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Wednesday training
Skills, drills and a game at the end, under floodlights. Complete beginners and thirty-year veterans on the same pitch — which works far better than it sounds.
Wednesdays · 19:30 · Burford School astro
Burford, Oxfordshire · Our third season
No trials.
Everyone plays.
Best teas in the league.
A mixed club in the Cotswolds — people of any gender in the same team. League matches on Saturdays, no-pressure hockey on Sundays, and training every Wednesday night for anyone who fancies it. Your first game is free.
Wed 7:30pmTraining, all abilities
First game freeBefore you pay a penny
Mixed sidesPeople of any gender, same team
The week
Train Wednesday. Play Saturday, Sunday, or both.
Do as much or as little as suits you. Plenty of members only ever come to Wednesdays. Plenty only play Sundays. Nobody keeps a register.
Competitive Mixed League
Saturday matches
We're in the Cherwell open league 2 — South Central tier, where people of any gender play in the same side. We like to win. But nobody gets dropped for a bad game, and if you come to training you get a game. Teas afterwards, which is a large part of the point.
Saturdays · home & away · plus friendlies
No league, no pressure
Sunday hockey
Mixed, non-league, purely for the fun of it. Turn up, get put on a team, play. The lowest-stakes hockey you'll find in Oxfordshire.
Sundays · Burford School astro
What actually happens
Your first Wednesday
The hardest part of joining a club is the walk from the car park. Here is exactly what you're walking into.
PHOTO SLOT
4:5 portrait
Suggested: a wide shot of a session in progress — mixed ages, ordinary kit, someone laughing
4:5 portrait
Suggested: a wide shot of a session in progress — mixed ages, ordinary kit, someone laughing
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Arrive ten minutes early
Look for whoever is dragging a large bag of sticks. That's us. Say you're new — you will not be the only one.
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Borrow a stick — and a shirt
We keep a dozen spare sticks, so you don't need to buy one to find out whether you like this. We lend match shirts too, until you're sure enough to order your own. Bring your own shin pads, though — those you'll need. Trainers are fine; no astro boots required.
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Warm-up and skills, about 25 minutes
Someone will show you how to hold the stick and push the ball. Nobody assumes you already know, because most of us didn't either.
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A mini game to finish
The session ends with a small-sided game. Nothing formal and nobody keeps score — just a run-around to put the drills into practice.
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Then, when you fancy it, a Saturday
No timetable and no pressure — but after a few Wednesdays somebody will ask whether you want a game. That's also where the teas are, and we will cheerfully defend "best in the league" against any club that fancies its chances.
When & where
Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays
The season runs September to March. Come to a Wednesday first — there's no need to book, though it helps if you say hello beforehand so we know to look out for you.
| Session | Day | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training — all abilities | Wednesday | 19:30 | Burford School astro |
| League matches — mixed | Saturday | Varies | Home & away |
| Non-league hockey — mixed | Sunday | Varies | Burford School astro |
Burford School astro pitch, Cheltenham Road, Burford, OX18 4PL
Free parking on site. Floodlit, so Wednesdays run right through the winter.
Saturday fixtures are home and away — ask and we'll sort you a lift.
Come in by the A361 entrance, not the A40 one. The school has two entrances and only the A361 side gets you to the pitch. Every new player makes this mistake once, so consider this your warning.
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Come in here — the A361 entrance Not the A40 entrance · ///bulldozer.dome.podcastDirections →
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Park here Free, on site · ///paces.asserts.bootsDirections →
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The astro pitch A three-minute walk west from the car park · ///slept.midfield.linguistsDirections →
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Clubhouse Where the teas happen · ///universes.physics.arrangedDirections →
Fixtures, results and the league table
Who we're playing, when, and how the Saturday side is getting on.
What it costs
Pay by the match, or by the season
We're run by volunteers. Subs cover pitch hire, umpires, balls and affiliation — nothing else. Members pay £10 a match; if you'd rather not join, it's £15.
Trying it out
FreeYour first game, on us. No membership, no form, no commitment to a second one.
Pay as you go
£15 a matchNo membership needed. Pay at the pitch, only for the matches you actually play.
Half‑season member
£75Match subs drop to £10. Good if you're joining partway through, or you know January is a write-off.
Full‑season member
£140September to March, match subs £10 throughout. What most regulars end up on.
Under 18s pay half. £5 a match, and £75 for the full season. Younger players are welcome at Wednesday training and get a game when they're ready for one.
If money is the thing stopping you or your child from playing, please email us. We keep a small fund for exactly this and we would much rather you played.
Kit
Borrow a shirt. Buy one when you're sure.
Nobody should be spending money on a club shirt before they know they're staying. We keep a set to lend out, so wear ours for as long as you need to.
Choosing your number
Squad numbers are first come, first served, and we keep a list of what's still going. Ask us before you order — there's nothing worse than paying to have a number printed and then finding out it's already someone's.
Yours, once you've picked it.
The club shop
Our kit is made by Pendle. When you're ready to order your own, everything — shirts, shorts, socks, training tops — is in one place, delivered straight to you.
Visit the club shop burford-hockey-club.pendlesportswear.co.uk- We lend: sticks and match shirts, for as long as you need them.
- You bring: shin pads and a mouthguard. A few pounds each, and not things a club can sensibly share.
- Boots: trainers are fine to start. Astro boots help once you're playing every week, but they can wait.
PHOTO SLOT
4:3 landscape
Suggested: juniors session, or the whole club in a group photo
4:3 landscape
Suggested: juniors session, or the whole club in a group photo
The reassuring bit
Before you give up a Wednesday
- We're an affiliated member of England Hockey.
- Spare sticks at every session — borrow one for as long as you need it. Shin pads and a mouthguard you'll need to bring yourself.
- Our Welfare Officers are Stephanie and Matt — reach them directly at welfare@burfordhockeyclub.co.uk, or read our safeguarding and welfare page.
- First-aid trained members and a kit pitchside, every Wednesday and every match.
- Family and friends are welcome pitchside at training and at home games — and to the teas after a Saturday match.
Questions
Things people ask before they come
I've never played. Will I be the worst one there?
Possibly, for about a fortnight. It doesn't matter — we're in our third season and a good number of our members started as complete beginners. Wednesday training is built for exactly this, and there's no standard you need to reach before you're allowed to turn up.
Do I need my own kit?
Barely anything, and nothing up front. We lend sticks and match shirts. Two things you'll need to bring yourself: shin pads and a mouthguard. Both cost a few pounds from any sports shop, and neither is something a club can sensibly lend out. When you're ready to buy your own kit, it's all in our club shop.
I can't commit to every week. Is that a problem?
No. Pay-as-you-go exists for precisely this. Come when you can and don't apologise for the weeks you can't — plenty of members manage one Wednesday a fortnight and that's fine.
Can I just train and not play matches?
Yes, and a fair few people do exactly that. Wednesday nights stand on their own. Nobody will press you into a Saturday side you don't want to be in.
People of all genders in the same team — how does that work?
England Hockey runs two playing categories: Women's and Open-Men's League. Open means what it says — it's open to any player, Inclusive of all genders. Our Saturday league is an Open league and we've made the most of that, so our sides are open to any player regardless of gender, week in and week out. Sunday hockey is mixed as well. If you've only ever played single-sex hockey it feels novel for about ten minutes, and after that it just feels like hockey.
How competitive is the league?
Competitive enough to be worth turning up for, not so competitive that it stops being a Saturday. We'd like to win and we're pleased when we do — inclusive to all, nobody is dropped for having a shocker, and if you come to training you'll get a game.
What if the weather is terrible?
We play. It's a floodlit astro pitch, it drains, and hockey in drizzle is a British birthright. We'll post on Facebook by lunchtime if anything is genuinely called off.
Come along
See you Wednesday
Send us a message and we'll tell you where to park and who to look for. Or skip all this and just turn up on a Wednesday at 19:30 — that works too.
Nick August, club chairman
Or message us on Facebook — often the quickest way to get hold of someone.