England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey members gathered on Wednesday 26 November for a virtual Q&A session, to understand more on how a governing body, together as one, will benefit UK ice hockey now and into the future.
Henry Staelens, chief executive officer of Ice Hockey UK and England Ice Hockey, was joined by chief operating officer of both organisations, Grant King.
Staelens outlined the five core principles to the membership, which will underpin the work of the executive team, if the merger is approved. These include the following (with further information here):
- Professionalise to Perform
- Enhance the Experience
- Member-Centricity
- Sustainability for Generations to Come
- Fully Recognise Potential
Alongside that, Staelens made some commitments to the respective membership on what a governing body, together as one, will look like. These include:
- Merge and modernise governance, so that decisions are made once, clearly and transparently, for the benefit of the whole UK game
- Collaborate rather than compete, sharing people, knowledge and resources to grow participation, performance and profile in every home nation
- Champion inclusion and equality, ensuring that all parts of the community – women and girls, para and rec, juniors and seniors, players, officials and volunteers – feel seen, supported and valued
- Celebrate collective progress, recognising that success for any part of the sport is success for us all, and that we are stronger when we stand and work together
On the session, Staelens commented: “We have had excellent conversations with the various sections across the sport, and this Townhall was no different – it’s so important that we hear the thoughts of those in the sport on a day-to-day basis about how it can be better.
“We look forward to continuing these discussions and ensure fully open communication channels so that members have an open opportunity to debate and discuss the merger, and why it matters to them.”
About the Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey merger
Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey will call an extraordinary general meeting for their respective organisations on Wednesday 17 December 2025, where the boards will encourage members to vote in favour of merging the bodies.
In advance of the vote, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey are hosting a number of meetings with key stakeholders and groups across the sport, to ensure the merger delivers improvement and certainty in relation to their requirements.
Full information and updates on the proposed merger are being shared across England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey channels.
Members are welcome to submit any questions or comments about the merger in advance via memberservices@englandicehockey.com for England and media@scottishicehockey.co.uk for Scotland. England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey staff will ensure all queries are addressed during the sessions of in the follow-up materials.
Voting process explained
A general meeting of members will be held for both England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey on 17 December.
In the formal notice sent to members, directors and auditors, a proposed special resolution will be set out, asking members to agree that they wish to proceed with creating a merged entity.
If approved, this will be followed by an extensive period of detailed consultation, funded by UK Sport, with all sections using the five guiding principles to reshape the operations and delivery of the sport.
England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey will each invite their members entered on the register of members (their affiliated clubs and teams), any honorary members, together with their respective boards, to attend the general meeting.
In line with their Articles of Association, each member is entitled to receive notice of, attend and cast one vote at the meeting (subject to being duly registered and all fees being paid).
To pass the special resolution, at least 75% of votes cast on the day must be in favour. Members will have the right to appoint a proxy (or proxies), up to 48 hours before the meeting.
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