• Osaka World have named Sonning Hockey Club as their first official hockey partner in UK.
• Former Prime Minister, Theresa May, opens Sonning Hockey Club’s new state-of-the-art AstroTurf hockey pitch, and scores first goal.
• Chartered financial planners, Eight Wealth Management, support local hockey team with sponsorship package.

World-leading hockey brand, Osaka World, have partnered with Sonning Hockey Club. The new official partnership is Osaka World’s first in the UK. The newly-announced sponsor will support Sonning Hockey Club for at least the next four seasons. This major change has also helped Sonning Hockey Club attract financial advisor firm, Eight Wealth Management, to support the club as its new corporate sponsor.

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, opened Sonning Hockey Club’s new pitch on Saturday. Lady May said: “It is great to be able to attend the opening of Sonning Hockey Club’s new AstroTurf. This marks the culmination of many years of dedicated fundraising by the club.

“I know how important sports, and especially hockey are for the local community and it is great to see this kind of local initiative taking place.

“Sonning Hockey Club is an important fixture of local life and I pay tribute to the tireless campaigning of so many to finally see this come to fruition”.

Osaka World was founded in 2011 with the intention of making hockey accessible to everyone – making it into a brand as well as a sport. The hockey and lifestyle organisation already sponsor some of the best hockey teams in Europe, including HC Bloemendaal (Netherlands), KHC Dragons (Belgium) and HC Rotterdam (Netherlands).

Osaka World have provided a new shirt for every female, male and junior member of the club, as well as creating a bespoke range of branded lifestyle wear for the club. Eight Wealth Management will support the club alongside Osaka World, with their logo on playing shirts. Eight Wealth Management have also gifted the club brand-new match-day goals for the new season.

Frank Boschman, CEO at Osaka World, said: “Over the past few years we have teamed up with some of Europe’s elite hockey teams. Partnering with Sonning Hockey Club was an easy decision, we can see the ambition in the club and we hope they can replicate the success of other teams we sponsor. It is important for us as a company to have a presence in UK and we believe Sonning Hockey Club ticks all the boxes that we’ve been looking for.”

Edward Butler, President of Sonning Hockey Club, said: “Like the vast majority of sports clubs across the country, Sonning Hockey Club has been impacted by the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, but we are looking forward to re-engaging with hockey with renewed vigour. We love our sport, but of equal importance is the social dynamic, which is integral to our club ethos. In this spirit, it gratifying to know that local people and organisations value our contribution within the local community and have demonstrated a willingness to support us in our efforts.

“It is with great excitement then that Sonning Hockey Club is pleased to announce our partnership with Osaka World and Eight Wealth Management. These relationships are a significant boost to our progress as an inclusive club. It is with sincere gratitude that we thank Lady May for making the time to officially open our new AstroTurf pitch. Her support as our MP is greatly appreciated.

“It is also of huge importance that we thank Berkshire County Sports Club. The Club’s tireless efforts to improve the facilities we enjoy reinforces our working relationship and friendship, and we hope it is our home for hockey for many years to come.”

Lorraine Sellwood, Director at Eight Wealth Management, said: “We pride ourselves on helping the local community and building supportive relationships. Sonning Hockey Club is a wonderful club where members can play high-level hockey, while enjoying the benefits of a busy and family-focused atmosphere. This is exactly the sort of club that we take pleasure in supporting and look forward to being a big part of Sonning Hockey Club for many years to come.”