Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre
This was the only purpose-built Paralympic venue for the Games. It hosted the wheelchair tennis events and was a training ground during the Olympic Games
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is the northern gateway to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A premier venue for both Hockey and Tennis, it offers two of the best hockey pitches in the country and ten tennis courts – four US Open Standard ones in an elegant indoor hall, and six outdoors.
During London 2012
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre was the only purpose-built Paralympic venue for London 2012, built on the site of the Authority’s Eastway Sports Centre which had a multi-sports hall, squash complex and pitches on a site with a sporting history going back to 1923. During the Games it hosted the Wheelchair Tennis Competition.
These games saw ParalympicsGB win two medals; Andrew Lapthorne and Peter Norfolk won silver 🥈 in the Quad doubles while Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whiley made the history books by securing bronze 🥉 in the Women's doubles event, meaning the pair became the first women to win a medal for Great Britain in wheelchair tennis.
The Legacy
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is known as the “Wembley of English hockey” with two top grade pitches playing host to regional, national and international tournaments, as well as schools and clubs from across the region. The venue is home to six hockey teams, nine university clubs and it is a regional centre for coaching, umpiring and workforce development.
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre also runs a number of competitions such as the Summer League, catering for all abilities and the Big Blue for starter and back to hockey players. In addition to these popular events the venue hosts the annual Lee Valley University Cup and the Lee Valley Mixed Masters League, for senior male and female hockey players, the first of its kind in the UK.
Working with England Hockey, local clubs, schools and community organisations the venue runs a range of exciting hockey programmes following England Hockey's national frameworks and initiatives to support club development, catering for their training and league requirements.
There is extensive pay and play tennis, lessons for both adults and children of all abilities and free tennis coaching for local schools and community groups.
Little Smashers sessions introduce children from the age of four to the basics of tennis and gradually develops them through a set of nationally recognised programmes.
Building on the success of the London 2012 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis event, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre has become a regional hub for disability tennis offering regular sessions and events for wheelchair users.
The venue has hosted major events including the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, the FIH Hockey Pro League, the Unibet EuroHockey Championships, the Men’s and Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy, the Hockey World League semi-finals and the Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup which drew 120,000 spectators.
