{{Short description|International field hockey venue}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox venue | name = Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre | image = File:Eton Manor, 16 April 2012.jpg | caption = Eton Manor in April 2012 | image_map = | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | former_names = Eton Manor | location = [[Leyton]], [[London Borough of Waltham Forest]] | coordinates = {{Coord|51.55305|-0.01513|type:landmark_region:GB-WFT|display=inline,title}} | elevation = <!-- {{cvt|...|ft|m}} or {{cvt|...|m|ft}} --> | owner = [[Lee Valley Regional Park Authority]] | operator = [[Great Britain Hockey]]<br />[[England Hockey]] | seating_type = All-seater | capacity = 15,000<ref name="itg"/> | record_attendance = 15,000 | surface = Synthetic | opened = 2012 | years_active = 2012– | cost = £30 million }} '''Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre''' is a sports and leisure venue located in [[Leyton]], [[London Borough of Waltham Forest]], to the north of [[Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park]]. It is regularly used for international [[field hockey]] fixtures by both the [[Great Britain men's national field hockey team|Great Britain men's]] and [[Great Britain women's national field hockey team|women's field hockey team]]s. It hosted the [[2018 Women's Hockey World Cup]]. Owned and managed by [[Lee Valley Regional Park Authority]], the site was previously known as Eton Manor and was a [[wheelchair tennis]] venue for the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]] before being converted for public use and reopening in June 2014.
==History== ===Eton Manor=== {{See also|Eton Manor Boys' Club}} The site was originally known as Eton Manor, the name taken from [[Eton College]], which from the 1880s had run a "mission" to raise living standards in the [[East End of London]]. In 1909, four Old Etonian philanthropists founded [[Eton Manor Boys' Club]] to provide sporting facilities in the Hackney area, purchasing the former Manor Farm in 1913. In 1920, an old rubbish tip site was converted into the club's new sports ground, known as The Wilderness. Facilities included nine football pitches, two rugby pitches, cricket pitches, six tennis courts, a bowling green, a squash court and a running track. Eton Manor Boys' Club closed in 1967, and the club ground fell into disuse in 2001 before being selected for use during the 2012 Olympic Games. The charitable trust set up in 1924 to run and support Eton Manor Boys' Club still continues with different aims and a new name, [[Villiers Park|Villiers Park Educational Trust]].<ref>[http://www.villierspark.org.uk/vpabout.php?r=1HEKHGAUAA&sub=VHEKJPJBAB&thr=NFH321592621 A Brief History of the Eton Manor Boys' Club] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227191800/http://www.villierspark.org.uk/vpabout.php?r=1HEKHGAUAA |date=27 December 2007 }}</ref>
Four sports clubs originating from Eton's "mission" are still in existence:{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} * [[Eton Manor RFC]],<ref>[http://www.etonmanor.net/ Eton Manor R.F.C.]</ref> now playing at The New Wilderness ground in [[Wanstead]] * [[Eton Manor FC]], now groundshare and are playing their matches at Waltham Abbey's ground in [[Waltham Abbey (town)|Waltham Abbey]] * Eton Manor A.C.,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eton Manor AC – Welcome to ClubBuzz 2 |url=https://www.eton-manor.com/ |access-date=2026-03-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref> meeting at Waltham Forest Track and Pool in [[Walthamstow]] (young athletes) and The Cottage, Marsh Lane, in [[Leyton]] (senior athletes) * Eastern Otters Water Polo Club (formerly Eton Otters) who currently play at the new Becontree Heath Leisure Centre in Dagenham (www.eastenotters.co.uk)
Eton College has a second connection to the 2012 Olympic Games, as the rowing events were held at the college's private facility, [[Dorney Lake]].{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
===London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games=== During the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Eton Manor was the only purpose-built Paralympic venue. It hosted the [[Wheelchair tennis at the 2012 Summer Paralympics|wheelchair tennis]]. The venue comprised nine competition courts and four warm-up courts.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9073961/London-2012-Paralympics-wheelchair-tennis-venue-Eton-Manor-completed.html ''London 2012 Paralympics: wheelchair tennis venue Eton Manor completed''. The Telegraph].</ref> There were a total of 10,500 seats for spectators, with a 5,000 capacity centre court. The 27-acre site also housed temporary training pools for participants in aquatics events, including three 50m pools for swimmers and smaller pools for synchronised swimmers and water polo competitors.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
Before the Games, Poet Laureate [[Carol Ann Duffy]] was commissioned to write a poem about Eton Manor to celebrate its history and legacy. The poem is inscribed on a brass plaque at the entrance to the venue and was part of the Winning Words initiative, a national poetry scheme inspired by London 2012 which integrated permanent and temporary poetry on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-02-21 |title=London 2012: Carol Ann Duffy recites Olympic park poem |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17112824 |access-date=2026-03-20 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
===Post-Olympics=== After the Olympic Games, Eton Manor housed the scaled down [[Olympic Hockey Centre (London)|Olympic Hockey Centre]] which was relocated from Riverside Arena. The venue was made public following a £30 million conversion and was renamed Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Run by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, it has two hockey pitches and ten tennis courts four indoor and six outdoor. The venue offers a range of events and programmes from grassroots to elite level.<ref name="itg">Anderson, Gary. [http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2012/1020931-lee-valley-hockey-and-tennis-centre-officially-opened-after-30-million-revamp Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre officially opened after £30 million revamp]. Inside the Games (17 June 2014). Dunsar Media Company Limited. Retrieved 12 July 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Latest Olympic legacy venue opens |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/olympics/27929540 |access-date=2026-03-20 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In December 2012, the [[International Tennis Federation]] announced that the venue would stage the NEC [[Wheelchair Tennis Masters]], an annual event, on its indoor courts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itftennis.com/wheelchair/news/articles/olympic-park-to-stage-nec-wheelchair-tennis-masters.aspx |title=Olympic Park to stage NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters |publisher=ITF Tennis |date=3 December 2012 |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref>
==International field hockey== Since 2014, Lee Valley has staged a number of major international events, most notably the [[2018 Women's Hockey World Cup]], which was the 14th edition of the tournament.<ref>{{cite web |title=England & India to host Hockey World Cups 2018 |url=http://www.fih.ch/en/news-4817-england-india-to-host-hockey-world-cups-2018 |publisher=FIH |date=7 November 2013 |access-date=8 November 2013}}</ref> It also hosted the [[2016 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy]] and the [[2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy]]. From 2019, it has been the home venue of both the [[Great Britain women's national field hockey team|Great Britain women's]] and [[Great Britain men's national field hockey team|men's field hockey team]]s for their home matches in the [[Women's FIH Pro League]] and [[Men's FIH Pro League]], most recently in May and June 2022 for the [[2021–22 Women's FIH Pro League]] and the [[2021–22 Men's FIH Pro League]]. The women's team played its first Pro League match at Lee Valley against the [[United States women's national field hockey team|United States]] on 27 April 2019.<ref>[https://tms.fih.ch/matches/12769/reports/matchreport 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League (W). Match report (27 April 2019)]. International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 12 July 2022.</ref> For major hockey events, the stadium capacity is increased from the default 3,000 to 15,000 all seated.<ref name="itg"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}}
* [https://archive.today/20121209014531/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/venue/eton-manor/ 2012 Paralympics profile] * [https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/hockey-and-tennis-centre Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre]
{{2012 Summer Olympic venues}} {{2012 Summer Paralympics venues}}
[[Category:2012 establishments in England]] [[Category:Field hockey venues in England]] [[Category:Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park]] [[Category:Sports venues completed in 2012]] [[Category:Tennis venues in London]] [[Category:Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Waltham Forest]] [[Category:Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Wheelchair tennis at the 2012 Summer Paralympics]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Waltham Forest]] [[Category:2012 Summer Paralympic venues]] [[Category:Sport in Leyton]]