Brian Storey, chief administration officer of the Superleague, said this week that the league would have no choice but to fold next year because it cannot cover its high running costs from commercial income.Some clubs believe that they can persevere, despite a reduction to five teams, most likely four, following the demise of Manchester Storm and the Scottish Eagles and the provisional resignation from the league of the Bracknell Bees.But most people in the sport agree that the Superleague clubs will have to merge with the lower-tier British National League (BNL) or attempt an expansion by bringing in new clubs, either from the BNL or from continental Europe. It is possible that the Manchester and Scottish teams could also be resurrected. Storey, however, suggested that one or two new clubs would make the league no more viable than it is now.A merger with the BNL is thought by several commentators to be the only realistic option, even if the two sets of clubs find it difficult to agree a common format and ambition. The clubs would have to hope that they can create a strong, single championship that would be attractive to television, sponsors and fans.Neil Black, director of the Superleague club Nottingham Panthers and the league’s chairman of broadcasting said that “everyone in the sport realises that with one league, ice hockey would be much stronger”. A league of up to 15 clubs would be the best way for the sport to progress.A similar point is made by Paul Smith, former director of the Newcastle Jesters, who played for Durham Wasps and Great Britain. “We need one strong league to get back on television.” A league involving six or seven teams would never get good television coverage because too few parts of the country would get involved and the same teams would play each other almost every week.Some observers say that UK ice hockey, in whatever form, will struggle to win back television. The demise of the Superleague is not likely to inspire confidence in BSkyB or any other broadcaster. At the moment, the Superleague has a one-year magazine deal with satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting, but gets no rights fee and pays £70,000 (B112,000) for the production.The big mistake:
The UK’s top ice hockey clubs have a huge task in front of them if they are to get back in the public eye.
