Hockey in the UK: Why the Cold Shoulder?
Claude Dickens
2025-04-11 22:49:17
Count answers: 3
Ice hockey is, by far, the most popular indoor spectator sport in the country. Beating basketball, darts, snooker and netball in spectator numbers.
Yet, unlike all of the above the game didn’t get a mention on the BBC website, or any national newspapers. There is a bit of TV coverage on a well-hidden satellite channel, but you’d be hard pressed to find out how your local team got on last weekend without visiting their social media.
For context, the very top players in the UK might earn £50k in the Elite League, but the average is half of that.
Ines Wilkinson
2025-04-01 08:19:06
Count answers: 7
A high financial barrier is one of the primary reasons for ice hockey’s low popularity amongst other sports in the UK. The prices of the playing equipment are through the roof, and getting ice time is even more expensive because there are limited ice rinks in the UK. Skates cost about £220, the stick goes for about £120, trousers sell at £75 on average, and so on.
Fewer people have a chance to play ice hockey. Consequently, there are fewer grassroots teams and fewer people share a connection with the sport.
The implication?
The league structure changes constantly, with different teams joining and exiting the league for reasons best known to them. This inconsistency has made it difficult for UK ice hockey fans and enthusiasts to maintain passion for a team.
There’s no major television broadcasting deal for the UK Elite Ice Hockey League and as a result, the games are not reaching a wider audience.
Kelsi Beahan
2025-04-01 06:15:03
Count answers: 2
Even in the UK, where field hockey has a long university tradition, it’s not among the most popular sports. Also, knowing that British men’s and women’s field hockey teams have won three and one Olympics golds, respectively, one might think that Britons are into this sport. However, if you take a look at sports TV programmes or visit the most popular sport-related websites, you’ll see that field hockey is nowhere near football or cricket. For most Brits, going through a reviewed UK betting sites list is the farthest they get in terms of both online and offline field hockey activities, but it’s still not a popular sport to bet on compared to football or horse racing.
Read also
- Ice Hockey in the UK: When Did it All Begin?
- Hockey in England: When Did the World First Watch?
- Oldest UK Hockey Team?
- Where's the Hockey Hotspot?
- Hockey Fights: How Did They Start?
- First International Sports Game: What Was It?
- First Ever International Rugby Game: What Was It?
- Who Rules the UK Ice Hockey Rink?
- Oldest Hockey Team Still on the Ice?
- Hockey: What's the Surface?
- Ice Hockey in Britain: Do They Play?
- Pro Hockey's Roots: Where Was It Born?
- Hockey's Roots: Where Did It All Begin?
- UK Hockey Player Salary: What's the Average?
- Hockey Hotspot: Where's the Puck Most Popular?
- First Floor Hockey: Really? When?
- Ice Hockey Fights: Allowed in the UK?