Great Britain And England Hockey Saddened To Hear Of Death Of John Land

Great Britain and England Hockey were saddened to hear of the passing of hockey stalwart and former Olympian John Land.

He passed away peacefully aged 82 following an illness, with his wife Julie holding his hand.

The North Hockey Association described him as 'one of life’s gentlemen,  a gifted player with a keen will to win and will be missed by all who knew him.'

Known as an exceptional athlete and with great pace, John played for England and GB in the 1960s.

He also rediscovered hockey later in life and played for England at Masters level, winning gold medals at O60, O65 and O70 levels. He also played in the first ever team international O75 against Holland in 2015.

John did a lot of work for hockey over many years, and was instrumental in creating the opportunity and promoting O60s hockey in the North. His work means the North now run sides at O60, O65 and O70 level in the regional tournaments (having won gold at O65 and O70 level). He was the first north regional representative for the England LX club bringing many North players into international grand masters hockey.

He was President of the North Hockey association in 2006 and helped develop the organisation for all levels of hockey in the North.

He leaves his wife Julie, sons Keith and Nigel, daughter Sheena, their partners and six grandchildren and our condolences and best wishes go to them.