History

Hockey has been a very popular sport among Indian people for many years. This trend continued with Sikhs who had emigrated to East Africa in the early 1900’s, with several clubs playing in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to a high level. Sikh Union was among these clubs.

The sixties and seventies saw the arrival into Britain of many Asian immigrants from East Africa. and with many of them keen hockey players, they wanted to continue playing. A group of them, mainly Sikhs, started training together on a regular basis at Morris Park in Stoke Heath, Coventry.

Hence “Sikh Union Hockey Club Coventry” was formed around 1970.

As costs escalated over the years and in order to remain self sufficient, the club embarked on various fund raising activities to enable the hockey club to survive. The fund raising needed a focussed approach and in 1991, a team was assembled to explore ways to raise funds.
As fund raising activities increased, the club started contributing towards needy local causes and today, we are at the forefront of helping to develop resources for the youth in Coventry. Cultural, sports and social events are organised in order to provide a platform for the youth to integrate into the community.

All this is done with the generosity of ALL our sponsors and supporters, including Coventry Sikh Gurdwara Sahibs and Congregations (Sangat).

In parallel, the club contributes to many local, National and International charities.

Everything we do as a club keeps in mind the Three Pillars of the Sikh faith, which are:-

Naam Japo —- Meditation on the Almighty’s Name
Kirat Karo —— Earn an Honest Living
Vand Chakko — Share and consume as a community

Our Guru’s teachings tell us to  “Dedicate yourself to giving to charity”, and this is instilled into our everyday way of life.

 

In June 2016, Sikh Union Coventry was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.  This award is the highest honour given to volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities and is equivalent in status to an MBE. The Award was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2^nd June; the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Members of the Committee were invited to Buckingham Palace to meet members of the Royal Family, and this was followed by a formal presentation of the commemorative crystal and certificate on 6th August at the clubs headquarters at Daimler Green Community Centre.