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Folkestone Optimist Hockey Club, who celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 2001, are essentially a family-orientated Hockey Club running Men’s, Ladies and Junior sides in various Regional and County Leagues as well as promoting social mixed hockey as part of its normal winter activities. The Optimist Hockey club was formed in 1926. The town already had a well-established club – Folkestone Hockey Club, who initiated the famous Easter International Festival with games played on the Upper Leas near the Metropole Hotel. No hockey was played after the 1914 Festival because of the Great War. The festival and club were revived in 1922. In 1926 the festival was moved from the Leas to the “new” sports ground at Cheriton Road and the first game played by an Optimist team was on October 2nd 1926. After another break for World War II the club reformed and has had its share of international players. The club today continues to thrive and is one of the largest in Kent.

		GROUND: The Pavilion County Ground Cheriton Road Folkestone CT19 5JU Telephone: (01303) 253366 COLOURS: Men: Royal blue & white halved shirts with navy blue shorts, royal blue stockings with white tops. Ladies: Royal blue & white halved shirts with navy blue divided skirts, royal blue stockings with white tops. DIRECTIONS: Take M20 J13 signposted Folkestone. Follow signs Tourist Information/The Leas. At traffic lights turn left onto Cheriton Road. The entrance to the ground is 200 yards on left between Bowls Club and Safeway.
	http://www.fohc.co.uk/

Folkestone Optimist Hockey Club, who celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 2001, are essentially a family-orientated Hockey Club running Men’s, Ladies and Junior sides in various Regional and County Leagues as well as promoting social mixed hockey as part of its normal winter activities. The Optimist Hockey club was formed in 1926. The town already had a well-established club – Folkestone Hockey Club, who initiated the famous Easter International Festival with games played on the Upper Leas near the Metropole Hotel. No hockey was played after the 1914 Festival because of the Great War. The festival and club were revived in 1922. In 1926 the festival was moved from the Leas to the “new” sports ground at Cheriton Road and the first game played by an Optimist team was on October 2nd 1926. After another break for World War II the club reformed and has had its share of international players. The club today continues to thrive and is one of the largest in Kent.

The International Easter Hockey Festival, run by the Optimist’s Club, is the oldest such Festival in the Country as it now approaches its 100th year. Four years ago, the Committee decided to broaden the Club’s outlook and ambition by financing the employment of oversees coaches, so far all Australian. As part of their ‘contracts’ with the club, they are fully committed to both senior and junior coaching. For the last two seasons, two Australians have been brought over to help coach and run the Men’s and Ladies 1st XIs. In her three years with the Club, Ladies coach Kim Parkes has pushed our Ladies 1st XI to successive promotions from Kent Division 1 to East Division 1 by a combination of her own exceptional talent and her unquenchable coaching ethic to both the adult and junior sections of the Club. Nathan Jaffrey, our Men’s coach will be in his third year with the Optimists this coming season. All abilities are catered for from the finely-tuned and extremely fit to the ‘only here for the beer’ brigade. New members of either category or any other in between are actively sought and will be heartily welcomed. To visit the Folkestone Hockey Club website, click the following link: http://www.fohc.co.uk/