This coming weekend will see the Fife Flyers take on the Dundee Stars in their inaugural Elite League game. It will be the Flyers first ‘pro hockey’ game since the collapse of the British National League in 2005, while I am genuinely delighted for the Flyers organisation and their fans, there is also some disappointment hiding in the background. While in theory it wasn’t a planned replacement, the Flyers have taken the place of the Newcastle Vipers in the Elite League. It was a personal disappointment seeing the Vipers fold last season but the right decision for the club, the credibility of the sport in the North East as well as the Elite League as a whole. Personally I think adding the Flyers is huge for the Elite League, like North America, British Ice Hockey has hockey markets and Kirkcaldy is certainly one of those. I believe the Flyers in time will become a very strong Elite League organisation.
Back to the North East, a number of people have recently asked me what my thoughts are on the future, not only if the Vipers will have one but what it holds for Ice Hockey in the North East. Right now I do believe we are at a crossroads for the sport in the area, a fundamental mistake was made back in 1995 when the Newcastle Sporting Club decided to purchase the Durham Wasps and since then hockey in the area has been on a downward spiral. A lot of decisions made going back to the mid nineties has seen the area slip from it’s hotbed status it had then to currently boasting only two third division but proud teams in the Whitley Warriors and Billingham Stars. Credit must go to the Warriors and junior clubs who have continued to fly the flag for the North East despite the changing environment around them.
Looking towards the future, I do think the Warriors and the Stars need to be supported. These two organisations are the future of Ice Hockey in the North East as things currently stand. While I appreciate that English National League hockey is not to everyone’s taste, maybe the only sustainable level in the North East going forward is ENL. I don’t foresee Elite League hockey returning to the area anytime soon, it has been shown that without a new facility it just isn’t viable in it’s present format. English Premier League hockey isn’t an option either in it’s current form, due to it’s geographical proximity to the south. The Vipers investigated the possibility of going EPL in the summer of 2009, however it just wasn’t an option for the EIHA standpoint, or viable financially viable for the Vipers or the other EPL members clubs.
For the Vipers the future is very much open right now. People have suggested to me that if Ice Hockey were to return in Newcastle it should return under a new image, that’s something I strongly disagree with. Even through the ups and downs of the Vipers throughout the nine year history, one aspect was that the name became the most recognisable link associated with Ice Hockey in Newcastle going back to the opening of the Newcastle Arena in 1995. To the general public, potential sponsors and the local media there is nothing more damaging to the credibility of a strange North American sport than constantly changing names. In Newcastle, there has been four team names in a period of fifteen years, taking into account the Vipers we’re in existence for nine of these. We worked hard to build a recognisable image for the Vipers, the club has history which no other Newcastle based club could previously boast and that is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Upon deciding to remove the Vipers out of the Elite League in April, the possibility of ENL hockey was investigated and this could well be an option for the near future. In hindsight it’s something maybe that should have been attempted for this season so those that wanted to support it could, while appreciating there would be a number of people who wouldn’t want to watch ENL. In the short to medium term with Elite League or EPL hockey not really being a viable option, I do think the North East’s interest must be invested in the local ENL teams. Obviously we now know there was an attempt to put professional hockey into Whitley through Derek Campbell which unfortunately failed to materialise and I know of a consortium who investigated putting Elite League hockey back into the Metro Radio Arena, but to produce a competitive product worthy of the high rental costs, projections were a £250k loss in year one! Taking into consideration the economic downturn, that just isn’t feasible for anyone at the present time.
Something that has been mentioned time after time is the fact that the North East is screaming out for a new ice facility and it’s something I believe will happen. There is currently a working group of people who’ve been involved in different aspects of hockey in the area trying to press ahead with regards to assisting and driving forward possible projects. In addition to the dormant Gateshead project, I am aware of another ice rink project in the pipeline but with the majority of current facilities losing money all major outlay on such buildings are currently pending.
While it’s probably the lowest point for North East Ice Hockey in fifty years, I do believe there will be some benefit comes out of the current situation. Hockey in the area has always been built on the people and the rivalries; it isn’t a cash rich region in terms of disposable income so whatever happens in the future an affordable and entertaining product must be put on the ice and if that is in the ENL or in a new Northern Premier League so be it!
Follow me on Twitter: @garethchalmers
