As part of the proposed merger between Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey, the organisations have committed to “Professionalise to Perform” – building a single, best-in-class operating model that better supports clubs, players, coaches, officials and volunteers.
Together as one, the organisations have made a key promise within this principle and that is the recruitment of several new roles to serve the sport more effectively. An example of that is the plan for the officiating programme.
Why officials are central to “Professionalise to Perform”
The development, growth and professionalism of refereeing in the UK is a core component of the proposed governing body, together as one.
Officiating across the UK is currently managed by the Ice Hockey UK Referee Section, which supplies officials for all leagues across the UK, as well as selected international tournaments. The Section acts as an affiliate of Ice Hockey UK, supplying officials to IHUK, the Elite League, England and Scotland.
The Section is led by well-regarded, hard-working volunteers – of which the sport simply wouldn’t work without – who give their time and expertise to the game.
The proposed merger will build on their success, and given the importance of officiating within the sport, openly recruited, paid and accountable professionals, working in partnership with the volunteer officials who serve the game, will be brought in.
Subject to approval of the merger, the governing body has committed to making this a reality within 12-months of a successful merger vote.
What the merged entity will deliver for officiating
By merging all three organisations and aligning structures, standards and resources, we will be able to:
- Create paid, accountable roles within a newly-formed Officiating Section, including a full-time officiating lead
- Ensure this officiating lead reports directly to the CEO on a day-to-day basis, within the new professionalised structure
- Deliver strategic, targeted activities to recruit and retain more officials than ever before, with clear pathways from entry level to elite
- Provide greater support, training and development for all officials, including structured education, mentoring and performance review, to enhance career progression and on-ice standards
- Invest in the development of officials as a core part of the sport’s performance system – recognising that better-supported officials improve the experience for players, coaches, clubs and fans alike.
A stronger governance partnership with officials
Professionalising officiating is not only about roles and resources – it is also about governance and voice.
Under the merged structure, officiating will be:
- Formally embedded within the new governance framework, with clear lines of accountability and representation
- Consulted as a key partner on rules, competition structures and player-safety issues
- Supported by systems and processes that ensure decisions are made with officials, not just about officials
This governance partnership is designed to make officiating more resilient, more transparent and better connected to the rest of the game.
Henry Staelens, chief executive officer at Ice Hockey UK and England Ice Hockey, commented: “Our ambition is not simply to sustain our existing numbers and processes, but to raise standards through more proactive and professional recruitment, retention, training and development.
“This applies across the sport, but in this case it will strongly enhance the experience for our officials, leagues and clubs alike.
“The merger will enable us to create paid roles to oversee the Officiating Section, whose remit will be clear, day in, day out. It will also allow for a single point of contact and consultation from all corners of the UK ice hockey system.
“Volunteers who have worked within the Referee Section have done a brilliant job – it is a thankless task sometimes, we all know that. It is our duty, as a sport, to support them to be better each and every week, and that requires paid, accountable resource and proper governance at the heart of officiating in the UK.”
About the Ice Hockey UK, England Ice Hockey and Scottish Ice Hockey merger
Under the leadership of the respective chairs and the first chief executive officer appointed within the sport, IHUK, EIH and SIH have been working to establish a way to work together, share resources to grow the game and take UK ice hockey to the top.
Through months of consultation, engagement with other IIHF members and a driven, newly appointed executive team, the Boards of the IHUK, EIH and SIH all unanimously approved the merging of the three bodies to bring everyone Together As One.
Ahead of a general meeting on 17 December, where IHUK, EIH and SIH will encourage its members to vote in favour of the vote, a number of meetings with key stakeholders and groups across the sport are being held, 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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