Across Britain, ice hockey is loved and valued by thousands of players, fans, officials and volunteers. The sport has passionate fans, making it the most popular indoor sport in Britain.
Behind the sport, Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey believe that to better serve the sport now – and also to grow the game in the longer term – there is power and opportunity in merging as one governing body.
On December 17, members of the respective organizations will be asked to vote in favor of merging the three bodies to ensure greater national cooperation and collective progress for the British ice hockey community.
Henry Staelens, Chief Executive Officer at Ice Hockey UK and England Ice Hockey said: “One governing body would give the sport a platform to unlock its full potential. With England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all working together, we can deliver a stronger pathway from the grassroots and recreational side of the sport to the elite.
“A merged body would allow us to bring in new investment, improve and lobby for facilities and build a national vision for the sport.
“Bringing together Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey is more than just governance. We are ambitious and believe in the sport of creating lifelong opportunities and memories for new and existing players, clubs, fans, officials and volunteers.”
Together as oneice hockey in Great Britain will focus on five core principles, which underpin the work of the Executive Team. These include:
1. Professionalize to perform
- A single, best-in-class operating model that fits the sport
- Recruit a number of new roles to better support clubs, players, coaches, officials and volunteers
- United trajectory and strategy from grassroots to elite for men, women and paratroopers
2. Improve the experience
- Make it easier to participate, play, coach, officiate and volunteer
- Improved communication with members and initiatives to reduce costs
- Faster solutions to questions or problems
3. Member focus
- To give members a strengthened voice at governance level in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
- Increased investments in progressive wellness, safety and security programs
- Access greater levels of public funding to invest directly in sport
4. Sustainability for future generations
- Robust and transparent governance to give everyone certainty
- More financial resources to serve the sport
- Deeper focus on breaking down barriers to entry (cost, ice availability and equal opportunity)
5. Fully recognize potential
- More investments in the development path for young athletes and Olympic ambitions
- Opportunity to grow the sport, innovate for members and improve facilities
- Elevate all levels of the game through commercialization
Behind these principles are a number of workstreams to realize their potential, delivered by the Executive Team.
About the ice hockey merger between Great Britain, England and Scotland
Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey will convene an extraordinary general meeting for their respective organizations on Wednesday 17 December 2025, where the boards will encourage members to vote in favor of the merger of the bodies. Formal notice, voting papers and full details will be provided to voting members of the organizations in due course.
Ahead of the vote, English Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey will hold a number of meetings with key stakeholders and groups in the sport to ensure that the merger delivers improvement and certainty in relation to their requirements.
In addition, a drop-in Q&A session led by Henry Staelens and Grant King (Chief Operating Officer, IHUK & EIH) will take place on November 26, 2025 via Microsoft Teams, which will be open to all registered voting members of EIH and SIH. Details on how to register and attend will be distributed shortly.
Full information and updates on the proposed merger will be shared via the English Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey channels in the coming weeks.
Members can submit questions or comments about the merger in advance to memberservices@englandicehockey.com for England and media@scottishicehockey.co.uk for Scotland. The England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey staff will ensure that all questions are answered during the sessions or in follow-up material.
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