Worthing Hockey Club’s history extends back over more than 100 years and since the 1930's we have hosted a Hockey Festival over the Easter holiday. The 59th Festival will take place in 1998 and will continue to be run on a friendly basis rather than as a competitive tournament.

We made quite a number of changes to our format for the 1997 Festival which we believe were by and large well received, nevertheless we are far from complacent and we know that there was scope for improvement. Around 500 people attended last year, representing 36 teams, and we know that many of them will be back with us in 1998 - we promise more of the same but even better.

The Festival will be based at the Manor ground just North of the main railway station and town centre. We have five good (ie well grassed and rolled) pitches at the Manor and a large pavilion which is the legacy of the Manor’s days as a venue for County Hockey and Cricket matches.

Although we do not have an Astro pitch at the Manor, we shall be hiring the water-based Astro at the Worthing Sports Centre for the entire period of the Festival. In the past, a number of teams have expressed a preference to play only on the grass pitches and we are, therefore, normally able to offer two or more matches on the Astro to those who favour this surface. In any event, all teams will have the opportunity to play at least two full games per day over the weekend. We shall once again be operating a free coach shuttle service between the Manor and the Sports Centre, which is situated a mile and a half away.

We are restricting the entry to 40 teams for 1998 with a minimum of 8 places being reserved for ladies and 6 for veterans. In addition, we shall be looking to continue the Festival’s International tradition and six places will initially be reserved for teams from abroad. In previous years, visitors have come to the Worthing Festival from many countries: not only have we welcomed teams from our near European neighbours but also from countries further afield including Czechoslovakia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.