Victorian Vikings

"Victoria Vikings" redirects here. For several athletic teams of the University of Victoria in Canada formerly known as the Victoria Vikings, see Victoria Vikes.
Victorian Vikings
Full name Victorian Vikings Hockey Club
Nickname(s) Vikings
Founded 1991
Ground State Netball and Hockey Centre
Melbourne, Australia
Capacity 7,500
League Australian Hockey League

The Victorian Vikings are a field hockey team which participate in Australia's national field hockey league, the AHL. The team is mostly made up of amateurs who participate in the Victorian State League Division 1. Previous to being known as the Victorian Vikings, the Victorian team have been referred to Melbourne Redbacks, VIS Redbacks and Azuma Vikings. The team's home stadium is the Victorian State Netball and Hockey Centre.[1]

Championships

Since their inception in the inaugural 1991 season, the Vikings have won 2 championships; the fourth most of any club in the league. These two championships came in the 1996 and 1998 competitions. They came second in 1991 season and have finished in 3rd place on numerous occasions.[2]

2009 squad

Player Victorian Club
Angus Allen KEW
Lachlan Anderson Essendon
George Bazeley Hawthorn
Andrew Beck Greensborough
Chris Ciriello Doncaster
Brett Dempster Doncaster
Luke Doerner Waverley
Russell Ford Doncaster
Declan Geraghty Camberwell
Matthew Guest Altona
Corey Joseph Waverley
Malcolm Kemp Greensborough
Aaron Kleinschmidt TEM
Paul Mackinnon Hawthorn
Alistair McKlennan Essendon
Josh Pollard Greensborough
David Pruden Essendon
Tom Scott Waverley
Glenn Simpson Greensborough
Heath Simpson Greensborough
Ian Smyth Greensborough
Tim Snow Doncaster
Will Unkles Camberwell
James Webster Camberwell

Notable players

Player
Stephen Mowlam
Jay Stacy
Colin Batch
Luke Doerner
Chris Ciriello
Andrew Smith
Jeremy Hiskins
David Shaw
Aaron Kleinshmidt
Travis Brooks
Glenn Simpson
Russell Ford
George Bazeley

[3]

Stadium

The team's home ground is the State Netball and Hockey Centre. which is located within a kilometer of the Melbourne CBD. The stadium has a capacity of about 4,500 with 1000 seats however capacity is expanded through temporary seating for big tournaments. The stadium was used for the 2006 Commonwealth games and will host the 2009 Champions league.

Women's Team

Since the women's competition was included into the AHL in 1993, the Victorian Vipers have experienced varying levels of success. The solitary championship was won in 2003. Notable women in the team which have represented the Hockeyroos include Louise Dobson and Rachel Imison.

References