Durham Women’s success will see team play in Elite English Hockey League for first time

Over the course of the season the team scored 72 goals, conceding only 13. Finishing on 51 points they were three points head of Beeston, of Nottingham, in the 10-team league.

Consequently, Durham ladies will now play in the Women’s Premier Division in the 2025/ 2026 season which starts in September this year.

Head Hockey Coach at Durham University, and team coach, Poppy Martin has tasted this success in her first season in charge. She says the victory is a testament to the squad’s talent and fortitude.

“We have developed into a strong group, a coherent unit; a team with a strong sense of belonging, and a belief that we are part of something. We are well-connected and unified, and this has shown in the performances throughout an incredibly long season.

“The league title would not have been possible without this maturity and belief in each other. This shone through in our toughest games and highest-pressure moments.”

The current squad includes three Under-21 internationals who represented England in the 2023 World Cup. These are this year’s top scorer Lizzy Pocknell – with 17 goals, first year student Emmie Gilbert and team captain Scarlett Spavin.

While most of the first-eleven team, and 26-women squad, are university students, the team has a number of affiliates local to the North East, with one of the regulars Helena Youmans, a Durham University graduate representing Durham, now, for almost a decade.

Captain Spavin said: “Whilst promotion to the Premier Division itself has been the perfect end to a brilliant season, the journey the team has taken over the last year has been just as special.

"For the team, this promotion represents all the hard work and long hours that the girls have dedicated both on and off the pitch.

“This promotion means the world to the team and will be an unforgettable memory for all of us in years to come.“

Ms Martin has worked in hockey coaching for almost a decade. She joined Durham University in September 2024 having previously worked at Exeter University and in a number of top schools for hockey.

She added: “Looking ahead to the next year quite a lot of third year students will leave university, but were hopeful of retaining a number of the group and we continue to look for exciting prospects who can join the squad.

“We are all excited about the challenge that lies ahead. The future is hugely exciting and we will soon begin our preparations for next season in the Premier League.”

Most of the teams in premiership are based ‘down South’ with five of the 12 teams inside the M25. Durham will be the only Northern representative in the league, alongside Manchester based Bowdon Hockey Club.

Outside of this, the most northern team in the premier league is based in Nottingham.

While the sport is still primarily an amateur pursuit, some of the teams in the Premier Division do have semi-professional players.

Hockey is one of the university’s key performance sports attracting the largest number of active participants with six women’s and five men’s teams playing in the university and English hockey leagues.

Squad members Evelyn Wilson, Ava Wadsworth, Maddie Boyes, Ffion Horrell, Emily Edwards and Molly Morris represented their home nations in the U21 European Championships last summer, whilst Elena Baggett – a young local girl – represented England U18s last Summer.

Elena and Laura Cottee are both products of the Durham University Talent Academy, which works with young players from all across the North East to provide a performance training and coaching environment.