Braintree
Men's Hockey Club was founded in 1903. Home matches were played at Evegate Broad Road prior to the move to the
Recreation Ground.
There are no records available of the Braintree Ladies Hockey Club, but in 1939
mixed matches were played with players selected from the Ladies and Men's
Clubs.
By 1954 the membership was sufficient to field two men’s eleven’s with several
ex-university players working for Courtaulds. The Ladies also fielded two teams
in the 1960's, and it was during this period that the Braintree Dolphins
Festival and Touring Teams were founded.
The early seventies saw a rapid rise in the membership of the Men's Club, with
the first 3rd XI's fixture in December 1970. In 1972/3 season the 1st XI were
competing in the Essex League and the first 4th XI match was played. By the
following year the Men's Club had five teams.
This rapid expansion resulted in pitch and changing facility shortages and to
cope home matches were played at several venues including the College, Cricket
Club and a field in Yeldham. By 1975 various sites were examined as potential
grounds and with the help of Tom Hunnable, who had been a loyal member for many
years and also represented Essex, the present ground was purchased
in 1981. The ground was levelled and drained in 1984/5, with the help of
Braintree District Council and the Sports Council, and a second hand clubhouse
purchased, from the Golf Club and erected during 1986/7. The facilities were
opened by the Chief Executive of the Hockey Association, Stephen Baines, in
1987. Three years later changing rooms were built. During the whole of this
period both Men's and Ladies Clubs gradually came together and became Braintree
Hockey Club.
Since 1987/8, when Braintree under 14's became Essex Champions, the Club has
seen a meteoric rise in junior members up to 150 during the 1994/5 season of
which 50, including 4 Captains, represented Essex, 12 with 1 Captain
represented the East of England and 2 with 1 Captain playing for England. Also during
this period Braintree's young teams have won many honours
among which the Under 11 Girls have been National finalists twice and Under 11
Boys National Champions. Recently the Under 19 Girls have been National
finalists in both indoor & outdoor disciplines, Under 15 Girls National
semi-finalists and Under 13 Girls regional runners-up. Many of these youngsters
are now the strength of Braintree's senior teams.
Braintree Hockey Club is considered one of the most successful clubs in the
country at junior level.
During 1995 it was decided that the Club should apply to the Sports Lottery
Fund for the installation of an All Weather Pitch. A committee was set up and
the planning, funding details embarked upon, and in September 1995 the
application was submitted to the Sports Council. The Club had to wait until
April 1996 to hear of its success. Building started in June of that year and
the first match was played on the pitch on 14th
September 1996 and Olympic Hockey player Nicky Thompson formally opened
the Pitch on November 4th 1996.
Since 1996 the club has concentrated on repaying in excess of £40,000 of
member’s loans. These loans have now been cleared and a sinking fund started to
contribute towards a replacement “carpet” likely to be needed by 2012/13 with
an estimated cost of £150,000 to £200,000.
Having
had the success of the nineties the turn of the century proved less successful
for Braintree losing a number of players to
bigger clubs in Essex but still being the starting point for some players
who have gone on to represent their countries. The previously mentioned junior
section still battled hard but as the years progressed in the 2000’s the teams didn't.
This
finally resulted in the Junior section almost folding after the 2007/08 season
before being resurrected with high hopes for the future. Likewise the Men’s and
ladies team’s suffered, in 2006/7 a men’s veterans team played but the following year had to be disbanded
due to lack of players prepared to travel. Success still came to Braintree in 2006/7 with both first
teams being promoted.
Disappointment
followed in 2008/09 when all Men’s teams and the Ladies 1st team got
relegated and the club knew it had to radically change or die as a serious
Hockey club, and it was during the close season in 2009 that Braintree Hockey
Club ceased to exist and was joined by Dunmow Hockey Club to form Phoenix
Hockey Club, and start a new chapter of Hockey being played at Four Releet
Braintree.