In our early years, a significant merger with players from Bromley enriched our talent pool, fostering a competitive edge. Our quick establishment in the UK National Ladder set the foundation for decades of success. Throughout the 1980s, notable players like Steve Baldwin, Paul Cook, Pete Coleman, and Paul Allen propelled the club to new heights, earning national championships and representing Great Britain on the international stage.
The 1990s and 2000s saw continued excellence with our members securing top positions in national and international tournaments. In 1998, we clinched the National Champions title and consistently maintained a top-three ranking.
Introduction to the Sport
Underwater Hockey (UWH), also known as Octopush, is a globally played limited-contact sport where two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team’s goal using a hockey stick (pusher).
- Invented by Alan Blake in 1954 as a winter activity to keep members engaged in his diving club, UWH blends swimming skills, fitness, and breath-holding in a unique, underwater environment.
- Teams consist of up to 10 players, with 6 in the water at any time. The game is fast-paced, utilizing a tag system for substitutions, enhancing its excitement and intensity.
The sport takes Hockey to a whole new dimension with the playing area being the bottom of a swimming pool. It’s a truly unique sport requiring the use of snorkeling gear (mask, fins, and snorkel) combining swimming skills, good fitness, and breath holding as all the action is underwater.
The sport is a great way to keep fit, taking swimming which is widely recognised as superior to maintaining good health and fitness to a whole new level through this truly unique team sport. The low contact nature makes it very safe, giving it a very broad appeal with men's, women’s, and junior teams; with players from 8 years upwards.
Growth of the Sport
The 1970s and 80s saw the sport’s first major expansion, fueled by the rise of scuba diving. Underwater Hockey spread globally, becoming popular in Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the USA, and South Africa. Today, it’s a well-organised global sport with National and International events, culminating in the World Championship.
- 5,400+ UK registered players.
- 110 teams in the UK and over 1,000 teams worldwide.
- From 6 teams at the first World Championship in 1980 to 80 teams in Eger, Hungary in 2013! https://www.cmas.org/hockey