Didsbury Northern are the largest hockey club in the Manchester area. We were founded in 1947 as Chorlton-cum-Hardy Hockey Club. The ladies club started at some point in the 1950s and, although under the same Chorlton name, was run as a separate entity. The club had played under the Chorlton banner for 43 years, when, in 1990, out of the need for an astroturf pitch, the club’s name was changed to Manchester YMCA Hockey Club. At around this time, it was decided that both the men’s and ladies’ clubs should join under a single banner, a relationship that not only remains today but has strengthened and is now an inherent part of the club culture.

Grass roots

The Didsbury area’s first connection with the club was in 1994 when a move to a new clubhouse prompted the change in name to our current moniker of Didsbury Northern Hockey Club: Didsbury after the suburb of Manchester that the club had relocated to, and Northern from the name of the club’s new headquarters at the Northern Lawn Tennis Club. The club not only changed names but also changed colours to a full green strip as part of a sponsorship deal, playing in these colours until 2000 when the club decided to return to the original green and white halves of the Chorton-cum-Hardy side.

The success in the club has been fantastic since the turn of the millennium with the men’s club winning four promotions and becoming the first Manchester side in the 34 year history of the Lancashire Cup to win the competition in 2004, then retaining the trophy in 2011.

Tireless work from Richard Hayward our Men’s 1st team captain has seen the club recruit former England international Scott Cordon as Head Coach and the addition of several other current and former international players. At the end of the 2018/19 season the club achieved promotion to the National League for the first time in our history and were at the top of MHL Conference North when the 2020/21 season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Our Ladies 1st team were promoted to the National League after an unbeaten season in 2019/20, and now hope to firmly establish themselves after the 2020/21 season was cut short.

The club has not forgotten its past and still goes by the pseudonym the ‘Chorlton Sharks’ to established tours throughout the country and abroad.

What DNHC is all about?

Our club is a registered Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) and currently operates 7 men’s teams, 7 ladies’ teams. We restarted our junior section in September 2014 and it is growing year on year, with increasing numbers of our juniors making the leap to senior hockey every season.

Our Men's 1st team play in the England Hockey Men's Hockey League in Conference North, and our Ladies' 1st team play in the England Hockey Women's Hockey League in Conference North.

The remaining Men's and Ladies' teams play throughout the North West Hockey League, with our Men’s and Ladies' 2nd teams hot on the trail of their National League counterparts pushing for promotion from North West Division 1.

Summer hockey is played from May to July with the club entering various 7-a-side and 11-a-side tournaments and leagues.

During the close period, the club often participates in hockey festivals close to home such as Sale, Leek, Wakefield, Chester, Huddersfield, Cannock, Silz and Highfields. For those more adventurous we also travel to festivals abroad including the Isle of Man, Luxembourg and the Banks International Hockey Festival in Barbados.

Our kit consists of green shirts with white trim, black shorts/skirts and white socks. Our away kit is black with green trim.

The club has an excellent social base, and has organised events throughout the playing season. In fact, the club prides itself on the great balance it has between competitive hockey and social atmosphere. DNHC is a friendly but ambitious club that is actively recruiting any new players whatever the ability or experience.