England Hockey League

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What is the England Hockey League?

The England Hockey League is the top tier of club hockey in England*. Men and women each have their own leagues, both of which have an identical structure. *NB Some Welsh clubs also participate.

Promotion and relegation – how it works

At the end of each season the team finishing 10th (bottom) of the Premier Division is automatically relegated to the Conference appropriate to its location. The 9th team from the Premier Division goes into a play-off tournament with the champions of the three Conferences. The teams coming 1st and 2nd in the play-offs play in the Premier Division the following season. Those coming 3rd and 4th play in the appropriate Conference.

The teams that finish 10th (bottom) of their respective Conferences are automatically relegated to the appropriate regional league. The 9th placed teams from the three Conferences enter a play-off against each other. The winning team remains in the League. The other two teams are relegated to the appropriate regional league.

How do sides qualify for the England Hockey League?

Access to the League is automatic for the five champions from the regional leagues. They are placed in the most appropriate Conference division. League rules do not allow more than one side from a club to enter the League and sometimes a second placed side in the regional leagues is promoted in a place of the champions.

The Championships and European Qualification

At the end of the season the five top Premiership clubs play-off to decide the Championship. These play-offs also decide qualification for Europe. Irrespective of the result of the play-offs, the club coming top of the Premier Division automatically qualifies for Europe. However, their finish in the play-offs will ultimately determine their seeding in European competition

England currently has three places in the men’s EuroHockey League and one place in the women’s EuroHockey Club Champions Cup. Subject to the top placed side in the league automatically qualifying, the men’s clubs finishing 1st to 3st in the Championships qualify for the EuroHockey League, and the 1st placed women’s side qualifies for the Club Champions Cup.

You can find out more about the European club competition on our European Hockey pages which will be ready soon.

The League Structure

At the top is the Premier Division. This is a truly national league consisting of the ten best clubs in the country. Beneath the Premier Division are three ‘Conference’ divisions, North, East and West, also consisting of ten teams each. There are identical structures for men’s and women’s hockey.

Under the Conferences there are five regional leagues – North, South, East, West and Midlands. These are not part of the England Hockey League but are important because they act as feeders. The champions from these leagues are automatically promoted to the England Hockey League at the end of the season. It is also where clubs relegated out of the England Hockey League go.