Oldest Hockey Club in Australia
Perth Hockey Club (Men’s) was formed in 1903 when Perth played a fixture against the Guildford Club on 11 August.[i] A return match was played on 22 August at the Guildford Showgrounds.[ii] Guildford failed to field a team for many years after 1909 so the contemporary Guildford club has not been continuous. It was previously thought that Perth, having won the Hope Cup in the Cups first year of 1908, was founded then. There is evidence that WAHA actually started in 1905 and that two seasons were played before the inauguration of the Hope Cup.
ACT
ACT did not exist until 1909 so no hockey club could be formed before then. Old Canberrans claim to be the oldest club in the ACT, having been founded in 1936.
Northern Territory
The first match recorded appears to be between two garrison teams in 1938. HockeyNT claims that hockey was first played in the Northern Territory in Darwin in 1940 with teams from the services.
New South Wales
Sydney University claims to be third oldest club in Australia having started in 1906.
South Australia
Forrestville hockey club claims to be the oldest club in Australia having started in 1905.
Adelaide hockey Club started as Aroha Club in 1906.
Queensland
A meeting to commence hockey in Queensland was convened in 1921.
Valley Club claims to be the oldest club in Queensland being founded in 1921.
Tasmania
Derwent Strikers claims to be the oldest club in Tasmania having started in 1935.
Victoria
KBH Brumbies claims to be the oldest hockey club in Australia, being a merger between Box Hill Whitehorse and Kew Hockey Club which was founded in 1905.
Western Australia
Hale Hockey Club claims to have been founded in 1905.
High School Old Boys played games in 1904 and 1905 when matches were arranged on a social basis. The High School referred to would have been the (only) High School in Perth at the time, housed in The Cloisters in St Georges Terrace, later to became Hale School (named after Bishop Hale). They did not field any teams in the Western Australian Hockey Association until 1925. High School played from 1925 until 1930 when they became Hale School until 1934 when they became Old Haleans. Many of the High School Old Boys from the 1904 and 1905 teams played for Perth in the early years of the WAHA.