Post by JP on May 10, 2005 2:02:10 GMT 1
Press Release
9/5/5
The Guildford Flames professional Ice Hockey club, in preparation for the upcoming season, have submitted an application to be a competing member in the English Premier League when the puck drops at Spectrum in September 2005. The British National League, where the Flames have competed for the past several seasons, currently has 4 teams remaining following the departure of a pair of those clubs to a different league while 1 club stepped away due to the loss of a major financial backer.
The club believes that joining the existing league structure of the EPL is the best solution for the Flames competitive aspirations because it is already a well established and stable set up that allows the Spectrum side to compete in a league that carries many of the same objectives as the BNL in terms of the development of British born talent, while also carrying a significantly larger team membership meaning a far greater degree of opponent variety for supporters. The league also brings back more geographical rivalries that have escaped the club in recent years with many of the BNL clubs competing out of the midland and Scottish regions, while the majority of the EPL teams are within 3-4 hours of Spectrum, including the Slough Jets who will help re-new an old local derby rivalry between the two outfits.
Flames Commercial Manager Kirk Humphreys commented on the new league structure:
It is important to remember that we have applied to the EPL, but are not yet an accepted member. We understand that decision will be made in early June. However, looking ahead at the prospects of competing in that league we are excited about some of the benefits it will bring. Of course, as usual over the summer signing period, a core of our current players will return to pull on the Flames shirt including some of our foreign players, but the real benefit of the league is that our younger British players, under EPL rules guidelines, will have opportunities to be given larger shares of ice time to allow them to attain their potential while competing at a high level. Our Guildford Junior programme has always sent some of this countrys top British players to the senior level, but this will allow a larger fraction of those to begin their professional career here in Guildford. The under 19s this season lost just a single game in the league table and have now advanced to the playoff finals. We would expect some of them to graduate and move up to the Flames on a full time basis in 2005-2006. Also, from a supporters standpoint it will be great for them to get to see many of the teams who at one time were also BNL members. Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Slough were always top clubs in the league and we are certain that people are going to be excited about seeing these teams again on a regular basis.
9/5/5
The Guildford Flames professional Ice Hockey club, in preparation for the upcoming season, have submitted an application to be a competing member in the English Premier League when the puck drops at Spectrum in September 2005. The British National League, where the Flames have competed for the past several seasons, currently has 4 teams remaining following the departure of a pair of those clubs to a different league while 1 club stepped away due to the loss of a major financial backer.
The club believes that joining the existing league structure of the EPL is the best solution for the Flames competitive aspirations because it is already a well established and stable set up that allows the Spectrum side to compete in a league that carries many of the same objectives as the BNL in terms of the development of British born talent, while also carrying a significantly larger team membership meaning a far greater degree of opponent variety for supporters. The league also brings back more geographical rivalries that have escaped the club in recent years with many of the BNL clubs competing out of the midland and Scottish regions, while the majority of the EPL teams are within 3-4 hours of Spectrum, including the Slough Jets who will help re-new an old local derby rivalry between the two outfits.
Flames Commercial Manager Kirk Humphreys commented on the new league structure:
It is important to remember that we have applied to the EPL, but are not yet an accepted member. We understand that decision will be made in early June. However, looking ahead at the prospects of competing in that league we are excited about some of the benefits it will bring. Of course, as usual over the summer signing period, a core of our current players will return to pull on the Flames shirt including some of our foreign players, but the real benefit of the league is that our younger British players, under EPL rules guidelines, will have opportunities to be given larger shares of ice time to allow them to attain their potential while competing at a high level. Our Guildford Junior programme has always sent some of this countrys top British players to the senior level, but this will allow a larger fraction of those to begin their professional career here in Guildford. The under 19s this season lost just a single game in the league table and have now advanced to the playoff finals. We would expect some of them to graduate and move up to the Flames on a full time basis in 2005-2006. Also, from a supporters standpoint it will be great for them to get to see many of the teams who at one time were also BNL members. Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Slough were always top clubs in the league and we are certain that people are going to be excited about seeing these teams again on a regular basis.
Goodluck to them, let's just hope the other teams follow.
