I used to go watch the Manchester Phoenix before they dropped down to the English Premier Ice Hockey League.
So the standard of the EPL isn't entertaining enough for you then? The players may be less skilled but the fact it's a lot less predictable and more competitive than the Elite league makes up for that IMO.
So the standard of the EPL isn't entertaining enough for you then? The players may be less skilled but the fact it's a lot less predictable and more competitive than the Elite league makes up for that IMO.
I'm the same, the first EPL season was fun for the novelty but last season I barely bothered because I didn't enjoy a single game. Haven't even bothered this season, which as someone who has followed hockey since the first Storm game and worked for Phoenix in both voluntary and paid capacities - where in the latter the decision to walk out on the team altogether started - is an odd feeling. My reasons do run far deeper than that but the hockey on display is as big a reason as any. I've seen one domestic game this season and that was the last Shuff vs Notts game at the NIC which I did enjoy and made me long for the EIHL again, I've actually watched as many DEL games live since the start of 2011 as British ones.
No, none of us do, it's 100% voluntary, even Johan who runs it. I hold down a regular 9-5 job as well. I (and my wife) wish I did get paid for it, it's my dream job and its not rare for me to do as much EP work as 'proper' work on any given day between my lunch breaks and time at home.
No, none of us do, it's 100% voluntary, even Johan who runs it. I hold down a regular 9-5 job as well. I (and my wife) wish I did get paid for it, it's my dream job and its not rare for me to do as much EP work as 'proper' work on any given day between my lunch breaks and time at home.
You've done a really good job on there recently, I noticed you've now added all the U18 players and filled in loads of gaps with birthdays. Would it be possible for you to get links to the ENL and U18's on the main leagues page for easier accessibility?
You've done a really good job on there recently, I noticed you've now added all the U18 players and filled in loads of gaps with birthdays. Would it be possible for you to get links to the ENL and U18's on the main leagues page for easier accessibility?
Yup, been through all of them for this season and I've been working my way backwards through the seasons for ENL and U18, currently on 08/09 at the moment. Going to see how far I can go. DOBs and other stuff are usually coming from the players or coaches themselves (Mark Cuddihy in particular has helped a ton, though not quite as much as you did), got quite a network of contacts building up but getting clubs to contact me back when I'm the one doing the asking is nigh-on impossible so I just wait for the enquiries.
Yup, been through all of them for this season and I've been working my way backwards through the seasons for ENL and U18, currently on 08/09 at the moment. Going to see how far I can go. DOBs and other stuff are usually coming from the players or coaches themselves (Mark Cuddihy in particular has helped a ton, though not quite as much as you did), got quite a network of contacts building up but getting clubs to contact me back when I'm the one doing the asking is nigh-on impossible so I just wait for the enquiries.
And I can ask, it shouldn't be a problem.
Sounds good, I just want to point out with the Swindon juniors the team in Division 1 is the Cougars, and the B team we had in division 2 for two seasons was the Lions (the Pumas are actually the U16 team) so on my profile it should say I played for the Cougars in 08/09 and then the Lions or Pumas in 09/10.
It will make it a lot easier to have it on the main page, it saves me having to search a team name or going to the EIHL/EPIHL team pages then affiliated teams to look at stats from ENL or U18.
Also where do you get height and weight measurement info from? I notice a lot that don't look very accurate
Sounds good, I just want to point out with the Swindon juniors the team in Division 1 is the Cougars, and the B team we had in division 2 for two seasons was the Lions (the Pumas are actually the U16 team) so on my profile it should say I played for the Cougars in 08/09 and then the Lions or Pumas in 09/10.
It will make it a lot easier to have it on the main page, it saves me having to search a team name or going to the EIHL/EPIHL team pages then affiliated teams to look at stats from ENL or U18.
Also where do you get height and weight measurement info from? I notice a lot that don't look very accurate
Ta, changed the team name to Lions.
I get h/w from either IIHF teamsheets or websites if players don't send them in themselves, I've heard a few times that the IIHF ones are using old data so they might not be accurate and British team websites are almost all terrible and/or outdated too. The Chris Verwisjt tournament also provides them. You know the drill if there's any you can see are wrong.
Can you fix on my profile where it says both Cougars and Lions in 08/09, it should just say Cougars, being really nitpicky but it bothers me
Also, the date for the "Referee's Rumble" charity game has now been confirmed for 4th August in Coventry. The South officials will be taking on the Northern officials once again, last year the North beat us 8-7 in a shootout (or in true HFBoards fashion; the gimmicky skills competition). The charity for this year hasn't been confirmed yet, but last year we raised over £800 for Cancer Research. We didn't get as large a crowd as we would have hoped, but a fair few fans donned their team jerseys and made the trip for the chance to shout at us when we're not wearing the stripes Just thought I would try to raise some awareness on here if anyone would be interested, there won't be a fixed entry fee at the door but you will be expected to make a donation
Last edited by Imaginary Threats: 03-22-2012 at 06:40 PM.
Is there a 3,000 to 4,000 seat venue in London is the question.
Infrastructure is in my opinion what is holding hockey back.
The Super League tried large expensive arenas and the cost killed it.
Travel and innner politics killed the BNL.
EIHL has what 4(?) arena teams the rest are in the 2,000 or so seat rinks with some only having 6 or 700 hardcore fans.
It's an evolution lots of starts and stops.
I would say break even is in the 2,000 attendance range but a 3,000 seater allows for that extra for big games. What's the EIHL business model for costs? What's the EIPL business model for costs and revenue to break even maybe 1,000?
What do the leagues do to cost share travel or pass on revenue from league wide sponsors?
Football in the motherland of the game is number 1 thru 10 on casual fans minds.
But if nice intimate 3,000 to 4,000 seaters can be built there's lots of room for pro hockey.
Is there a 3,000 to 4,000 seat venue in London is the question.
Infrastructure is in my opinion what is holding hockey back.
The Super League tried large expensive arenas and the cost killed it.
Travel and innner politics killed the BNL.
EIHL has what 4(?) arena teams the rest are in the 2,000 or so seat rinks with some only having 6 or 700 hardcore fans.
It's an evolution lots of starts and stops.
I would say break even is in the 2,000 attendance range but a 3,000 seater allows for that extra for big games. What's the EIHL business model for costs? What's the EIPL business model for costs and revenue to break even?
Football in the motherland of the game is number 1 thru 10 on casual fans minds.
But if nice intimate 3,000 to 4,000 seaters can be built there's lots of room for pro hockey.
Only the O2 Arena, and the council sure as hell won't build a new one, the new Streatham rink is only being built by Tesco because they knocked the other one down to build on the land. The council would rather dig up roads, you're probably tired of hearing me say that but it's the truth. They recently got rid of a roundabout in my town and put in a complicated traffic light system where only the buses can turn right, and it adds at least 5 minutes onto my journey home from college so I've had to use an alternate route, even the buses don't like it because they're sat at traffic lights for ages.
The Super League failed because the owners went nuts bringing in imports, an ITC card alone costs around £800 nowadays, and then they ran off with all the money when things got tough (the reason Basingstoke dropped down to EPL) Though in Tony Hand's book he said when he was coaching he tried to stick to as tight a budget as possible, and only brought in imports who were single, among other factors which I can't remember.
I don't know enough about the EIHL to tell you what their business model is except for what Tony Hand did, though most teams try to sign local Brits. Cardiff have 7 Welsh players, and 3 English though Burrows went to Cardiff uni and came up through the ENL team. All of Edinburgh, Fife, and Dundee's Brits are Scottish except for Nathan Craze the Edinburgh goalie. Edinburgh are running with all EU imports and Fife have a couple.
In the EPL Sheffield Steeldog's coach Andre Payette has gone for a local youth movement, with all his Brits coming from around the Sheffield area, and the team has an average age of 22. Bracknell and Telford are both run by the Supporters Trust, so their main goal is just to break even, and if they get a little extra revenue they can improve the team for next season. Slough are not a self-sufficient club, their owner Zoran Kozic is ridiculously rich and keeps pumping money in so he can play for the ENL team, although he recently threw the toys out of the pram and told all the ENL players they had to start paying subs, and a majority of them left. Swindon does a ton of stuff in the community with schools, like learn to skate programs and school field trips at home games, the owner also runs the junior club so there's a very close connection there.
I spoke to the manager of the Swindon ENL2 team a couple of years ago and he said they just about broke even for that season, with the players paying £50 a month and charging around £5 at the door with crowds less than 100. At Basingstoke ENL2, we pay £65 a month charging similar prices at the door, with similar crowds except for when Gosport come up and bring a bunch of fans. Our manager says we still have a little spare money left so we could continue training for a few more weeks after the season ends. All of our money goes towards ice time, and we have to leave £250 for referees every home game, but that's only if they max out the mileage travelled.
Last edited by Imaginary Threats: 03-23-2012 at 03:05 PM.
Been to Romford....shudder...never again. Was quite glad to wave goodbye to their fans when they dropped down thats for sure.
Lol, I asked Ian Hayden (one of the head ref guys) will I be in range of Romford when I'm at Reading uni and he didn't answer It's more than a 200 mile round trip to Romford from Swindon, so I've never been sent there luckily Romford fans are definitely the Philadelphia of English hockey, refs have security escort from the ice to the dressing room because you have to walk through the fans
On a positive note, I lined Bracknell U14's today and a top player was Sam Duggan, younger brother of Tom Duggan. His skating ability, hands, and passing were elite for that level, and he was a shooter at one of my goalie camps and could shoot to the same standard of the U18 shooters there. He's also fairly tall for his age, but his teammate (Josh Smith I think) towered over everyone, and wasn't a typical big guy who couldn't skate, his dad is the coach so I assume he has taught him to use his size like James Norris says. I have every faith that the Bracknell coaches will teach these guys how to actually play the game, because at that level you can dominate if you can skate and have good hands, it doesn't matter if you can't shoot because the goalies don't stop a lot of pucks at that age. That's why a lot of prolific scorers in the B leagues end up being busts, because at that level they can just skate and stickhandle around everyone, which doesn't work when you get to a higher level. Those two players are the two top scorers in the league.
First time I've ever ventured into this thread and I see us being compared to Flyers fans. Whoops, haha.
I haven't seen a Romford game since they were in the EPL, but your reputation proceeds you the away contingency always behaved themselves in Swindon though
Going to be an exciting race for the final playoff spot. The Bees seem to match up well against the Flames, maybe you could cause an upset in the first round of the playoffs against them. An amazingly competitive year for the EPL though, except for first and last place all the other spots are still up for grabs for playoff matchups. Slough seem to have problems with Swindon and they might end up playing each other in the first round if Slough can take 3rd from Sheffield and Swindon take 6th from Basingstoke.
From the sounds of it some of you do some sort of work for the league(s)?
Is that true? Would love to get involved somehow.
I'm a referee. Can you skate well? If so I can give you details of how to get a place on a linesman course, coaching is also an option again if you can skate and do basic puck stuff. There's also the option of taking a manager course if you can't skate, that job is a lot of hard work though and involves arranging fixtures and completing team sheets for games. If you're interested you could contact your local club and they will send you on a course.
I can't skate to save my life. I'm more an office job but a managerial job would be interesting.
I'll not be able to do anything until August at the earliest though.
There are also secretary and treasurer positions, which you might be more suited to. What is your closest team? August is perfect timing because the season starts in September, if the team websites are useless you can ask Mattski for contact info since he has connections.
IMO managers, secretaries and treasurers are the backbone of the system since we would have no organised fixtures without them.
Damn. Even with beating Sheffield in the last game of the season, the Clan finish equal on points with Coventry but behind them on total wins. Means we have to play Nottingham instead of Cardiff which would have been way easier. Oh well, hope the boys put up a good show on Tuesday and give themselves a chance for next saturday.
Just thought I would try to raise some awareness on here if anyone would be interested, there won't be a fixed entry fee at the door but you will be expected to make a donation
Romford fans are definitely the Philadelphia of English hockey, refs have security escort from the ice to the dressing room because you have to walk through the fans 
