Our Story
Back in early 2012 a conversation took place at Altrincham Ice Rink, between the Manchester Phoenix and the Head of the British Sledge Hockey Association (B.S.H.A.) that would pave the way for a new team to form….the Manchester Phoenix Sledge Hockey Club.
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The team was to be part of the Manchester Phoenix Community Sports Foundation and aimed to start competing in the B.S.H.A. league in 2013, against teams from Cardiff, Hull & Peterborough. With new teams looking to start in Coventry, Sheffield and rumours of a team in London, these were exciting times for the sport!​
With GB International Karl Nicholson being the first member of the new Manchester team (moving from the Kingston Kestrels), Anthony Booth and Pat Bailey coming back to the sport, the team had a good start.
With open sessions advertised through the Manchester Phoenix and social media, several new players to the sport came down to try out. With several people watching from the side-lines, with new players, a new coach and a new sport to many, one onlooker summed up the first session perfectly...
"Ive never seen so many people having so much fun, being so bad at something!"
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It was fair to say, there was a little bit of work required to get the team up to scratch.
Over the next few seasons, the Phoenix would grow and become a formidable outfit for teams, but just couldn’t get the consistency to challenge for silverware. More people were attracted to the sport, including Dean Lahan & Dom Cosgrove, who would both progress in a short time to be eyed up and included in GB squads….everything looked bright for the sport in Manchester!
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As many will know, the Manchester Phoenix and Altrincham Ice Rink parted company, and to say the fall out split Manchester hockey fans, would be an understatement. Relationships were strained between the two organisations who ran both sides, fans were lost to the sport and the once friendly fan atmosphere seemed to sour.
This unfortunately affected the team causing them to look for an alternative training venue. Their current sessions at Widnes were proving difficult to attract and retain some players, and the cost was becoming too much for the squad. Despite Widnes being built with sledge hockey in mind and a great facility, it was proving financially unsustainable for the team and the loss of players.
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The team decided to move to Fylde, coincidentally the same facility the Manchester Phoenix were now using, due to the cost, but the travel was too far for many and sessions weren’t as productive as they had once been, with lower attendances.
After a brief stint the team were invited to train with Hull. These several months meant the team often were not on the ice together, and things looked bleak.
And then, the news came that the Manchester Phoenix would cease operations in February 2017. Although financially this had no impact on the sledge hockey club, the team seemed to be at a cross roads….with no real home rink, no parent organisation and a thread bare squad….do they continue or disband?
This was without doubt, the darkest time in the clubs history…and potentially, the final chapter of the clubs history.
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An emergency team meeting was held, with the main discussion being, does the club carry on or disband? In fairness, the easiest option would have been the latter, if only for a year and let the players compete with other teams...
But the team voted unanimously to keep going as a Manchester team. So in less than a month, the team had to secure ice time for training, a new name, new logo, new jerseys and ice time for games.
Somehow, with the help of their inaugural sponsors Victory Hockey UK, it was done and the Manchester Mayhem Para Ice Hockey Club was formed!
