St Albans Hockey Club and Oaklands College will host one of the most prestigious hockey tournaments in Europe next week.

The third Masters European Championships will run between August 22 and August 28 and will involve players over the age of 40.

The tournament is the biggest event in the club’s history and will see up to 600 players, officials and visitors from all over Europe attending each day.

There are 32 international elite men’s masters teams that will represent all four home nations as well as Holland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Belgium.

Tournament organiser Matt Leedham said: “We are delighted as a club to have been chosen to co-host the event which will run alongside the main European Hockey championships taking part at the Lee Valley Hockey centre this summer.

“Entrance at Oaklands College will be free and this will be a fantastic opportunity to see some former world-class international players.”

Entry to watch the Masters event at Oaklands will be free.

Matches will run throughout each day of competition, with the finals day on Friday, 28 August.

Matches are scheduled to start at 9am and will end at approximately 6.30pm.