About Btsc

“Improving the life conditions of local people through sporting, health and wellbeing opportunities for the whole community in the interest of social welfare”.

“Barford Tigers Sports Club is a Sports and Wellbeing hub to promote community participation in healthy recreation by inspiring active and fulfilling lifestyles for local people”.

Barford Tigers Hockey Club (BTHC) is a leading Birmingham-based hockey club. It was founded in 1966 and is currently based at Hamstead Hall Academy (HHA) in Handsworth, Birmingham B20 1HL. The club fields 5 Men’s, 2 Women’s and 1 Under 16’s team each week in structured league hockey, as well as supporting a thriving junior section of 50+ children drawn from the surrounding area. The club is firmly rooted in the local community, and the club’s goal has always been to be a sporting model of excellence both on and off the pitch in one of the most deprived wards of the city.

BTHC has been operational since 1966 as a single sport hockey club with no physical assets and with a legal status of an Unincorporated Association registered with the HRMC as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status, and affiliate with England Hockey. The club is run by a Management Committee which is elected each year at the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) as per the clubs officially adopted constitution.

In recent years, the club’s scope for further development has been hampered by the limited facilities offered at HHA. This has had a direct negative impact on the growth of junior participation which is particularly important in terms of both growing the game of hockey, in line with the National Governing Body’s (England Hockey) stated objectives and serving an unmet local community need.

BTHC has delivered three beacon community projects in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons which have scope for major expansion in future years. The recent BTHC Junior Hockey Festival saw 150 school-age children at the U8, U10, and U12 level participate in competitive matches, which was a first for many of the local children. This was delivered with generous support from local businesses, which have a longstanding relationship with the club. The BTHC Aspirations Programme, an initiative designed to provide talented local players with high-performance training and development delivered by members of the current Men’s 1st XI (“M1s”) team, is another pillar of the club’s engagement with the local community. The programmes were delivered in Sutton Coldfield, at their Commonwealth Games Legacy Facility, giving this cohort of teenagers the opportunity to feel what it looks like to play at the highest level. The BTHC Scholarship Scheme provides funding for local schoolchildren to receive all playing equipment, including shoes, shin pads, gumshields, and hockey sticks, to ensure financing is not a barrier to participation in a low-income area of the city.

The lack of community support and desire from HHA for the upkeep and improvement of the facilities has driven the need for BTHC to actively seek new premises to secure the long-term growth and sustainability of the club, comprising of both a playing pitch and clubhouse facilities.

The objects of the Society shall be for the public benefit to:

Promote community participation in healthy recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of Birmingham and surrounding areas by the provision of facilities for playing Hockey, Football, Cricket, Tennis, Badminton, Kabaddi and other sports.

Without distinction of age, sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life, health and wellbeing of the public.

Barford Tigers Sports Club Limited (Registration Number: 8916) is registered by the FCA under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. 

The present BTSC Board consists of three Founder Directors, two Appointed Directors and two further co-opted Directors. The Appointed Directors are representatives of Barford Tigers Hockey Club and the Co-opted Directors for their skills and experience to further community benefits.

• England Hockey, the national governing body for hockey.
• Sporting Equals, set up by Sport England in 1998 in partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality.
• England Kabaddi Association, the national governing body for Kabaddi in England.
• Aston Villa Foundation
• Hamstead Diamonds Football Club
• Aston University – Civic Engagement and Sporting partner
• Birmingham City University – Sporting partner
• Birmingham Indoor Netball League
• Bidgley Power Badminton League
• Hamstead Lawn Tennis Club
• Kash the Flash Martial Arts and Fitness

Introducing this state-of-the-art sports complex in inner-city Birmingham represents a significant investment in both the community's wellbeing and sustainability. This development is poised to deliver multiple benefits, spanning environmental, social, and economic domains. By integrating modern sustainable practices and fostering community engagement, the sports complex can serve as a model for urban regeneration and sustainable development.

Sourcing materials and services from local businesses and partners of Barford Tigers Sports Club will reduce the carbon footprint further by:

• Lower Transportation Emissions: Locally sourced materials and services will minimise the need for long-distance transportation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with freight and logistics.
• Decreased Energy Usage: Shorter supply chains will require less fuel and energy for the transportation of goods, further lowering the overall environmental impact.

Economic Multiplier Effect: Money spent locally will tend to stay within the community, generating additional economic activity and supporting other local businesses and services.