History of field hockey a winter activity. They experimented with a ‘stick’ game, based loosely on the rules of association football. Teddington played the game on the smooth outfield of their cricket pitch and used a cricket ball, so allowing smooth and predictable motion. By 1874 they had begun to draw up rules for their game, including banning the raising of the stick above shoulder height and stipulating that a shot at goal must take place within the circle in front of it. An association was formed in 1875, which dissolved after seven years, but in 1886 the Hockey Association was formed by seven
The 16' Club place accurately, as so much documentation from the pre-war era has been lost, however a volume recently published by HarperCollins places the approximate foundation of the club at 1874-6. There existed a body of students in the 1830 to 1850s who banded together in secrecy to flout the strict rules which forbade students from appearing in the town without their gown, "communicating" with local women and frequenting the local alehouses. It is this tradition which the Club has made itself known for following. Today, The 16' Club is solely a dining club, though vestiges of the Club's clerical origin remain