English Ice Hockey Association

What English Ice Hockey Association does

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is the official non-profit governing body for ice hockey in England and Wales, headquartered in Sheffield, UK. Founded in 2012, the organization administers the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) system across multiple tiers — National Division, Division 1 (North/South), Division 2 (North/South) — alongside the Women's National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL), Junior Leagues (U9–U20), and the England National Team Programme (ENTP). It also provides IIHF-aligned coaching education (Levels 1–3), officials training, and the GameDay online registration platform that manages player, coach, official, and volunteer sign-ups with insurance coverage on an annual cycle.

EIHA's technology stack centers on GameDay, a third-party registration and league management platform used for player registrations, club affiliations, and competition fixtures, results, and standings across 51 clubs spanning England, Wales, and Scotland. The organization also integrates InStat video analysis software for NIHL National Division game footage, supporting both player development and on-ice official training. The website (eiha.co.uk) serves as the primary digital hub for league information, fixtures, and club discovery.

Revenue is generated through recurring club affiliation fees and individual registration fees across player, coach, official, and volunteer categories, supplemented by the 2022 Planet Ice three-year sponsorship of the NIHL National Division. Customer segments include ice hockey players of all ages and genders, coaches seeking qualification pathways, officials/referees, and the 40+ affiliated clubs and their volunteers across England. No external equity investment, debt, or funding rounds have been disclosed, consistent with a member-funded non-profit governing body model.

Name

English Ice Hockey Association

Legal name

English Ice Hockey Association

Website

https://eiha.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is the non-profit governing body for ice hockey in England and Wales, administering the National Ice Hockey League, Women's National Ice Hockey League, and junior leagues across 40+ affiliated clubs, while providing coaching education, official training, and player registration via the GameDay platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Governance & League Administration

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Hockey Leagues (MPAKAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Ice hockey governance
• Sports league administration
• Coaching education programs
• Player registration services
• Competitive ice hockey

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Club Affiliation and Registration Fees: EIHA generates revenue through affiliation fees from clubs and individual registration fees from players, coaches, officials, and volunteers. Registration provides insurance coverage and eligibility for sanctioned league and cup competitions.
2. League and Competition Administration: Administrative fees from organizing league structures including NIHL National, Division 1, Division 2, WNIHL, and junior leagues, along with cup competitions and playoffs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) is the official governing body for ice hockey in England, operating the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), Women's National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL), and junior leagues from U9 through U20 levels. The organization provides player/coach/official registration through the GameDay platform, delivers coaching education programmes aligned with IIHF standards, organizes cup competitions and playoffs, and supports over 40 affiliated clubs with governance and developmental pathways.

Product overview

The English Ice Hockey Association operates a comprehensive ice hockey ecosystem comprising the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) as its core product with multiple competitive tiers, the Women's National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL) providing parallel women's competition pathways, and the EIHA Junior Leagues spanning age groups from U9 to U20. The organization also delivers the EIHA Education Program for coaching qualifications and the GameDay registration platform for participant management. Cup competitions including National Cup, Moralee Cup, Britton Cup, Laidler Cup, and Wilkinson Cup run alongside league structures. The England National Team Programme (ENTP) provides national pathway opportunities, while medical education resources support player safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Ice Hockey League (NIHL): The primary senior ice hockey competition structure under EIHA, featuring multiple divisions from National Division to Division 2, organized regionally (North/South)
• Women's National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL)
• EIHA Junior Leagues
• England National Team Programme (ENTP)

Products and services

• National Ice Hockey League (NIHL)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 clubs participating in EIHA-sanctioned leagues
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Planet IcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Planet Ice is Europe's leading ice leisure operator with 14 rinks across the UK. They entered a three-year sponsorship agreement with NIHL National Division in 2022, providing financial support and rink facilities for league operations.
• Ice Hockey UK (IHUK)coreOthersIHUK is the overarching national governing body for ice hockey in the UK. EIHA operates under this structure for England, with coordination on governance, international competition, and policy matters.
• International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIHF is the world governing body for ice hockey. EIHA aligns its coaching qualification levels (Level 1, 2, 3) with IIHF international standards. IIHF provides technical direction and specialists for coach education.
• Hockey is DiversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives including annual Pride Week celebrations across EIHA clubs to promote visibility and welcoming spaces.
• Scottish Ice Hockey (SIH)supportingOthersScotland's governing body for ice hockey. EIHA coordinates with SIH on cross-border league participation and joint governance matters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USA Hockey: The national governing body for ice hockey in the United States. Comparable as a much larger, established ice hockey federation operating amateur leagues, coach education aligned to IIHF, and national team programmes — illustrates scaled potential for EIHA's operating model.
• Hockey Canada: National governing body for ice hockey in Canada, operating a similar federation-led competition, registration, and development structure. Comparable as a scaled analog of an ice hockey governing body.
• Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (German Ice Hockey Federation): National governing body for ice hockey in Germany. Comparable as a European IIHF member federation with amateur league structures, coach education, and junior pathways analogous to EIHA's offerings.

Direct peers

• England Hockey: National Governing Body for field hockey in England. Highly comparable in operating model: member-based, manages leagues, coach education, and national team programmes for a sport with similar grassroots-to-elite pathway structure.
• Ice Hockey UK (IHUK): National governing body for ice hockey in the United Kingdom, of which EIHA operates as the England member. Directly comparable as a tier-above national federation coordinating international competition and policy.
• Scottish Ice Hockey: Scotland's governing body for ice hockey, working alongside EIHA on cross-border league participation and joint governance. Closely comparable as a peer national federation operating amateur ice hockey leagues.
• British Ice Skating: UK national governing body for ice skating disciplines. Comparable as a UK ice-sport federation running member registration, coach education, competitions, and operating from shared rink infrastructure.
• Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL): The fully professional top-tier ice hockey league in the UK, sitting one tier above EIHA's NIHL National. Comparable because both run ice hockey competition structures in the UK and share the player pathway, though EIHL operates at the professional end.

Others

• Planet Ice: Europe's leading ice leisure operator with 14 UK rinks, core strategic partner of EIHA via a three-year NIHL National Division sponsorship. Comparable as the dominant venue infrastructure provider for ice hockey participation in the UK.

Regional players

• Welsh Ice Hockey Association: Welsh counterpart within the UK ice hockey ecosystem, with cross-border participation in NIHL competitions. Comparable as a smaller sibling federation operating in an adjacent UK territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eiha_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about English Ice Hockey Association