The motivation to try and uncover the Where, the When, the Ebb, the Flow of the development of this wonderful, lifetime sport, field hockey, rose to the fore from the deep gratitude I have for being able to be so involved for most of my life. I have had an amazing playing career, a wonderful teaching career, a lifetime joy of reading widely, lots of personal support and an opportunity to give back over the past half-century as a player, coach, umpire, administrator, builder and now a writer involved with the development of field hockey for men, women, boys, girls living in Richmond, B.C. Now, I am a Member and Director of the Friends of The Richmond Archives. The records consulted at the City of Richmond Archives to research and write this article included: school annuals/yearbooks, school newsletters, oral history recordings, newspapers, my personal Memoir and papers and papers related to the development of the Richmond Field Hockey Club.

As I try and reveal the beginnings of grass/field hockey in Richmond I am going to refer to the game as either ‘grass hockey’ or ‘field hockey’. Early references also describe the game as ‘ground hockey’. We live in Canada, where the word ‘hockey’ is associated immediately with ‘ice hockey,’ but for purposes here the wording will be grass hockey or field hockey.

This article will cover how field hockey grew from Richmond High School’s inter-school sport program and how it developed overtime, among many factors, in response to war, changes within the school system, formation of the Richmond Field Hockey Club and COVID-19.

The article is not a thorough history but it has been an eyeopener for me. My hope is, it helps our community realize that the game of Field Hockey has been a positive part of Richmond’s School and Community life for a long time and it is in an Ebb awaiting a re-start, a Flow of SOMETHING GOOD.

Thank you,

Lance Carey

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