Hockey’s secret success stories in London

LONDON, UK – Hockey in London has a hidden success story that is tucked away in the most unlikely of places.
Recreational hockey in the capital has exploded in recent years, with the immigrant rich city providing a steady stream of hockey players of varying abilities to numerous teams. Make no mistake, if you live in London and you want to play hockey, you have lots of options.
The three rinks inside the M25 are counting the cash as hockey bookings dominate their ice time up to seven days a week and with the closure of Alexandra Palace for refurbishment, even more teams are scrambling for the reduced available ice time. 
Two of these teams are the London Devils and the London Legion. Both clubs enjoy heavily subscribed memberships despite operating to slightly differing models and despite the closure of their home rink; they have adapted and are still thriving.
Thirty six year old Frank Walshe is a long time London Devil who is heavily involved with running the club. He believes that the reasons for the popularity of the Devils are simple:
“First and foremost, it’s a good group of guys” said Walshe; “Many of the members are mates outside of the rink. One of the guys got married abroad last summer and 15 Devils travelled to be there. Also, we have a lot of fun and the hockey is good quality – it’s a good mixture”

With over sixty annual subscribers to the team and a corporate sponsor in Bodeans BBQ restaurants, the Devils have never been in such good shape on or off the ice.  In addition, the team are now becoming somewhat of a sporting club, as their ex-pat Canadians and Americans have adopted their resident homeland by forming a football team, Devils FC. The team is not a North American monopoly however as Walshe (a native of Toronto, Canada) is keen to point out:
“It’s important to remember that we’re a British club founded by British players – especially since some of our founders are still skating with us” he said; “Of course the North Americans now form a large percentage of the club, but we also have Finns, Germans, Swiss, French, Latvian, Estonian, Russian, and Slovak members.  We get emails from all corners of the globe, so I wouldn’t say that the club is necessarily based around a North American ex-pat theme”
London Legion are similar in make up to the Devils but try to cater for all levels of ability from beginners upwards. They still operate a pay as you play service alongside regular subscribers. Forty six year old Londoner Lester Brenner came into the sport late in life, initially using ice skating as a form of exercise. He enjoyed it so much he started playing hockey and hasn’t looked back. Now heavily involved with club, Brenner believes that the Legion has succeeded because of its open door policy:

“Most of the other recreational clubs insist on members paying sixth months or a year up front, and inviting and vetting members to prevent ‘drop in’ players” said Brenner; “We carried on a tradition which allows, numbers permitting, a less formal structure. This way beginner player’s can try out hockey without too much commitment, and persons passing through can get occasional ice time,
“The majority of our players, the core of the club, are EIHA registered to Legion and pay subscription by monthly standing order for a small discount. These are the players who get to play in matches against other rec clubs”
The matches both teams play tend to be organised on an ad hoc basis or as part of organised tournaments in either the UK or abroad. The Devils recently represented the UK at the World Pond Hockey Championships in Canada and have played tournaments in Iceland and Hungary this year. For their part, the Legion has iced a team in tournaments in Holland and Spain along with sending some members to attend a hockey camp in Finland. The chance to travel across Europe playing the game he loves is a major plus point for Walshe. By day he is a music industry consultant, but he devotes nearly all of his spare time to running the Devils and says that the team have had some memorable experiences over the years:
“Signing autographs in the Czech Republic was pretty ridiculous” he laughs; “Playing in the famous Luzhniki ice palace in Moscow was a real highlight. Lining up on the blue-line of this famous old building while they played God Save the Queen was surreal, and on the same trip we got to meet the legendary Vladislav Tretiak”

With the Legion, Brenner too has enjoyed some pretty bizarre experiences, not least than when a former player from the Romanian Olympic team turned up to training unannounced (he arrived by public bus with his kit). During the day Brenner teaches Maths and English as part of the Kumon school programme and he admits that life is never dull with the Legion:
“Playing with the Legion sometimes borders on the bizarre, for example we were once asked if one of our sessions could be filmed for use in a Buzzcocks video” he smiles; “Also we were once seen training in the background whilst a former member was interviewed about his, then, girlfriend’s sex addiction on cable TV”
The Devils and the Legion were not the only hockey teams affected by the closure of Alexandra Palace. English National League team Haringey Greyhounds and their junior club were made homeless along with other recreational teams that skated in the famous old building. Both Walshe and Brenner are therefore relieved to have secured deals with nearby facility Lee Valley Ice Centre for the coming months:
“Our relationship with the rink (Lee Valley) has been pretty good over the years, and we were aware that this was coming” explains Brenner: “Thankfully I’ve managed to secure all the summer weekend ice time used by the league in season. On this we are running our annual Summer League tournament so at the very least we have 18 weekend slots for matches over the summer”
For Walshe the Palace is more than just a facility. He regards it as the Devils spiritual home, a fact borne out by the image of the building on the teams’ logo. He is grateful to have an alternative however:
“It has been a blow, but the guys at Lee Valley Ice Centre have been amazing” said Walshe; “They’ve sorted us out with two ice slots per week and really looked after us.  Of course we’re looking forward to the Palace re-opening – and returning to our local post-hockey pub The Highgate Inn”
So with recreational hockey expanding in the capital and new teams being formed each year in addition to those ones existing already, a question that must be asked is why there is no top flight hockey in London?
“It is a really good question” says Brenner; “The London Knights used to draw a pretty good crowd though. I think it appalling that the capital city of the UK has not got an Elite team,
“Perhaps the lack of a good enough rink is the reason. The Racers had problems at Lee Valley, partly due to facilities. I think that better advertising, perhaps Sky coverage, would also help the situation. We certainly have enough fans, I mean look at the turnout for the NHL opener at the O2 a couple of years back”

The NHL tie in question was played between Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings in a clash that sold out the O2 arena over two games in 2007. Some hockey followers in the UK believe that the success of these events prove, that subject to marketing, the capital can operate an arena team in the UK Elite league. As a Canadian with very little knowledge of league hockey in this country, but a long time resident, Walshe is well placed to give an opinion on the matter:
“Ultimately, hockey is a niche sport in the UK. A city – even London – can only support so many sports at a professional level.  One thing is certain though – those who do follow it love it”
Hockey in the UK may not get much limelight but Brenner is of the opinion that for the sport to succeed, it must grow from the bottom up. His work with the junior development system at Haringey shows him that youth participation in the sport is the key to getting hockey away from its niche status and into the mainstream:
“Kids love playing hockey when they get the chance. We do our best to increase the numbers of kids playing but it can be tough sometimes. I would encourage any kid reading this to get down to their local hockey club and give the sport a go”
The London Devils and London Legion are certainly not the only recreational clubs in London but they are definitely two of the biggest and most successful. If you live in London and you want to play hockey you can contact them via their websites: www.londondevils.com/public.php or www.londonlegion.co.uk or choose from any of the clubs below:
Streatham Night-Wolves, Eastern Stars IHC, Westminster Statesmen, London Eagles, London Rangers, London Bulldogs, Romford Tornadoes or Streatham Chiefs.
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com