Although formed only in 1977, Yarra presents the amalgamation of two long-standing clubs: the Fairfield Hockey Club, established over a century ago in 1906, and the Ivanhoe Hockey Club, established in 1930. In 1956, Australia’s inaugural Summer Olympic Hockey Team consisted of two players from the Ivanhoe Club. Against a home crowd in Melbourne, Ken Clarke, as Captain, played alongside his teammat
e Geoff Bennett, and against fierce competition they took the Olympic team to a placing of 5th. The club, which draws players from the local council areas along the general inner Yarra River areas – Banyule, Darebin, Yarra and Nillumbik councils – operates from a state-of-the-art facility in the Cyril Cummins Reserve. Set on the banks of the Darebin Creek, the grounds are bounded by cycling paths and beautiful bushland. From the previous ‘tenant’ status at Chelsworth Park in Ivanhoe and John Cain Park in Thornbury, the Yarra grounds in Ivanhoe form a stable home. Current State League 1 Mens teams compete for the ‘Fairfield Cup’ named in honour of that club’s achievement in being the first State League club to win three premierships: 1906/09/10. Yarra is still the only modern club to achieve the SL1 premiership in the year following promotion from SL2, with the SL1 team claiming victory in 1973. In 2013, Yarra Valley will field 15 mens, womens and masters teams, and 14 junior teams.
