The Story Behind Clifton Robinsons' Journey To 500

Rod Gilmour from The Hockey Paper spoke to members of Clifton Robinsons as their women's 1st XI prepare to play their 500th Premier Division match this weekend, becoming the first side - male or female - to achieve the feat.

No less than 31 seasons ago, Clifton Ladies HC took their place in the newly-formed Typhoo National League by a whisker. It came down to goal difference and winning their last two matches to snatch the SunLife West Premier League title and earn promotion into England Hockey’s new Premier Division era for the 1989/90 season.

And there the Bristol-based side have remained, all-bar-one season after finishing 10th in 2005/06. In terms of Premier Division longevity across the genders, the only founder member team currently in the Men’s Premier Division are East Grinstead. However, the West Sussex side were relegated in 1998/99 and didn’t return until six years later, leaving Clifton as the top flight standard bearers.

This all means that, on Saturday, Clifton Robinsons - the merger with the men’s side five years ago bringing about their current name - will be the first to celebrate their 500th match in the Vitality Women’s Premier Division.

“This has really made us stop and think,” said Izzy Palmer, who joined the club in 1998. “You are so busy day-to-day, keeping the club functioning, that you don’t really take a breath to take stock of where you are.”

Palmer’s chief reason for attending Bristol University was the dream of playing for Clifton, then under the auspices of head coach Pete Attwell. Palmer went on to have a 20-year career after racking up well over 400 league and cup games and is currently the club’s vice chair.

“I experienced everything from narrowly losing out to [multiple winners] Slough to playing in Europe twice, in 1998 and 2000 in Barcelona and Rome, and reaching the league play-offs in recent years.

“We came close in 1997/98 when we finished second which is our highest position. We have never been one of the 'invincibles' in the league but we have always managed to compete. We have never grabbed the headlines, but we've always been there or thereabouts and fancy our chances against anyone really.”

Palmer says she isn’t surprised by the landmark 500-match feat. “In one respect our location helps us and in others it doesn’t,” she said. “The fact that we are one of the leading teams in the west means that some of the top players in the region naturally gravitate towards us. 

“The beauty is that we have been able to keep a really good core of players. The downside is that it makes it harder to attract those with GB and England. But we have never been too reliant on the top players.”

The club’s merger in 2016 with the men’s side has seen membership grow across junior and senior players to around 800. “Before the merger I would never have said we were a top club,” added Palmer, “but we have a number of people in the background who have given up time to make sure the support is there for the players.”

Over their 30 years in the Premier Division, the nature of how the first team is run has barely changed. While finding sustainable sponsorship has been hard, the squad has always been put on an even footing. 

“There has always been complete equality amongst the players and we have never paid anybody,” admitted Palmer. “Has it held us back over the years? I don’t think so. Everybody is just as important as the next in the team.”

So too are the club officials and coaching staff. “Juliet [Rayden] really typifies what the club is about - hard work, hard graft and being really consistent and being able for us to punch above our weight. Al Kilfoil [team manager] has also been involved since the mid '90s and you can always rely on him to keep the club running.”

Rayden is the current women’s coach and has been involved with the club since 1996 when she was also a player. She also had no idea about the looming feat being unearthed and that it “was more than any other team in the leagues”.

“What we try to do here is work really hard with the players we get. We’ve had some outstanding internationals: Tammy Miller, Denise Marston-Smith [their two most decorated players and Olympians] as well as in recent years with Georgie Twigg, Joie Leigh and Alex Danson-Bennett.

"All in all, we work with a great group of players, with the U21s, and we draw from the Welsh international side and that’s a massive part of our longevity. We just want to create a really good atmosphere.”

At administration level, Janis Sinton oversaw the merger and is now vice president after stepping down as chair after 20 years this summer.

“There has been a lot of hard work and dedication from a committed group of people who have worked with the club over the years,” said Sinton. 

“The fact we don’t have the stars can be an advantage in some ways. They don’t get taken away for international games and they can be quite individual and not necessarily team players. The team is very supportive of each other and the strong network is something which has always struck me about the girls."

Clifton Robinsons will mark the '500' landmark at their next home match against Wimbledon on November 20 where they have invited past players to the occasion. 

You can also watch the historic game away to Beeston at 14:00 this Saturday (13 November) by clicking here.