Alliance International Hockey Club
About
Our 1050 members hail from 38 countries and we meet at most of the prestigious tournaments organised by World Masters' Hockey (WMH). We hold the unique position in international hockey by being the only ‘non-national’ voting member of the WMH.
We don’t represent just one country. We are an amalgam of all nationalities. You will be playing with good players from several countries that you have never met before, playing against national teams. Think of the Barbarians in world rugby - that’s Alliance in Masters’ hockey.
For a list of competitions and tournaments, Click here.
Our History
It all started in 2002 at the first Grand Masters World Cup in Kuala Lumpur .
Mr Johan Herbert could not find enough fellow Belgians to participate, so gathered a group of like minded players from a variety of countries and formed a team under the name Alliance. The success continued and Alliance IHC was formed under the Presidency of Johan.
Affiliations
Age 35+
Age 60+
We are privileged to be the only non-national voting member of WMH. Their mission is to inspire and support enjoyment for all in Masters’ hockey and to create a world where hockey can be a lifelong sport for all. Alliance is completely aligned with these desires. Indeed, these are our ‘raison d’etre’. WMH provides an array of events and tournaments both indoor and outdoor globally. (worldmastershockey.org) In addition to these main events they organise ‘Spirit of Masters’ competitions which include non-national teams, and various countries’ B teams. Alliance participates in these competitions too.
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We are also part of the WGMA, which now operates as a friendly network of like-minded people supporting non-national tournaments to ensure that the essential character of Grand Masters’ hockey is continued for future generations. (wgmahockey.org)
Alliance Women's Section
The women’s section has gone from strength to strength since our creation in 2015. We participated in the 2016 World Cup in Canberra, and have successfully sent strong teams to other international tournaments, most recently having 4 teams, including our first O70 women’s team, participate in the 2023 World Masters Hockey (WMH) European Championship in Valencia, where our O60, O65, and O70 teams all won silver medals!
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I am excited that our first ever O40 women’s team will play at the WMH Asian Championship in Hong Kong later this year, and we also have an O60 team playing in the inaugural WMH PanAm Championship taking place in Buenos Aires, in December.
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We are regular medal winners in these tournaments and are now a force to be reckoned with. I anticipate that we will have 4 women’s teams at the WMH Indoor World Cup being held in Nottingham in March 2024, and with any luck we’ll have every age group O35 – O70 representing Alliance at the WMH World Cups in Cape Town/Auckland later in October/November, 2024 – just email me at ishbel_dickens@hotmail.com if you’d like to nominate for a tournament.
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We also participate in social hockey festivals throughout the year, with festivals in Tilburg, Netherlands, and Dundee, Scotland being particularly attractive and where we regularly enter two women’s teams.
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Off the pitch two of our members are also members of WMH with Claire Thompson on the WMH Development Committee and Ishbel Dickens as Chair of the WMH Events Committee. We are making our presence known.
Alliance is always looking for good people to step up and help with the administrative side of the Club so please consider getting involved.
Many thanks to Sue Norman, Jane Blake, Bridget LeGood, Sarah McDonald, Angela Duffy (ENG), Noelle Duncan, Megan MacKenzie, Margaret White (SCO), Isabel Malan, Brenda Pyper, Sally Walsh (RSA), Mary Spierenburg, Judith Sijbers (NLD), Judy Silom, Bev Nunan (AUS), Heather Banham, Wendy Stewart (CAN), and Carol Lewis (WAL) for their contributions to date.
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Please do not hesitate to contact me (ishbel_dickens@hotmail.com) if you have questions, comments, or ideas for improvement. We have over 300 women members of Alliance and the numbers keep growing.
Ishbel Dickens, Vice President, Women.
Alliance Men's Section
In the large tournaments organised by WMH we usually send three squads: O60, O65 and O70. Our teams play in the ‘Spirit of Masters‘‘ competition and we always give a good account of ourselves.
In smaller tournaments we send strong sides comprising a mix of nationalities. It is amazing that we progress really well even though many of us are playing together for the first time.
That is one of the joys of Alliance. We are surrounded by players who want to give of their best. We take our hockey seriously and therefore all our players need to be relatively fit and injury free when taking part in any tournament.
We also want our players to have a good time off the pitch too so we organise optional group social activities (dinners, cultural visits) to ensure members can bond and enjoy the benefits of the local environment - should they wish to.
We always welcome new recruits - currently that means those over 40 years old.
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All you need to do is join us via SPOND and then, once notified, you can put yourself forward to play in any of the listed tournaments. Our committee look at all the nominations prior to a given tournament and select a team. It costs nothing until you are selected to play. You can talk to any of us about the process or if you would like more information. You will always be welcome.
Philip Vander Gucht - Former International Development Officer
You can join us - It's very simple. To Apply and for Membership information see our our 'Membership' page above. Or for more information drop an email to our Secretary or any of the Board Members found in the 'Organisation' page on the top bar or via the 'Contact' page.