A Sheffield ice rink is celebrating 20 years of ice hockey camps in the local community.
Ice Sheffield, run by award-winning leisure operator Everyone Active in partnership with Sheffield City Council, partnered with the Best of British Ice Hockey Camps in 2006.
More than 10,000 ice hockey players of all ages and abilities have laced up their skates and received high quality coaching opportunities since the camps launched 20 years ago.
The programme has been a launchpad for many young athletes into coaching and professional ice hockey careers and has helped fuel the growth of grassroots ice hockey in the region.
Created by founders Jaimie Longmuir and Paul Heavey in 2003, the duo decided to host the camps at Ice Sheffield due to the quality of its facilities, which includes two Olympic sized rinks.
Jaimie Longmuir said: “We are the UK’s biggest ice hockey camp organisation and try to have a positive impact on the lives of people attending the camps – from friendships and healthy habits to having fun on the ice.
“The camps are suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced players, and are a great way to learn the fundamentals of ice hockey. We’re seeing a lot of new players picking up the sport for the first time and we’ve seen female participation increase massively which is brilliant, as when we first began the camps it was very low.”
“We also introduce young players to professionals that play for some of the teams they support,” Jaimie added. “Elite athletes such as Liam Kirk and Sheffield Steelers’ Cole Shudra are players who were on the camps as children and now play at the highest level, often taking part in the camps as coaches. Seeing all of our players develop as people has been incredible.”
One professional ice hockey player to trace his first steps on the ice back to the camps is 25-year-old Liam Kirk.
Liam was the first English born and trained player to be selected by a National Hockey League (NHL) team. The former Sheffield Steelers player and gold medallist currently plays for 10-time German champions Eisbären Berlin and is part of the Everyone Active Sporting Champions scheme.
Liam said: “I started playing ice hockey when I was three, joined the first camp here in Sheffield in 2006 and played on the camps until the age of 13. Ice Sheffield has pretty much been my second home.
“When I was around 17, Jaimie and Paul had me on the ice as a coach for a few years. Now I’m an established ice hockey player and when I’m home in the summer, I help to coach the camps – it’s been a full circle journey.”
Liam says that having the opportunity to skate and learn about ice hockey at the centre was pivotal to his success.
“For us to get ice time from a young age in the summer was crucial,” he adds. “It’s still quite difficult now to get as much ice time as kids have in North America or other countries in Europe like Sweden or Finland, so having that available to us was huge.”
A renewed five-year deal has been signed between Ice Sheffield and the Best of British Ice Hockey Camps to ensure affordable, inclusive and community-driven opportunities to play ice hockey remain available to everyone.
Shaun Lough, assistant contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “We’ve seen so many Best of British Ice Hockey Campers of all ages and abilities go on to play professionally and become respected coaches in our own venue.
“It has been a joy to witness families enjoy the sport over the last two decades and it is a legacy that makes us incredibly proud. We’re delighted to be working with Jaimie and Paul to host these successful camps for many years to come.”
David Crossley is a parent of nine-year-old Teddy Crossley, an ice hockey player who regularly trains on the camps. He added: “Our son has attended 10 Best of British Ice Hockey camps and loves them. He would rather come here than go on a family holiday!
“The coaches are outstanding – engaging, inspiring, and focused on player development. He consistently learns and improves, receiving personalised feedback he can apply when training and playing for his club games.”
For more information on Best of British Ice Hockey Camps including their new dates for 2025/26, visit www.bobihc.com or call 0191 670 4699.
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