It seems we were always going to be set for a busy summer following the announcement that the EIHA want to restructure the Hockey league set up in Britain, but this week that was ramped up following the announcement that five of the existing English Premier League [EPL] clubs had formally requested to join the National Ice Hockey League NIHL.
The demise of the EPL probably began last season when long-standing sides Bracknell Bees and Telford Tigers announced they had financial problems. That should have been a warning sign to the other teams but instead they pushed through a rule which increased the number of paid imports each side could use.
That was certainly the final nail in the coffin for a Manchester Phoenix side that were left ‘homeless’ the year before, following the controversial re-awakening of the Storm, who moved into their Altrincham rink and promptly kicked them out, forcing Tony Hand’s team to play games in Widnes and Deeside in an attempt to keep going.
It was finally too much for the Phoenix however and they reluctantly resigned from the league before the campaign was completed. Around the same time Milton Keynes Lightning and Guildford Flames both announced they had been accepted into the Elite League, meaning the EPL would shrink from ten members to seven and prompted EIHA chairman Ken Taggart to release a statement regarding the future of the structure.
Various meetings took place with the EIHA favouring a two-tier system [Elite League and NIHL with the EPL disbanding], while the remaining EPL sides countered with a ‘new’ competition called the Premier Ice Hockey League [PIHL] which would see the number of imports cut from five to three. However, Taggart admitted to having concerns over the financial sustainability of the proposed PIHL and ‘recommended’ that those sides gain entry into the two import NIHL via an email sent to the remaining seven sides on Sunday evening.
“Over the last months there has been discussion and face-to-face meetings between our clubs in the PIHL and NIHL around the future structure, especially in Tier 2. Our colleagues at IHUK have also been involved in these discussions to try and formulate a national UK-wide second tier of senior ice hockey. The current position is that not one of our current NIHL clubs are willing to commit to joining a Tier 2/Premier League structure so that leaves just seven clubs. It is my opinion that for those clubs a new Premier League would not be feasible and would be at risk should any of the issues that PIHL clubs went through this year surface again in the new season.
“My recommendation that they apply to join the NIHL structure would mean a lower cost base in terms of travelling and player budget and lower risk that financial issues could affect the whole league. NIHL South have their clubs’ meeting on 7th May with NIHL North shortly thereafter, so it was important to start the ball rolling as soon as possible once it was clear that the proposed Premier League was not viable.”
The few next few days following that announcement has seen a flurry of club statements as to their league future, but the first team to jump the sinking ship that is the EPL came as somewhat of a surprise. The Swindon Wildcats were seen as a model for success at that level so the announcement of Managing Director Steve Nell on Tuesday took many by surprise.
“After receiving the email from the Chairman and his thoughts regarding the sustainability of the EPIHL moving forward, we have taken the decision to make the application. The NIHL meeting will be on Sunday 7th May where the teams of the NIHL will hear our application”. Nell Said. “At the fans forum on Tuesday 28th February we told the fans we would keep them updated as and when we have more information to share. With that in mind we wanted to share the detail we know so far at the earliest possible opportunity. With regards to a season schedule for the 2017/18 season we will have to wait until after the meeting on 7th May before we can give any additional details to next year’s league structure and schedule.”
Nell then went on to reassure fans that there will be hockey in Swindon over the next few years and a further update will be made after a meeting due to be held on May 7. Swindon were already making plans for next season with the assumption they would be in the new PIHL and so some of their imports had been reduced. Robin Kovar was one of those that had left but Polish international Tomasz Malasinki had agreed to sign up for another season in Wiltshire. With the club making their announcement this week, to join the NIHL, it means a reduction from three to two imports, causing further headaches for next season plans.
Wildcats Statement: http://www.swindonwildcats.com/news/1243/club-statement-18-04-2017.html#.WPivImeGPcs
Later on Tuesday came news from Humberside that the Hull Pirates had made an application to join the NIHL Division 1 North. The fans in Hull have certainly been put through it in recent years, and were in the Elite League as recently as two season ago, before effectively being replaced by the Manchester Storm and taking up residence in the EPL for financial reasons.
Pirates owner Shane Smith said he made the decision to make the application following the email from Ken Taggart on Sunday. He admitted that the email was unexpected and was a curve ball from the governing body which he felt left his side with no other choice but to make the application.
“After we received the email from the Mr. Taggart containing his thoughts about the EPIHL, and how he saw the future, we took the difficult decision to make the application. The NIHL meeting will be in late May where the teams of the NIHL will hear our application. What we can also say is that there is still an alternative scenario, however we won’t know any more about this until the end of April. Again, once this has run its course we can let everyone know what hockey in Hull will look like for the 2017/18 season. We have always taken great pride in keeping our fans as informed as possible, and this is no exception, unfortunately we don’t know a great deal other than what we have said here so far.” Smith said.
“Although this is not the scenario we had in mind for the upcoming season, it has come about quite late in the day and so we have little choice as things stand. But make no mistake, we are building for the future, that’s what we said when we founded the club and that ambition remains the same. We will bring top flight hockey back to Hull within a stable organisation built on financially sound foundations. This is an opportunity to develop top British talent ready to perform at the highest level domestically and internationally. To underpin this ambition and our long term goals we can also announce that Jason Hewitt will be returning as player-coach. I am convinced that he is exactly the right person to bring success to Hull and his loyalty and positivity has been humbling. It would have been easy for Jason to have walked away, but he hasn’t, and that speaks volumes about him and his belief in our future. He is working tirelessly to build a team for the season to meet your expectations, we would ask you all to buy into our vision for the future.” He continued.
Pirates Statement: http://www.hullpirates.co.uk/HULL-PIRATES-ANNOUNCE-FUTURE-PLANS-n208/
Next up came Peterborough Phantoms who on Wednesday released their own statement, with owners Dave and Jo Lane echoing Hull’s sentiments about the email taking them by surprise. As far as they were aware the owners were awaiting news at their next meeting and had been in the process of planning next season in the PIHL. The Phantoms have reluctantly applied to join NIHL South but will still be looking for an alternative option of a rival league.
“We understand this is a turbulent time for fans across all of the leagues including the NIHL, but we will be doing our utmost to make sure Ice Hockey remains in the UK and locally. Phantoms want to compete at the highest level and pursue our team ethos in developing players to a high standard. The Phantoms are a strong and sustainable business model and have strong financial foundations, which we have built and worked hard on over the years”. Phantoms owners Dave & Jo Lane commented.
Phantoms Statement: http://www.gophantoms.co.uk/statement-from-the-owners/
With four teams remaining in the EPL it came as no surprise when the Sheffield Steeldogs announced they had made an application to join NIHL Division 1 North, a competition they last played in during the 2004-05 season as the Sheffield Scimitars. Indeed the Scimitars were champions three seasons in row between 2003-2005, and that prompted their decision to move up a level in the first place. Once again though the Steeldogs admitted the email came out of the blue with plans for the 2017-18 season well underway, but after considering the situation presented to them, owners Robin Grayson and Ali Cree made the decision to apply to the NIHL, with both taking the positives from what has unfolded.
“We have worked hard to include two way players and prospects over the last season as part of our development plan. The NIHL 1 league would also allow this to continue in an even bigger way, opening up the roster to even more talented young players, especially with a decreased import number. Due to the recent vote against the proposed Tier 2 structure by IHUK this does come as a surprise to many however I do feel that the possibility to join NIHL 1 we can work with this set of clubs who have grown a great league and also to continue to add further to its status. If approved the NIHL 1 League offers a clearer parity across the league as was seen in the run up to the playoffs held recently at Sheffield. A total of 6 teams were battling for the last few playoff places with only a week to go in the season. This is something I'm sure many of our fans would like to have seen in previous seasons gone by”. Cree said.
“We have always run the Steeldogs with a sensible and sustainable budget and will continue to do that in the future as we build on the good foundations we already have. Earlier today I spoke with Charles Dacres of the EIHA who advised me that our application was being looked upon favourably. We also chatted for some time about the opportunities for developing the league and British players going forward. Whilst this was not the direction we had planned to take the Steeldogs in this coming season, we will fully embrace the opportunity to help develop the league and British players to their full potential”. Grayson said.
Steeldogs statement: http://www.sheffieldsteeldogs.com/news/news-detail/2017/04/19/statement-from-the-owners
As we moved onto Thursday, it was a case of another day another club statement, this time from the Basingstoke Bison, who wanted to ‘clarify’ their position following the previous statements and reports from the clubs, with this announcement from a club official:
“Since Sunday evening robust conversations have been entered into with all stakeholders in order to fully understand what this means for the Bison moving forwards. We can now confirm that an application will be made to the EIHA for the Bison to enter NIHL South 1 and that the Bison will be active participants in the section meeting on 7th May, and will be looking at all opportunities and working alongside all stakeholders in order to discuss and agree how we can further develop the sport, bring talented youngsters onto the rosters and ensure that the Herd play at the highest, sustainable level possible within the current league structures. We thank the fans for their patience and once firm details are in place, we will update our fan base accordingly.”Bison Statement: http://www.bstokebison.co.uk/Individual_News/2017
That just leaves Bracknell and Telford who are yet to make an announcement, but given their financial issues over the last few years and the fact they have no wehre else to go, it seems increasingly likely we will hear from them sooner rather than later. But with all these announcements what does that actually mean for the existing members of the NIHL? One team, the Solihull Barons, felt they needed to speak out, if only to reassure their own fans, with chairman Andy Gordon, having this to say:
“The Premier Ice Hockey League appears to have folded due to the lack of teams available to compete next season. The remaining clubs have applied to join the appropriate NIHL North or South Leagues. Hull Pirates and Sheffield Steeldogs have applied to join the NIHL North. The APL Solihull Barons are being kept up to date by the league chairman as to the facts of the matter. We understand there is a level of uncertainty, however we welcome any financially prudent development that is for the benefit to the sport – for the players; supporters and sponsors and allows ice hockey in this country to progress. We will keep you all updated on any facts that emerge over the upcoming weeks. The APL Solihull Barons see it as business as usual and will continue to build a team ready to compete for next seasons league trophy whoever it is we are playing against. The last season was extremely competitive and we look forward to celebrating this at our Presentation Night on 29th April at 8pm in the Ice Rink Function Room. Look forward to seeing you all there!”
Barons statement: http://solihull-barons.net/new/
Of course with all these announcements going on, it will create uncertainty but what do we know for definite right now? Hull Pirates and Sheffield Steeldogs have applied to join NIHL Division 1 North, with Swindon Wildcats, Peterborough Phantoms and Basingstoke Bison having applied to join NIHL Division 1 South. The important word here is ‘applied’ meaning they have not joined yet. The applications are going to be considered but by no means are they a slam dunk. NIHL League Manager Richard Carpenter said:
“At this time, we can confirm that five clubs have made applications to join the NIHL for the 2017/18 season with others to follow. These applications will be considered in the usual fashion at the section meetings. NIHL South will be holding its section meeting on Sunday 7th May, with NIHL North meeting shortly afterwards. At the moment, we are continuing to collect information from the member teams of the (E)PIHL & existing NIHL sides to confirm their intentions for the 2017/18 season and we look to announce further information about this over the coming weeks.”
It seems to me the five clubs who have so far applied to join the NIHL have done so out of necessity, with the view to hoping some sort of agreement or a rival league being organised before the 2017-18 season gets underway. Realistically, that doesn’t seem likely to happen given the EIHA’s preferred choice being to disband the EPL and have all those clubs under the NIHL umbrella. The Ice on the Humber blog has already come up with some interesting ideas on how to move forward and although there will be several more twists and turns between now and next September, it seems they have the most logical one.
Ice on the Humber article: https://www.iceonthehumber.co.uk/single-post/2017/04/19/Where-Next-Tier-2-Turmoil-Continues
That’s a lot to consider but for what it’s worth here are my opinions on the matter.
Let’s start with how things finished in NIHL Division 1 North just earlier this month. The four ‘big’ Northern teams, Whitley, Solway, Billingham and Blackburn finished last season with the most points in the division and would be expected to feature in the push for honours next season too. Throw in the likes of Midland’s giants Solihull Barons who came desperately close to toppling the champions, Solway in the playoff semi-finals and you already have a competitive mix. Then there is Deeside who surprised a few teams this season under the guidance of Scott McKenzie and of course Sutton. If Hull and Sheffield were to join that set of teams we would have an even stronger league next season.
There has of course been some complaints that the teams will simply walk straight into the competition and very likely dominate given their resources, not to mention that when Solway wanted to join from the Scottish National League back in 2011, they were forced to start off life in Division 2 and gain promotion on the ice.
Allowing those teams to join will potentially mean some established NIHL teams missing out on the playoffs for next season, in particular my own team, the Whitley Warriors who are most likely to suffer more than most, given the fact they operate without any imports. Indeed, even without the arrival of Sheffield, Hull et al the Warriors are most likely going to be in a relegation scrap next season. Their dip in form during the run in was alarming and without significant strengthening to their roster, they will be odds on favourites for the drop in 2018. All the existing teams around the Warriors operate with two imports so perhaps it is to be expected the likes of Solway, Billingham, Blackburn and Solihull would finish above them. But when the likes of newly promoted Deeside can afford to sign Finnish and Slovakian players, questions really should be asked as to why money is not being made available at Hillheads. With up to three former EPL sides ‘dropping down’ next season with imports already in place it pushes the Warriors even further down the pecking order. Now surely is the time for rink management to back coach David Longstaff with some much needed talent.
Despite all that though, I am actually hoping Sheffield and Hull do join. The Steeldogs are returning to the place they were originally, when they were the Scimitars, and following the demise of the team that replaced them at this level, the Spartans, it means having a Sheffield team back in the league is a positive thing. The Steel City is a place that is a real hot bed of hockey and in iceSheffield they have a top class facility to go with it. As for the Pirates, it’s been a long time since a team based in Hull has played in Division 1, and even longer still since the Warriors faced the side that once started life as the Humberside Sea Hawks. Hull is another great place to have hockey, and is a venue that the league has needed on its schedule for some time. Trips to Sheffield and Hull to compliment the ones already in place such as Blackburn and Dumfries makes it an exciting prospect for the travelling fans.
Although the Telford Tigers are yet to announce their intentions just yet, it would appear they will join the NIHL and presumably take up residence in the Northern section. Their junior team were relegated just this season, and with the Blackburn Eagles being forced into folding and unable to take their place, it seems the Tigers will be replaced by… well, the Tigers.
All three teams, if they were to join of course, would add something to an already great league. The competition will expand from eight to ten teams and all three already have junior teams in Division 2, making it possible to continue with their junior development.
As for the South, it seems slightly more complicated. Basingstoke, Bracknell and Peterborough already have ‘reserve’ sides in that division so some of them will either have to move down a division or possibly even fold to pave the way for their senior side. However, I’m sure that will all happen in due course.
One idea that was mentioned, was that with the likes of Sheffield, Hull and Telford now in the same league as the likes of Whitley and Billingham, some of those British players on their roster might well head home. If say you were from Newcastle, but were currently employed by the Steeldogs, and you know that you are going to be in the same league next season as the Warriors, why wouldn’t you decide to re-sign for your home town club. Here’s hoping the likes of Jamie Pattison, Tom Ralph and Sam Zajac want to return home to help bolster the Warriors roster.
To sum up, there is still plenty of organisation to be carried out before we know what the NIHL will look like next season, so let’s not jump too far ahead just yet. But for someone who has been clamouring for the return to the old Heineken Premier League era this is the first step towards that. Roll on September.
Other interesting articles of note was an open letter written by former British player Doug Clarkson to the EIHA, stating how disappointed he was with the level of quality in this country:
While the BIHA website has a few take on the matter:
No comments:
Post a Comment