British Sledge Hockey Comes to Silver Blades

The British Sledge Hockey Association (BSHA) is proud to announce it is working in partnership with the Silver Blades group of ice rinks to provide the opportunity for everybody to play Sledge Hockey in Gillingham, Cannock and Altrincham.

Throughout August each Silver Blades rink will offer a free Sledge Hockey taster session and will then provide one hour of ice time for training each week starting in September.

Sledge Hockey is a variant of ice hockey and can be played on and off ice, using sledges to allow participants to move about the rink at high speeds hitting a puck travelling at speeds of up to 100kph. Players sit in adapted sledges, propelling themselves with sticks adapted to allow propulsion in a manner similar to skiing. As players are strapped to a sledge everybody has the same restrictions, regardless of whether or not the player has an impairment.

Equipment is exactly the same as for ice hockey with the exception of the sledge and an additional stick. Sledge Hockey is a full contact sport and the rules are the same as those for ice hockey with a small number of additional rules to allow for the difference in equipment.

Vernon Neil, Group Operations Manager for Silver Blades said: “We are really looking forward to Sledge Hockey coming to our rinks in Altrincham, Gillingham and Cannock. Sledge Hockey is an amazing sport and we are committed to ensuring that all of our rinks have a competitive presence in next year’s Sledge Hockey league.”

Matt Lloyd, Chairman of the British Sledge Hockey Association said: “The support and drive from Silver Blades to put Sledge Hockey into their rinks has been amazing and it is great to see there are still companies with the vision and drive to champion minority sports and to demonstrate their commitment to social inclusion.”

The dates and times for the taster sessions are as follows:

• Altrincham: August 6th 4.30pm-6.30pm

• Gillingham: August 14th 4.30pm-6.30pm

• Cannock: August 21st 7.30pm-9.30pm