. He has been an inspiration to many players of our club over the years, some of whom started as juniors under John's coaching and are still involved with the club. We hope his accomplishments during his hockey career continue to inspire new members to join us.