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The Enforcers ('A' team) were formed in 1985 by Terry Sommers, AKA 'Mr Fear', who gathered a group of skaters together with the intention of competing in a new exciting sport called 'Street Hockey' (as it was known back then). He was the team manager/goalkeeper from 1985-90.
The 'B' team and Junior team was set up in 1987, but played their games in different leagues; The West London league at the late Leyton Baths and The London Street Hockey (LSHA) league at the Elephant and Castle. The teams trained at Homerton House School in Hackney.
The Junior team was trained by Peter Boucher and Lesley Dyer (players from the 'A' and 'B' teams), who took them to the National Finals, where they lost to the 'Young Warriors'.
The 'A' team qualified for the Nationals, which was televised by 'Channel 4'.
In 1986, the 'A' team swept all before them as they took the divisions title without losing a match, although they did draw one game.
During the year 1987, they won their first major homour 'The Bauer Shield', when they beat the Brixton Yo-Yo's 'B' team. Goalkeeper that day was the junior team, Wayne Watson.
1988 saw the 'A' team come runners up in the LSHA league, win the 'League Cup' (thanks to a hat trick from Philip Myers) and reach the Nationals (held in Leicester) which was again televised. The team then went abroad for the first time, to Holland, where they won the 'Amsterdam Cup'.
A womens team was set up in 1988 again through Peter Boucher, but later broke away from the club and changed their name.
In 1990, the 'B' team and the Juniors lost it's edge and folded. Some players remained and joined the 'A' team to become threatening challengers in the men's league.
In 1991, a womens team was re-born thanks to the determination of Andrea Bennett, who got sisters and friends together. She took on the position as Manager of the club, after Terry Sommer's departure.
In 1992, the women won the Devon tournament and the men took 2nd place. The men also took 7th place in a German tournament held by the Dusseldorf Rams. They ended the season by winning the 'Danielle Carter Memorial Tournament', where Peter Boucher and Clement Darkwah were voted 'Best Outfield Player' and 'Best Goal Keeper' of the Tournament.
Andrea Bennett held a pre-season tournament for three consecutive years, called 'The Skate Attack and Miras Womens Tournament'. These were very successful, especially since there were no other womens tournaments at the time.
In 1996, when the London Association of Skater Hockey returned to London (Plumstead Leisure Centre), the club formed a Junior and Peewee team coached by Senior Player, Carl Skepple.
In 1997, the skills of five players from the womens team, were selected at national level, (Andrea Bennett, Edris Russell, Dawn Skepple, Cheryl Esdaile, Tracy Gittens). They were selected for the first GB Ladies squad, and played in the first Skater Hockey European Tournament, held in Germany.
In 2004, a new youth & juniors team was formed, thanks to the determination and dedication of Vanessa James, youth and junior manager and coached again by Carl Skepple who successfully lead the team to their first nationals finals in 2005 having
only entered the league in what was the teams first season.
At the end of the 80's the Enforcers appeared on several televised shows including:
In 1998, the Disney Channel schduled a programme about Skater Hockey after extensive filming at one of the Peewee's training sessions. Members of the womens team also appeared on UK Living Channel's 'Living It Up'.
Today, the Enforcers Skater Hockey Club are still going strong and are proud to be one of the few original teams that has been around since the birth of the sport in the late 80's. The club were a force to reckon with and aim to be a real force in the years ahead.
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Club History |