(Image permission: David Morrison)
LANCASHIRE, UK – “The NIHL is very competitive and the players give 100% but my first impressions of the league were that you could quite clearly see a lack of coaching from a junior level, and I mean from every team, which I was a little disappointed in.”
That little nugget was one of a series of criticisms aimed at the NIHL and the sport at junior level by Whitley Warriors’ player/coach David Longstaff during a recent interview with an amateur blogger.
Having enjoyed a long and illustrious playing career at much higher levels than the NIHL, Longstaff’s comments are certainly worth noting, but how accurate are they?
No doubt the likes of Sheffield, Solway, Billingham, Nottingham and many others around Great Britain will be absolutely delighted at being accused of having inadequate junior set-ups.
Would an increase in EIHA investment in coaching at junior level help the sport? Of course, but to suggest there has been a “lack of coaching” across the league is a huge smack in the face for the hundreds of people who work tirelessly with youngsters to help improve their skills.
The JLMC have done a lot of work in recent times to improve the pathway and the development chances for players, admittedly from a low starting base.
The U11 Conference series has been very well received by players, parents and coaches, while the Winter Classic events went down well in their respective age groups.
The top end players are getting more chances to play against players of their own standard, instead of just once a year at Conference Weekend as has happened in the past.
Factor in an improved England programme and coaches running development days for players not yet at that level but heading that way and the JMLC certainly deserve some praise.
It’s fair enough for coaches like Longstaff to ask where the next players are coming from, but wouldn’t it be better to contribute constructively rather than just moaning about it?
Imagine if he coached a Conference side – the best young players being coached by David Longstaff? How good would that be?
Criticisms of player inconsistencies at other NIHL teams are also hugely misplaced. Longstaff claimed he was surprised that “players at this level can be so up and down” and cited the “massive difference between home and away results”.
However, an analysis of this season’s results shows that 42% of the games in Moralee D1 were won by the away team.
When you consider that a 2013 study of the NHL showed that over a seven year period teams earned 54.7% of their total points at home, it’s fair to say that the statistics for the NIHL teams are where they should be.
Interestingly, Whitley have won just four out of 12 road games this season, continuing a trend that has seen them struggle for results away from Hillheads in recent years. Perhaps the Warriors’ boss would be better served addressing this issue rather than having a pop at other teams?
In light of what seem to be unfair criticisms and ill-informed claims, it comes as no surprise to uncover more anomalies in Longstaff’s comments.
The former Great Britain forward’s insistence that the NIHL should be a homegrown league and that it was disappointing that so many teams relied on imports is hugely questionable.
Of the top 25 points scorers in D1, just seven are imports, numbers that suggest British players aren’t exactly suffering because there are foreigners in the league. It’s also a statistic that isn’t shouting ‘reliance’.
It’s fair to say that the majority of imports in NIHL have been of huge benefit to their clubs in recent years, making a huge impact on the ice and helping to create a buzz off it.
Players like Juraj Senko, Sami Narkia and many others bought into the ethos of the NIHL and the league would have been a much poorer place without them.
(Image permission: Steve McKelvey)
Narkia in particular was the catalyst for Blackburn’s trophy successes in recent years, driving the club to an unlikely appearance in the 2011/12 play-off final. That run laid the foundations for the club to subsequently end its long wait for silverware.
However, perhaps the best example of the positive nature of imports in the NIHL was the effect Dennis Bostrom and Daniel Palmebjork had at Billingham Stars.
‘Swedish Night’ proved to be a big commercial success for the club, while the impact of the duo’s antics with a cheeky post-match interview video that went viral shouldn’t be underestimated.
It’s also worth noting that Whitley’s top goalscorer this season is Canadian-born Phil Edgar. The 24-year-old has been an excellent addition to the league, but where would Whitley be without him right now?
With a limit of just two imports per club allowed, the system has proven to be of benefit to the NIHL. Unlike the failed EPL, the clubs at this level have spent within their means while still adding value to their set-ups.
The right import can significantly accelerate the development of young talent. Going down the homegrown only route would deny British players the opportunity to open their minds to ideas from players who have experienced different ways of doing things.
It’s also important to consider the current structure of the game in Britain. Like it or not, the NIHL is now the second tier. To suggest that we should have a pathway that has 14 imports at the top level and none in the second is ridiculous.
Surely it would make more sense pointing at the Elite League and telling them to reduce import numbers to create more openings for Brits rather than dumbing down the NIHL?
As someone who has spent most of his career outside of the bounds of the NIHL, it’s likely that Longstaff is largely oblivious to the improvements many clubs have made over the past few years.
Long-serving Whitley forward Martin Crammond admitted after Sunday’s victory over Blackburn that the league had moved on significantly in recent times, and with over ten years playing at NIHL level his views have plenty of merit.
Complaints by Longstaff about not being able to compete financially with clubs who “spend thousands” may well be true, but the fault for that can’t be laid anywhere else other than with the club itself.
Whitley’s attendances compare extremely favourably with the clubs who are allegedly splashing the cash, so it’s not as if the playing field isn’t level.
With bumper crowds for local derbies against Billingham Stars, healthy away followings from the likes of Blackburn and the same opportunities to secure sponsorship that every other club in the league enjoys, there really is no reason why Whitley couldn’t challenge for silverware if the organisation put its mind to it.
The price of entry into games also factors into the equation. Costs of £10 and more per adult per home game, plus secondary spend at the rink and away travel is a not inconsequential outlay for fans and it rightly creates a certain level of expectation.
You cannot cry ‘development league’ and expect the fans to effectively fund player development in the ‘hope’ that they disappear off to better teams or leagues.
Fans are increasingly being placed at the back of the queue in these types of arguments and it’s unfair to fleece them for every penny possible, then expect them to put up with a level of hockey dictated to them because ‘it’s in the interests of development’.
It’s not that long since Whitley were the team to beat at this level, with their dominance under Simon Leach a few years ago still fresh in the memory.
Longstaff’s criticisms of the league, junior coaching and financial constraints smack of someone looking for excuses, as opposed to mucking in and helping to make the NIHL and the pathways to it the very best they can be.
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