The Sugden Road Sports Trust teamed up with Surbiton Hockey Club, as Suburban Hockey, to provide free and subsidised hockey coaching to children.
This coaching takes place both within their school curriculum and at extracurricular school clubs, delivered by fully qualified hockey coaches – including current and ex-international players and coaches. Their overall mission is to increase young people’s participation in hockey, with a focus on reaching those who may not have such opportunities to play sport.
With support from the Buffini Chao Foundation, Suburban Hockey has delivered over 500 hours of coaching to local primary schools in the boroughs of Kingston and Elmbridge in now a self-sustaining model. Alongside this they run free after school sessions at Surbiton HC, which has directly led to a large increase in hockey players at the club and other local clubs. Many of the highest performing children at Surbiton HC came from local state schools and since achieved sports scholarships at well-regarded private schools and represented their region.
Suburban Hockey reach out to other local projects and recently, thanks to support received from the Buffini Chao Foundation, set up a community-focused junior hockey section called Honor Oak Panthers HC in Lewisham. Moreover, since summer 2018, their involvement in 23 local primary schools has delivered 458 hours of free hockey coaching to over 2500 children. The hockey club has since gained 100 members and continues to grow.
“The Buffini Chao Foundation support has been vital to helping kickstart our mission to increase hockey participation and reach thousands of young children, without it we would not be where we are today” – Suburban Hockey
