Players of all levels are welcome to join Scottish Thistles Masters Hockey Club (Thistles) from those who have many full international caps to those who have taken up the game later in life. Nationality is not a barrier: if you want to play for Scottish Thistles you can. Membership of other Spirit of Masters clubs (e.g. England LX) is also not a restriction, nor is being part of an international team or organistation such as Scottish Masters Hockey. Umpires and non-playing members are also most welcome and many players make a break of the event dates taking their wives and partners on tour.
Membership is open to all players, male and female, aged 35 or over during the calendar year. Thistles membership at present costs £20.
To join Thistles we require: a) Information on who you are. b) Payment of the membership fee.
Note: Membership of Thistles is not the same as registering with or joining Scottish Masters Hockey. See below and FAQs for more details of this distinction.
a) Information on who you are
We are required to keep our database as up to date as possible and to do this we now have our own internal website form. If you are applying for membership then please complete this form. Each year we also ask all existing members to complete this form anew so that we have your latest details. To go to the page on our website with this form click the link below.
b) Payment of the membership fee
Transfer the membership fee (currently £20) to our account AND send an email detailing who you are and why you are making this payment to: treasurer@scottishthistleshockey.org
Account name SMLXHC Account 1
Account number 10000980
Sort code 83 - 00 - 50
Membership Years
The membership and registration "years" do not match up:
- Qualification for an age group is governed by World Masters Hockey (WMH) and based on turning the qualifying age (e.g. over 65) during the calendar year of the competition.
- Thistles membership is from 1st March for historic reasons and retained as most of our events occur from March until October.
- Scottish Hockey registration is from 1st September each year to align with their normal league season.
Team Selection
In November 2020 responsibility for all Scotland Masters full international teams passed to Scottish Masters Hockey, a body for all Masters age groups both men and women reporting directly to Scottish Hockey. The Scottish Thistles Masters Hockey Club is responsible for attending all "Spirit of Masters" events around the world as well as the multiple tournaments, festivals and social hockey matches we have always attended against other "Spirit of Masters" national based team.
For certain major tournaments the Thistles' Committee has introduced a selection system but otherwise the policy is no selection; thus for friendly Thistles fixtures all you have to do is apply; as part of the squad you will be guaranteed a fair share of pitch time. In the case of over-subscription for any event places will be allocated in a fair manner to give everyone the chance of playing as much Thistles hockey as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs)