Hockey fans in the UK might have longer to wait before they can see their team in action again after it was revealed the Elite League has not ruled out not playing the 2020/2021 season all together.
Despite teams having already started to sign players for the upcoming campaign, Cardiff Devils Managing Director, Todd Kelman addressed the issue during a social media takeover on Thursday night (27th August).
“The Elite League Board have been working closely together since March on getting the 2020-21 season going. We have weekly zoom calls that all 10 teams are involved in. The vital date right now is Sept 15th when we will likely have to make a decision on the 2020-21 season”
Mr Kelman said in one tweet to supporters.
It’s understood the league is awaiting the Government’s decision to allow indoor arenas to reopen following the Coronavirus Pandemic, which is still prominent across the country, especially in the North West.
Some sports have restarted, including football, cricket and Rugby Union, but they have been played behind closed doors or with a limited number of supporters, something Mr Kelman said would not be possible in the Elite League.
“We cannot play in a bubble; we cannot play with 200 or 500 spectators unless we had massive financial support from the government. Even at 50% capacity, unless there was a realistic timeline to quickly get to 100% capacity, teams would struggle to make it work.”
If the season is not played, would that mean some teams would struggle to continue without the revenue generated from season tickets, game tickets and merchandising? Mr Kelman does not think so:
“The league itself will be ok if there is no season because the biggest expense is players and their contracts don’t start until the season starts. I am very certain all 10 teams will come back strong in 2020-21. I seriously doubt any team would have to fold.”
It has been mentioned around the league that a December start could be a possibility should they be given the go ahead by the Government but Mr Kelman did offer some hope for the supporters even if a December start isn’t possible.
“If the December start date does not work, we will try our best to have some sort of hockey at some point even if it starts as late as Feb and runs to Late June. I don’t think all teams would be up for that, but some would want to try.”
A meeting of all ten Elite League teams is going to take place on 15th September where a final decision on the prospect of play in 2020/2021 is expected to be made.
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