The Hockey Centre is a specialist Hockey equipment Outlet part owned and managed by hockey enthusiasts Allan Jobling (Managing Director) and John and Philippa Hurst (Director).

Allan is a leading Coach and Coach Educator who divides his time between the business and coaching, including assessing and mentoring coaches for England Hockey.

Philippa has been involved with St. Albans and East Hockey for many years and is currently managing teams within the Junior Regional Performance Centre network – the Single System.

John divides his time between The Hockey Centre and England Hockey where he is Consultant Goalkeeping Performance Manager, Goalkeeper Coach and video operator with the England and Great Britain Men’s Team.

The Company began it’s life as an amalgamation of Hurst Hockey (Philippa and John’s Business) and Bablock Sports Ltd., in 1989.

Philippa and John had begun Hurst Hockey in the mid 1970’s in order to help finance John’s International playing commitments. (He was an International goalkeeper playing for England and Great Britain from 1977 to 1988).

Bablock Sports had been a successful importer of Hockey and other Sporting Goods since the early 1970’s. At that time it was based in Twickenham and dealt exclusively with Goods from Beatall Sports in India, including the Vampire range of Hockey Sticks. In the mid 1980’s, following a change of ownership, Bablocks moved to Woking and, just prior to the amalgamation with Hurst Hockey, was a successful Hockey Mail Order Company under the stewardship of hockey enthusiast, Murray Gilson.

By the late 1980’s both Hurst Hockey and Bablock Sports were growing in the emerging hockey retail market and joined together to maximise their exposure.

The “new” Business operated from the premises in Maybury Road Woking and from the St. Albans outlet. At the forefront of hockey retailing in the 1990’s, the Company was one of the first in hockey to have a web site and has always prided itself on its’ expertise in hockey and that its’ staff have mostly been dedicated hockey players and enthusiasts including a number of Past and Current International players.

In the 1990’s cricket was added to the Company’s portfolio and customers visiting our London store will now find Running, Rugby and Netball well catered for too.

Allan joined the Company in 2003 bringing his newly formed Company, Ceelect Sports Ltd, into The Hockey Centre fold.

The Company is now known as “The Hockey Centre, Ceelect Sports” and operates from three Outlets – 151 Maybury Road Woking, 149 Lavender Hill, London and 200 Beech Road St. Albans.

In August 2009 The Hockey Centre and Sportingelite.com agreed to join forces as 1 company bringing Sportingelite under the Hockey Centre Banner.

Sportingelite has been a successful ‘Online’ only sports retailer and bring with it expertise in the Web Market and other sports outside of Hockey.

Our current Mangers in Woking and London are both dedicated hockey players and the level of expertise and advice they can offer is second to none.

We also have a thriving clothing business for all sports and you will find details of our excellent Club Orders service on this web site.