Category Archives: News

Lions To Remain In Division Two Next Season

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The Nottingham Lions have announced that they intend to remain in NIHL Division Two North for the forthcoming 2013/14 season.

The Lions were crowned league champions back in March after finishing five points clear of their nearest promotion rival but they have decided to decline their option to make the step-up to Division One hockey this coming September.

Head Coach Matt Bradbury caught up with www.nottinghamlionsenl.com and LionsTV this week to explain the reasoning behind the teams’ decision, saying;

“It’s been a very difficult decision but the main factor behind it is mainly the development of our players and the financial burden – it’s key that we take those potential trip hazards seriously”.

 

 

Bradbury’s squad would have faced numerous road trips to far-flung destinations such as Solway, Whitley Bay and Billingham next season, putting a massive strain on their finances and the personal circumstances of their amateur players and volunteer coaching staff.

Nottingham would also have faced an uphill struggle to compete with the financial clout of some of the division’s bigger teams and Bradbury was honest about the Lions’ chances of keeping-up with the big boys, adding;

“It is a bit of divide – you’ve got the top four, top five clubs in Division One and realistically we would be a bottom four, bottom three team next season and do we want to take that gamble where we are set to lose a considerable amount of money with the travel and it also wouldn’t give us the opportunity to blood our younger players.”

“We’ve got a crop of young talent coming through and by taking this decision to stay where we are we will be able to develop our talent further and it’s key to the development of hockey in Nottingham.”

Last months EIHA meeting attended by all NIHL clubs saw Nottingham lead a proposal to form a new ‘Central’ league, which would have sat alongside the current North and South divisions.

Potentially, the new league would have cut travel times and costs for all teams, increased participation and aided development of local talent as well as creating more local derby clashes but the plan failed to achieve enough support to be ratified, thus making up the Lions’ mind to stay where they are.

The boys celebrate with the championship trophy.

Nottingham are not the first team to make a decision like this as just a few days earlier, Division Two South champions Oxford City Stars also declined their promotion to their respective next level for almost identical reasons given by the Lions.

Bradbury still remains positive however and believes there is still a very bright future for the club, adding;

“We’ve got ambition but we’re being realistic – we didn’t expect to win the league last year but we put together consistency, we put together youth and experience and we were able to develop at the same time.”

“It’s easy to be critical of what we’ve done but at the end of the day we’re using our home grown talent and we’ve got to be proud of that achievement.”

“We’ll put together a strong team again, we’ll work together, we’ll develop ice hockey in Nottingham and then we’ll evaluate and see where we are at the end of next season.”

Despite not making the move to the next level, Nottingham will be looking forward another season of exciting local derby clashes against Sheffield Senators and Solihull Barons alongside fresh opposition in the form of recently-relegated Trafford Metros and the newly-formed Widnes Wild.

So don’t forget to keep checking www.nottinghamlionsenl.com over the coming days and weeks for all the latest signing news as the Lions’ roster begins takes shape with another exciting season approaching.

Season Review – November

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Before the month could end the Lions’ impressive unbeaten run, stretching back to the start of the season, had come to an abrupt halt after a surprise 5-3 defeat in Hull but prior to that, two victories over Sheffield and Blackburn helped to maintain Matt Bradbury’s side’s position at the top of the table in Division Two North.

November also saw Nottingham embark on their first ever Movember fundraising campaign as players and staff took on the challenge to grow a moustache over the course of the month, all in the aid of charity.

Cherry Deville gives the Lions a Movember boost.

Having already dispatched of Sheffield at the National Ice Centre the previous month, Nottingham were up to their old tricks, as once again they came from behind to triumph over the Senators, this time by a 6-1 scoreline with youngster Ollie Betteridge netting another hat-trick against the Lions’ local rivals.

Nottingham were also buoyed by the news that a second import player had joined the pride in the form of Canadian forward Jose Leon. Peruvian-born Leon joined up with the Lions having played in Switzerland for last two seasons with Geneve-Servette Under-20s and Under-17s and had recently moved to Lace City to study at Nottingham Trent University.

Lions’ Matt Bradbury with Jose Leon.

Jose was quick to make his Lions debut against the Blackburn Eagles at the NIC just a few days later and managed to get himself on the scoresheet in a 13-0 thrashing of the Lancashire-based side. Braces were also shared between Betteridge, Joe Wightman and Christy Johnson-Brown.

A brief respite from on-ice matters followed as the squad attended the grand re-opening of their sponsor Ice Locker’s new-look store; located in the foyer of the National Ice Centre. The boys were on hand to pose for photos and promote the opening of the biggest ice sports shop in the country.

The Lions and Store Manager Phil Jones outside the all-new Ice Locker store.

The loss on Humberside followed, but it would be intriguing to see how the Lions would react to their first defeat as they prepared for some big games against Solihull and Sheffield heading into December and the festive break.

The month did end on a positive note however, as the Lions players and staff who took part in the month-long Movember challenge helped Blue Bell Hill Trust to raise a magnificent £1293 over the 30 day period.

Vacancy: Media Officer

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The Nottingham Lions are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual to take on the role of Media Officer.

The position requires skills in Journalism, Video, Photography, Social Media and basic Web Design along with the ability to conduct him/herself in a professional manner in all aspects of their work and an understanding of confidentiality within a sports team environment.

The role provides an opportunity for thousands of people to see your work both locally and nationally via newspapers and websites, alongside the team’s own media outlets.

This role is voluntary but expenses will be paid where appropriate.

Please send your CV accompanied by a covering letter which details your experience to the following e-mail address:

nottinghamlions@hotmail.co.uk

Closing Date: Tuesday 7th May 2013.

We are the senior team of the Nottingham Junior Ice Hockey Club and our commitment is to develop young players from within the Nottingham junior system and give them a platform to move on to the professional game.

Over the years we have had numerous successes both as a team and in producing and nurturing the city’s future hockey stars. Most recently with the Lions being crowned 2012/13 NIHL Division Two North league champions.

The team is entirely coached and run by committed volunteers, whilst all of our players are amateurs, paying to play – either for the love of the sport or aiming towards a contract with professional club.

Season Review – October

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October was a relativity quiet month for the Lions, with a big three-week break in their fixture schedule before they traveled to North Wales to take on the Deeside Dragons on the 21st.

Matt Bradbury’s men used this downtime as a good opportunity to work on tactics and fitness levels in training.

Alongside this, the unusually large break was also used to good effect, as the Lions entertained some of their sponsors and partners at a special Media Night at Frankie & Benny’s in the city centre.

Players and off-ice officials gathered at the Upper Parliament Street branch of the popular restaurant for a special evening involving staff and students from Central College Nottingham alongside special guests Capital FM’s ‘Capital Breakfast’ show presenters Dino and Pete.

Lions player Cameron Good and Head Coach Matt Bradbury greet the team from Central College Nottingham at Frankie & Benny’s.

The gathering was designed to give students from Central College Nottingham an opportunity to interview a selection of the Lions players and staff as part of their work for their Sports Media courses. Captain Luke Thomas, American import Luke Branin and Head Coach Matt Bradbury were among lucky few who were chosen for some post-food chat amidst friendly, bustling environment of the New York Italian Restaurant and Bar.

The special evening also gave the players and the off-ice team a chance to get together and socialise outside of their normal hockey routines as well as the opportunity to mingle with some of their other sponsors and partners from the likes of Ice Locker, Blue Bell Hill Trust and Frankie & Benny’s.

The Lions’ first big away test at Deeside Ice Arena soon came around and saw Nottingham come away with a very creditable 3-3 tie. After finding themselves 3-1 down with fifteen minutes to go, late goals from Ben Wood and Ollie Betteridge ensured the points were shared.

“Blood on the ice” – Lions’ Michael Rose inflicts some damage on Dragons’ Michael Jones.

Seven days later, the Lions once again came from behind to get a result, as they clawed back a three-goal deficit, thanks to four goals from Joe Wightman and a hat-trick from Ollie Betteridge, to overcome the high-flying Sheffield Senators 7-5 at the National Ice Centre.

These two scorelines not only helped the Lions’ own self-belief that promotion was very much a realistic aim but also sent a strong message out to the rest of the league that even when behind, Nottingham could not be written off.

2013/14 Season Sponsorship Available

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The Nottingham Lions are always looking for new sponsors and partners to support their passionate and dynamic team, both on and off the ice.

 

  

 

We are the senior team of the Nottingham Junior Ice Hockey Club and our commitment is to develop young players from within the Nottingham junior system and give them a platform to move on to the professional game.

Over the years we have had numerous successes both as a team and in producing and nurturing the city’s future hockey stars. Most recently with the Lions being crowned 2012/13 NIHL Division Two North league champions.

 

  

 

The team is entirely coached and run by committed volunteers, whilst all of our players are amateurs, paying to play – either for the love of the sport or aiming towards a contract with professional club.

There are lots of sponsorship options available to suit all budgets – from main team sponsor, team sponsor, jersey sponsorship – right down to individual player sponsorship or puck sponsorship on game nights.

 

 

 

Not only will your business/organisation receive prominent advertising space on our official website but you will also have the opportunity to be featured on all of the clubs’ popular media outlets including LionsTV, Facebook and Twitter.

There are also multiple opportunities for your business/organisation’s name to be seen all across the local press and internationally via websites such as britishicehockey.co.uk as well as on team jerseys and tracksuits as the Lions travel to play games across the UK.

 

  

 

If you are interested in sponsoring the Lions then please email nottinghamlions@hotmail.co.uk for further details.