Kingston Diamonds Surpass 1,000 Matches

East Yorkshire’s only women’s ice hockey club, the Kingston Diamonds, have surpassed 1,000 club matches as one of the longest established teams in the Hull Ice Arena.

Since their formation in 1990, the club has continued to be one of the largest in the UK, with teams currently competing across the WNIHL Elite, WNIHL 1, WNIHL 2, and U16 leagues.

On the club reaching the 1,000-match milestone, head coach Tim Healand said: “For the club, it has been a great achievement to reach this milestone, and to do it in such good health as a club as well is great.”

“We had a great time celebrating with some of our players from the past, and although it was the Elite team that were playing, we had lots of current players from all of the teams there to celebrate with us.”

With over 70 players playing for their four teams in the 2024–25 season, the Diamonds have continued to grow during their tenure at the Hull Ice Arena.

The Diamonds have achieved a multitude of successes over their 1,000 matches, and thanks to the success of both the Elite League and WNIHL1 teams, they were featured as one of the 15 clubs at last season's finals weekend.

On what the achievement means for women’s hockey in Hull and across Yorkshire, Healand said: “I think as a club it reinforces what we have been doing over the past 30+ years and shows that women’s sport is alive and well in Hull.”

“(It also shows we) can also attract players from far and wide to come here to play, as we have created an attractive environment for the girls to play in.”

Kingston Diamonds have also used their 30+ years of existence to boost women’s sport in Hull and Yorkshire, with this season in particular seeing an increase in their profile across the wider community.

The club, along with their fellow women’s ice hockey league teams, has also fought for women’s sport and used their achievements, such as their 1,000th match, to fight for equality across sport.

On what the club’s 1000th match means for women’s sport, Healand said: “This season has seen a big rise in social media coverage, radio interviews, and even a short piece on the TV a couple of seasons ago, so we are getting our name out to the wider community.”

“We are currently exploring some ties with other female teams in other sports in the Hull area, as we believe we can forge a good partnership with them and help each other to promote women’s sport in the region.”

The club also plays a signifcant role in getting women and girls into sport, and their 1,000th match shows just how successful women’s sport can be, so the club encourages schools and local girls sports teams to get in contact and come to watch the Diamonds in action.