Club hockey in Ireland will take a big step forward this week with the launch of the EY Hockey League thanks to the generous support of Professional Services provider Ernst & Young (EY).
The first round of matches of the inaugural EY Hockey League are due to tip off this Saturday, 26 September and for the first time, teams from across Ireland will compete in 18 rounds to earn their place in Ireland's Champions Trophy weekend.
EY has contributed subsidies for each club, plus umpiring and administration costs, including promotion and marketing. Such support has been key to the creation of this League and will undoubtedly help hockey grow throughout Ireland.
This partnership serves as a inspiration to other hockey nations looking to develop the sport, with Ireland showing just how important key commercial partners can be.
The new full-season EY Hockey League mirrors the domestic league structures in the likes of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Eugene Magee, Banbridge star and the most capped Irish player in the League, sees huge potential in the role the EY Hockey League can have at all levels of hockey in Ireland.
He said: “Having played in professional clubs in Holland, Belgium and Germany their competition is extremely high in their leagues making them incredibly exciting games to watch. The youth of those clubs then gain a significant interest in hockey and perhaps this is why they develop such skills from such a young age. I'm hoping the same will apply to hockey in Ireland with the massive buzz that this league is creating”.
Magee also recognised the benefits of the EY Hockey League for players. He continued: “This league will bring out the best in all its international athletes and help to improve them, as well as everyone around them. There will be fierce competition with the standard of hockey in Ireland being so high at the moment”.
The new structure of the League means teams will be travelling around the country and the highest quality of hockey will be on display in all four provinces.
Ernst & Young Managing Partner, Mike McKerr, expressed their enthusiasm for the all island League saying: “We at EY are delighted to be partnering with the most impressive hockey competition on our island. By supporting the highest performing teams in the sporting arena, as exemplified by the EY Hockey League, we hope to expand on our own strategy to inspire effective and engaged teaming within our firm. We are extremely proud to be supporting Irish hockey as we embark upon what promises to be a highly competitive season”.
Hockey Ireland CEO Mike Heskin is looking forward to the forthcoming season and the next chapter for hockey in Ireland. He said: “In the past six months, in particular, the Green Machine and Green Army have filled us all with equal parts inspiration and confidence. We now move into a new season and the league, much like our Association, has a new name but the values we hold and that which our players personify very much remain steadfast. Moving from the IHA to Hockey Ireland positions us alongside other Olympic and all Ireland sports, we are a progressive sport and are moving into the next chapter for hockey in Ireland”.
Click here for a full preview of the men's league and here for a full preview of the women's league.
