Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre

Eton Manor takes its name from Eton College, which from the 1880s had run a "mission" to raise living standards in the East End of London.

In 1909 four Old Etonian philanthropists founded Eton Manor Boys' Club to provide sporting facilities in the Hackney area, purchasing the former Manor Farm in 1913. In 1920 an old rubbish tip site was converted into the club's new sports ground, known as The Wilderness. Facilities included nine football pitches, two rugby pitches, cricket pitches, six tennis courts, a bowling green, a squash court and a running track. Eton Manor Boys' Club closed in 1967 and the club ground fell into disuse in 2001 before being selected for use during the 2012 Olympic Games.

The charitable trust set up in 1924 to run and support Eton Manor Boys' Club still continues with different aims and a new name, Villiers Park Educational Trust.[3]

Four sports clubs originating from Eton's "mission" are still in existence:

• Eton Manor R.F.C.,[4] now playing at The New Wilderness ground in Wanstead
• Eton Manor F.C., now groundshare and are playing their matches at Waltham Abbey's ground in Waltham Abbey
• Eton Manor A.C.,[5] meeting at Waltham Forest Track and Pool in Walthamstow (young athletes) and The Cottage, Marsh Lane, in Leyton (senior athletes)
• Eastern Otters Water Polo Club (formerly Eton Otters) who currently play at the new Becontree Heath Leisure Centre in Dagenham (www.eastenotters.co.uk)

Eton College has a second connection to the 2012 Olympic Games, as the rowing events were held at the college's private facility, Dorney Lake.

During the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Eton Manor, was the only purpose-built Paralympic venue, where it hosted the wheelchair tennis. The venue was made up of nine competition courts and four warm-up courts.[6]

There were a total of 10,500 seats for spectators, with a 5,000 capacity centre court. The 27-acre site also housed temporary training pools for participants in aquatics events, including three 50m pools for swimmers and smaller pools for synchronised swimmers and water polo competitors.[7]

Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre has staged a number of major international events. These include the European Hockey Championships in 2015, the Women's Champions Event in 2016, the Men's World League Round 3 in 2017Hockey Women's World Cup in 2018 and the Mens and Ladies World Pro-League from 2019 and ongoing.[15][16]

It has already staged the Wheelchair Tennis Masters competition in November 2014, 2015 and 2016, comprising the world's leading tennis players.

Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy was commissioned to write a poem which has been installed at Eton Manor, to celebrate its history and the legacy it will leave for the community after the Games.

The poem is erected onto a brass plaque at the entrance to the venue and was part of the Winning Words initiative, a national poetry scheme inspired by London 2012 which integrated permanent and temporary poetry on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.[17]

The centre offers Pay and Play sport to the local community and nationally. There are two England National League clubs that play their hockey at Lee Valley. These are East London Hockey Club and Wapping Hockey Club. In addition Crostyx Hockey Club, Tower Hamlets Hockey Club and Waltham Forest Hockey Club also play a significant amount of matches during their league season.

There is a strong University Sport presence at Lee Valley with teams from the Queen Mary University London, St. Barts & the Royal London, London School of Economics, London School of Oriental and African Studies, City University, South Bank University, University of the Arts, East London University, Goldsmiths University London and Kings College London. Many of these teams compete annually for the Lee Valley University Cup, a competition held in early October.

• 2012 Paralympics profile
• Lee Valley Regional Park Authority