Annadale Hockey Club is a

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

club based in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

playing all home games at

Lagan College Lagan College is an integrated secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It holds a total of around 1540 students. It was formed in 1981 as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland and contains students of mainly Roman Catholic and ...

Formation

The club started life as Annadale Grammar School Former Pupils in 1968. While it became an open club, the connection with

Annadale Grammar School Annadale Grammar School for Boys was an all-boys school located on the Annadale Embankment skirting the River Lagan in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1990, Annadale Grammar School (all boys) amalgamated with Carolan Grammar School (all girl ...

, now

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, remained strong. Coaching continues and the school playing facilities are still used by junior teams.

Current Kit

The current kit is manufactured by BLK and displays the logos of all the club's sponsors across the shirt and shorts. Current sponsors are Motis Ireland, Burger King, Rich Sauces, Tayto, Lowe, Johnston Kennedy DFK. Annadale Hockey Club Home Kit

Early ascent

The club rose through the league structure, gaining promotion to senior status following its Intermediate League win in 1970–71. Senior League 1 was attained for the first time after Section 2 was won in the 1975–76 season. In 1977, the club lost in the Ulster Section final of the Irish Senior Cup. Consolation came in the form of the club's first senior trophy when the

Anderson Cup The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

was won in that same season.Belfast Newsletter 28 May 1977 Page 12

1980s consolidation

The club's initial spell in the top section of the Ulster Senior League lasted five years. There followed a period when Annadale bounced between Section 1 and Section 2. The 1984–85 season saw Annadale win promotion to the top section again, a status that has been held ever since. During this period the club reached the final of the Irish Senior Cup.

Millennium successes

The 1999–2000 season saw Annadale win the

Kirk Cup The Kirk Cup is the oldest hockey tournament in Ulster and the oldest provincial hockey trophy in Ireland. It has become a tradition since the 1966-67 season for the final to be played on Boxing Day, a date previously reserved for the Anderson Cup ...

for the first time. And, in the 2002–03 season the club attained the top spot in the Premier League of the Ulster Senior League. The league was won for five consecutive seasons from 2002 to 2003 to 2006–7. The second team also sampled success, with four Irish Junior Cup wins.

Notable players

Men's internationals

; * Chris Jackson * David Smyth * Michael Robson * Peter Caruth *

Iain Lewers Iain Lewers (born 5 January 1984) is a field hockey player from Northern Ireland who represented Ireland, England and Great Britain at international level. He represented Great Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He was also a member ...

* Stephen Martin * Graham Shaw ; *

; *

* Stephen Martin

Honours

* Irish Junior Cup ** 1999–00, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06 *

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

** 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 *

** 1999–00, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2016–17 *

** 1976–77, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2011-2012

Sources

External links

Annadale Hockey ClubUlster Branch of Irish Hockey Association
{{Men's Irish Hockey League Field hockey clubs in Northern Ireland Sports clubs in County Down 1968 establishments in Northern Ireland Field hockey clubs established in 1968 Men's Irish Hockey League teams