EIHL Board outline return to play roadmap

Photo: Scott Wiggins

The ten member teams of the EIHL have outlined a roadmap for a return to ice hockey.

In their latest conference call, all teams voted to approve plans for season 2020/21 which would allow for pre-season games in November, with the regular season starting with the Magic 5 Weekend on December 5th & 6th.

The regular season would end on the weekend of May 1st/2nd followed by the Playoff Quarter-Finals and then the Playoff Finals Weekend in Nottingham on May 15th/16th. A fixtures meeting has been tentatively scheduled for the beginning of September.

EIHL Chairman Tony Smith explained:

“There are two factors that we need to consider with any return to play plan: 1) We need 6 to 8 weeks from the time we know we can play in order to complete our teams, get work visas in place, book flights, buy equipment, etc.; 2) we need our fans. We cannot play behind closed doors or with very limited capacity, it just isn’t an option.”

All ten teams are committed to playing the 2020/21 season, although a final decision on being able to resume top-flight ice hockey games in December with crowds will be led by the guidance from the UK Government and devolved administrations.