Ice hockey isn’t necessity the sport that many opt to get involved in from a young age, but there have been glimpses of that changing over the past couple of years. The second city has once again led the way in that regard, with the Birmingham Lions offering the chance for players to get involved in the sport.
History of the Birmingham Lions
The Birmingham Lions Ice Hockey Club was established in 2001, and they are part of the British University Ice Hockey Association. The team is made up of students from the universities around the second city, including Birmingham City University, Aston University, Newman University and the University of Birmingham. While the teams main focus is performing well on the ice, it is also a team that looks to encourage those that have not played before to get involved.
The club caters to all experience levels, and even encourages those that have never skated before to get involved. As well as that, it also offers an opportunity for players that have a lot of experience to get involved. The attention that the team have received over recent years is increasing, and that is in now small part down to how they are performing on the ice. The club is the perfect place to feel part of a team, as they often run social events too so you can get better equated with the players that you will be playing alongside.
Notable Achievements
The Birmingham Lions have continued to thrive as a team since being established over 20 years ago, and their performances have been excellent. They narrowly missed out on being promoted to the top division in the 2019-20 season, as they finished as runners-up. Promotion would have meant playing in the elite level of university ice hockey in the United Kingdom. However, it wasn’t just the A team that were performing well during that season, as the C team also were in excellent form.
The C team managed to clinch promotion to Division 2 South after winning their division. What the club do off the ice is almost more important, and the success that they have achieved away from ice hockey has been noted by the awards that they have received at the University. Birmingham Lions have twice been nominated for the Pride Award, with those nominations coming in 2019 and 2020.
How To Get Involved
No matter how talented you’re at the sport, the club are always willing to find new members. The Birmingham Lions are proud of their diversity, and 48% of the players are female. Players looking to become a member would need to pay £55, which covers the training costs. Meanwhile, those new to the ice can get lessons for as little as £10 per session.
You can find out more about the club, and how to sign up here.
