The Books that Hockey Wrote…
The Science of Hockey
Horst Wein
First Published in 1968
First Published in Great Britain in 1973
Author Horst Wein had a rather interesting career. A German international in his playing days, he also gained a degree in Physical Education. He moved into coaching and also worked in sports such as football, ice hockey, rugby and basketball, as well as field hockey. He was also appointed the Director of the Sports Department of the Organising Committee for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.The Science of Hockey was one of 36 books that he wrote. It is basically a hockey coaching manual. Over the subsequent decades, the methods he has promoted have mainly become out dated, but it provides a fascinating insight into how hockey was taught in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. He also writes extensively about how hockey had developed up to that point into, what was at the time, modern hockey and what he saw as important in specific roles on the pitch. An interesting book for those analysing the game and coaches who think that they are doing something new for the first time in the sport.
Sarah’s Olympic Journey; From Tears to Cheers
Phil Thomas
First Published in 2012
This is the biography of former Wales captain and Great Britain international Sarah Thomas. As you can maybe tell from its title the book charts her career around the key international tournaments that she played in, namely the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, culminating in the Bronze Medal. The author is Sarah’s father, Phil. He talks passionately about his daughter, with great pride and gusto. He does state in the very beginning that he is not a writer of great prose and he is not mistaken, but what he has written provides a unique insight of following international standard sport as the parent of one of the players, as himself and Mother Thomas went on an adventure around Wales, England and China, that took in two Olympic Games and what goes into achieving a top three finish.
1,309 Days Later
John Pennington
First Published in 2012
This book sums up the spirit and ethos of amateur sport and amateur field hockey. The title of the book demotes the length of time between winning games for Grantham Hockey Club. The author is, or at least at the time of publishing, a sports journalist and author, who happened to join the club a part of the way through their journey between 11th March 2006 and 10th October 2009. He decided to put pen to paper and commit the story to the ages, where it belongs. The commitment of the players to keep going and to eventually find success is, for me, what sport and the game of hockey at amateur level is, to some extent, about.
The Hockey Dynamic – Examining the Forces That Shaped the Modern Game
Gavin Featherstone
First Published in 2015
Gavin Featherstone is a former England captain and hockey international. He is also an Olympic standard coach. His first book is an examination on the evolution on the game of field hockey; my favourite chapter title is labelled ‘Logging, Foam and Moonboots’. This is a fantastic piece of literature for hockey buffs and nerds and for anybody interested in how a game can develop.
That ain’t Hockey! – More a Way of Life
Gavin Featherstone
First published in 2016
The second book the former England hockey captain, Gavin Featherstone, sees him write his autobiography. In it he describes his journey from a council estate in London to studying at Durham and Oxford Universities. He also details his experiences in coaching a variety of teams all over the world, from Malaysian club side Sapura H.C. to international teams such as the England youth sides and the USA and South Africa. He has been to World Cups and Olympic Games and he expresses his story articulately and with gusto.
Australia’s Hockey Grail
Ashley Morrison
First Published in 2016
This is a well researched historical account on the successes and failures of the Australian men’s Olympic field hockey team. It starts with their first ever competitive Games in 1956 and carries on, chapter by chapter, every four years until the most recent Rio Olympics in 2016. Ashley Morrison is a British journalist, currently based in Perth, Western Australia. Subsequently, he seems to have been able to gain access to a number of key figures, former players and coaches from within the Australian hockey community as part of the work done in the writing of his book. For hockey buffs, this will be an important part of your book collection.
No Number Nine
FJ Campbell
First Published in 2018
This is a book unique to the others on this list. It’s a novel, that is set to the backdrop of hockey and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. It follows the trials and tribulations of a teenager, as she mourns the death of her sister. Shortly after the publication of the book, our friends at The Hockey Family produced a review of it. For an in depth review of the book and to read an interview with the author, you can visit our friends at The Hockey Family.
Hope and a Hockey Stick
Sam Quek
First Published in 2018
The 2016 Rio Olympics saw the Great Britain women’s field hockey team win the gold medal for the first time. It has been building up for a time, having taken the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the gold at the 2015 EuroHockey Championships, also held in London. Sam Quek was a part of the squad, during this period. In the two years after the Olympic Final in Rio, she has moved into the world of television and sports media. In 2018 she released her autobiography. In it she talks about her upbringing in the north-west of England, her development into a top class athlete and the insecurities and pressures that come with elite level competition. It’s quite an honest account when compared to some other sporting biographies, which can be quite bland. This is quite different, though, providing insights into events that have happened only quite recently.