Subs very first official game was held against Fremantle way back on Saturday 20th May 1922 at 3pm.

The game was held at the Fremantle Esplanade and players were instructed to catch the 2pm train from Perth.

Suburban was established by Dr Don 'Trigger' Tregonning who was a doctor that lived in the Nedlands area and loved to play hockey. He decided to start a hockey club because lots of men were interested in playing hockey.

In 1922 some men of the Royal Artillery visited Perth for leave. Whilst here they played a hockey match against a local team and then refreshed at the United Services (U.S.) Hotel (St Georges Terrace, near Barrack St intersection). Mine host offered to hav e their shirts laundered and the British accepted.

The Royal Artillery were called away urgently from Perth thus abandoning their shirts. Dr Tregonning (who was in the throes of organising a new team), was having a drink at the U.S. when the publican offered him the set of shirts, which he accepted. The colours - navy with red trim, which remains Subs' colours to this day.

Subs did not have its own hockey field or club rooms in 1922 and until 1955 rented change rooms at the Esplanade Kiosk in Perth where they trained. In 1955 Subs were allocated a ground at Hollywood on the north side of Verdun St, which is the current site of the C block of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. There were four fields around the lake, and the club rooms first used were an old cowshed which belonged to Mods! The grounds used at Hollywood used to be a dairy farm.

In 1961 Subs took over Highview Park next to the Hollywood Bowling Club on Verdun St which was later named Tregonning Field and re mains our club rooms to this day. The land was previously used as a tennis club. On the 4th of April 1964 there was an official opening of Tregonning Field by Charles Smith, Mayor of Nedlands City Council. There was a non stop program of hockey under lights, culminating with WA vs The Rest at 9:15pm. All clubs were invited to send one uniformed player to bear their club pennant and parade.

There were only 5 teams in the WAHA competition back in 1922, the others being Perth, Fremantle, Claremont, and Navy & Military Club. Subs won the 1st division premiership in their first season and continued to be a dominant force, playing in a remarkable 9 grand finals in a row, winning the premiership in 1923, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 1930 (runners up in 1928 and 1929). This was in addition to winning the Challenge Cup in 1926, 27,28,29 and 1930.

Overall Suburban has won 12 first division WAHA premierships with premierships wins also in 1941, 1982, 83, 84 and 87 (the 82, 83, 84 victories lead by Captain/Coach Peter Freitag and form the basis of the club song) thus making Subs the third most successful club of all time (and most successful of current clubs).

WAHA 1st Division Historical Club Premierships (1908 - 2008) (source WAHA)

Club 1st Div. Premierships

Cricketers 21
Perth 13
Suburban 12
University of WA 10
YMCA Perth/YMCC 9
Curtin Trinity Pirates/Tigers 4
Wesley South Perth 3
CBC (Trinity) 3
Claremont 3
Fremantle 3
Old Aquinians 3
Wilberforce 3
Old Modernians 2
Guildford 2
Victoria Park 2
Cottesloe 1
Westside Wolves 1

Note: Cricketers merged with Old Scotch Collegians, Grads Women's in 1987 to form Westside Wolves.

Subs Song - http://www.subs.org/uploads/SuburbanHockeyClubSong.pdf