​Vitality and England & Great Britain Women’s Hockey have announced one of the most significant partnerships in the sport’s history, as part of a landmark three-year deal.
The new partnership sees the health, life and investment company, become Principal Partner of England & GB Women’s Hockey teams (with Vitality’s logo on their shirt), Presenting Partner of FIH Hockey Pro League in Great Britain – which includes both men’s and women’s matches - and Title Partner of the English Women’s Hockey League, now named the Vitality Women’s Hockey League.
England Hockey’s grassroots participation programme will also be renamed Vitality Back to Hockey, with Vitality working closely with England & GB Hockey to drive visibility of the game and encourage many more people to try out or return to the sport.
The partnership will provide support to the game and further raise its profile as part of Vitality’s ongoing commitment to women’s sport and addressing the significant difference that exists in physical activity levels between men and women. Through the multiple aspects of the partnership, Vitality, together with England & GB Hockey, will further bring its core purpose to life – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives.
This announcement comes at the start of an exciting year for the sport, with the Tokyo Olympics, FIH Hockey Pro League and EuroHockey Championships.
The announcement also comes at the same time as the insurer announces Trojans raised former Olympic gold medal winning hockey player Alex Danson-Bennett MBE will be joining the Vitality team as a Performance Champion, where she will use her passion and extensive experiences in sport and health to help businesses to motivate and inspire their colleagues to look after and prioritise their health and wellbeing.
As one of the only sports played equally by men and women, hockey holds a unique position meaning it is well placed to drive engagement in physical activity with women in particular, supporting them to try out or return to the game. There has never been a more important time to be involved in women’s sport at all levels, inspiring many more people to become more active and live healthier lifestyles – which is all in-line with our core purpose, to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives.”
Speaking about Vitality’s partnership with England & GB Women’s Hockey, Alex Danson-Bennett, who spent her embryo teenage years enthralling crowds at Stoneham Lane, said: “This announcement is fantastic news for the game of hockey and for women’s sport. I am delighted to be joining an organisation that seeks to raise the profile of women’s sport, and I’m sure this partnership will see many more people get involved in the game, become more active and live healthier lifestyles.”

Local hockey has been saddened to learn of the recent death of Havant stalwart and keen town cricket follower Mike Adams, at the ripe out age of 91.
​To say that he was a very valued and dedicated Havant member is an understatement, as will be become evident in this tribute. 
Mike had been battling a debilitating illness for many years but, he was a fighter. He was admitted to hospital in November and subsequently contracted Covid 19, but despite his other health problems he fought and beat this dreadful virus.
Mike was educated at Taunton School and it was during his time there that he found a great love of sport, particularly cricket, hockey and, of course, golf. He was an accomplished player at each of these sports, and later played a round of golf with Ian Woosnam OBE.  
After spending time in Australia and then Somerset (where he became a staunch county cricket follower), Mike and his wife Pam returned to Havant to form his own software company, Publisher, and was later to employ and sponsor a young David Faulkner on his way to Great Britain Olympic hockey fame and now President of Havant Hockey Club.  
Once again Mike became heavily involved in local sport, he was dedicated to Havant Cricket Club during the Summer months, and in Winter to Havant Hockey Club. This combined nicely when Mike became Chairman of Havant Sports Club, he was also Captain of Hockey, Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Manager of our Men’s 1st X1 team, editor of our match day programme and one of HHC’s first sponsors, which he maintained until his illness.
Mike was also responsible for bringing Ezz & Hamoza to Havant, the club soon realising he was a very special player, but following a return to Egypt the club found it difficult to get him a visa to return to the UK. Mike volunteered to fly to Egypt and sort matters out which he did, recalling: “When I was being driven at break-neck speed through the narrow streets of Cairo by a budding Sterling Moss, I thought I would never see England again.” Thankfully he did and brought Ezz and his skills back, which helped Havant to National honours.
Havant president and 1988 Seoul Olympic gold winning medal winner David Faulkner reflected: “There is no doubt that without Mike’s support, encouragement, guidance and wisdom my hockey and business career would not have developed at the pace it has and I can say that for other members of our Club too. Havant Hockey Club meant so much to Mike and we owe him so much for our success over the past 50 years”.

​England Hockey has confirmed that, in the light of the latest COVID-19 restrictions imposed this week, grass roots and club/league hockey is suspended for the foreseeable future.
Only six rounds of matches have been played in the men’s South Division, with Havant’s last outing  on November 1 when the recorded their first win of the season, a 5-3 victory at Oxford Hawks.
Fareham have been mothballed in second place in the West Conference, with four wins from six outings, while Chichester have been successful just once, beating Plymouth Marjon 3-2. They lie second from bottom of the log.
It’s an identical scenario in women’s hockey, with Trojans beating Slough and Surbiton to record two wins from six games in the South Division.  The South Women’s League had previously suspended their season until February 27 2021, after which they hope (somewhat optimistically) to resume league matches on the basis that each team will play each other once and so complete a curtailed programme.