Herford Ice Hockey Club

What Herford Ice Hockey Club does

The Herforder Eishockey Verein e.V. (HEV), operating as the "Ice Dragons," is a registered non-profit ice hockey association (eingetragener Verein) based in Herford in the Ostwestfalen region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Amtsgericht Bad Oeynhausen Az. VR 21793). The club fields a semi-professional men's team competing in the Oberliga Nord, the third tier of German professional ice hockey, and is entering its seventh consecutive season at that level for 2026/27. Home games are played at the imos Eishalle "Im Kleinen Felde" (Westring 108, Herford), where ongoing renovations — supported by Stadtwerke Herford — are adding fixed seating ahead of the new season. Under the same organizational umbrella, the club runs the Young Dragons youth development program (U7 to U20, DEB 5-Star Program certified, currently 2-star rated) and the Lady Dragons women's team.

The club generates revenue through four primary streams: ticket sales (individual match tickets and season tickets distributed via the Reservix platform, including the newly introduced fixed-seat season tickets for 2026/27), branded merchandise through the ice-dragons-shop.de fanshop, club membership fees (Mitgliedschaft), and corporate sponsorships. Sponsorship partners include Brax (exclusive partner), Sparkasse Herford, Stadtwerke Herford, imos (also the naming-rights partner of the home arena), Febrü, Herforder brewery, Rotpunkt Küchen, Schaper Gruppe, Termine.de, and inometa, complemented by the Drachenclub fan-partner program. Marketing and fan engagement operate through the club website, the "Drachen-Newsletter," social media (Facebook, Instagram), Sprade.TV streaming, and direct community programs including three organized fan clubs (DIE KURVE Herford, Goalgetter's Herford, HockeyHeads Herford) and a designated Fanbeauftragter.

Primary audiences are local and regional ice hockey fans in Ostwestfalen, with secondary stakeholders comprising corporate sponsors, youth and junior players in the development pathway, and women athletes through the Lady Dragons. Leadership is anchored by 1. Vorsitzender (Chairman) Frederick Otto and stellv. Vorsitzender Milan Beversdorff, with head coach Henry Thom entering his third season, Sports Director Sven Johannhardt, full-time Youth Head Coach Miha Zbontar, and dedicated Goalie Coach Brett Jaeger. The club's recent strategic emphasis has been on arena infrastructure, roster professionalization, and youth development pipeline expansion.

Name

Herford Ice Hockey Club

Legal name

Herforder Eishockey Verein e.V.

Website

https://ice-dragons.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Herforder Eishockey Verein e.V. (Ice Dragons) is a German semi-professional ice hockey club competing in the Oberliga Nord (Germany's 3rd tier), based in Herford. It generates revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise, and memberships, and operates youth and women's teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Ice Hockey Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Winter Sports Teams/Clubs (Ski, Snowboard, Bobsleigh, etc.) (MPAKABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Hockey Leagues (MPAKAAAE), Ice Rinks & Winter Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAG), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Professional ice hockey
• Ice hockey league
• Youth ice hockey
• Ice hockey entertainment
• Ice hockey merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Herford

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual game tickets and season tickets (Dauerkarten) sold online via the Reservix platform, including the newly introduced seat season tickets for the 2026/27 season.
2. Merchandise and Fan Shop: Revenue from branded merchandise sold through the fan shop at https://ice-dragons-shop.de/.
3. Membership Fees: Revenue from club memberships (Mitgliedschaft) offered to fans who wish to support the club beyond match attendance.
4. Sponsorship: Revenue from corporate sponsors including Brax (exclusive partner), Sparkasse Herford, Stadtwerke Herford, Febrü, Herforder, imos, Rotpunkt, Schaper, Termine, inometa, and the Drachenclub partner program. Sponsors receive branding visibility, hospitality, and marketing exposure through the club's digital and live channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Herforder Eishockey Verein e.V. operates a semi-professional men's ice hockey team (the Ice Dragons) that competes in the Oberliga Nord, Germany's third-tier ice hockey league. The club runs a youth development program (Young Dragons, U7–U20), a women's team (Lady Dragons), and sells tickets, season tickets, branded merchandise, memberships, and sponsorship packages to fans, sponsors, and community members in the Herford/Ostwestfalen region. Home games are played at the imos Eishalle "Im Kleinen Felde" in Herford.

Product overview

Herford Ice Hockey Club (Herforder Eishockey Verein e.V.) operates primarily as an amateur/semi-professional sports club fielding the Ice Dragons men's ice hockey team in the Oberliga Nord (Germany's 3rd tier). The club's offering is centered on the Ice Dragons team, which competes in the Oberliga Nord. The club also runs the Young Dragons youth program (licensed youth development center, 2-star DEB 5-Star certified, U7 to U20) and the Lady Dragons women's team. Supporting offerings include an online fanshop, a season ticket program (now including fixed seating for the first time), a newsletter subscription service, Sprade.TV streaming, and fan clubs (DIE KURVE Herford, Goalgetter's Herford, HockeyHeads Herford). The club's home venue is the imos Eishalle 'Im Kleinen Felde' in Herford.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Young Dragons: Youth ice hockey development program of the Herforder Eishockey Verein
• Lady Dragons

Products and services

• Ice Dragons Men's Ice Hockey Team The club's primary product: a semi-professional men's ice hockey team competing in the Oberliga Nord (Germany's third division of professional ice hockey). The team plays home games at the imos Eishalle "Im Kleinen Felde" in Herford.
• Young Dragons Youth Development Program The club's youth ice hockey development program covering U7 to U20 age groups. Operates as a DEB 5-Star Program certified (2-star rated) youth performance center, with a goal of integrating at least one player per year into the senior Oberliga squad.
• Lady Dragons Women's Ice Hockey Team The club's women's ice hockey team, providing a competitive platform for female athletes to play organized ice hockey in the Ostwestfalen region.
• Season Tickets (Dauerkarten) Season ticket program for Ice Dragons home games at the imos Eishalle, sold via the Reservix platform. For 2026/27, the club introduced fixed-seat season tickets for the first time in its history alongside the traditional standing-room season tickets.
• Individual Match Tickets Single-game tickets for Ice Dragons home matches, sold through the Reservix platform in advance and at the arena box office (Abendkasse) on matchday.
• Ice Dragons Fanshop Online and physical merchandise shop selling club-branded apparel and fan articles, with the option to collect orders at home games.
• Fixed Seat Season Tickets (Sitzplatz-Dauerkarten) First-ever fixed-seat season ticket option in the imos Eishalle "Im Kleinen Felde", introduced for the 2026/27 season and enabled by an arena renovation supported by Stadtwerke Herford. Limited seats are available on the new seating tribüne.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7th year in German professional ice hockey (Oberliga)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• BraxcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrax is the exclusive partner (Exklusivpartner) of the Herforder Eishockey Verein. As the exclusive partner, Brax receives primary branding visibility across the club's digital platforms, arena signage, and promotional materials. The partnership positions Brax as the lead sponsor of the Ice Dragons.
• Sparkasse HerfordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSparkasse Herford is a key sponsor and partner of the Ice Dragons, providing banking services and financial support to the club. The partnership contributes to the club's operational and investment capabilities.
• Stadtwerke HerfordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStadtwerke Herford (municipal utility company) enabled the arena renovation that added seating capacity for the 2026/27 season. This partnership was instrumental in expanding the matchday experience and is described as an important contribution to the future of the Herford ice hockey venue.
• imos (imos3d.com)coreGTM or Marketing Partnerimos is both a sponsor and the naming rights partner of the home arena (imos Eishalle 'Im Kleinen Felde'). The partnership provides significant financial support and naming rights to the club's primary venue.
• FebrüsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFebrü is a sponsor of the Ice Dragons, providing marketing and branding exposure through the club's channels.
• Herforder (Herforder brewery)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerHerforder is a sponsor and partner of the Ice Dragons, providing marketing support and brand association with the local Herford identity.
• Rotpunkt (Rotpunkt Küchen)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRotpunkt Küchen is a sponsor of the Ice Dragons, appearing on the club's partner roster with marketing and branding benefits.
• Schaper (Schaper Gruppe)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSchaper Gruppe is a sponsor of the Ice Dragons, supporting the club's operations and marketing activities.
• Termine (termine.de)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTermine.de is a sponsor of the Ice Dragons, listed among the club's supporting partners.
• inometaminorGTM or Marketing Partnerinometa is a sponsor of the Ice Dragons, listed among the club's supporting partners.
• Drachenclub (Fan Partner Program)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Drachenclub is the fan partner and membership program of the Ice Dragons, operating at a tier between general fan and corporate sponsor. It provides a structured way for dedicated fans to support the club financially beyond ticket purchases.
• ReservixcoreTechnology or IntegrationReservix is the ticket distribution platform partner for the Ice Dragons, powering all online ticket sales including single-game tickets and season tickets (standing and seated). The platform handles the club's ticket commerce, fan registration, and event management.
• Young Dragons (Youth Program)coreOthersThe Young Dragons is the club's internal youth development program (U7 to U20), operating under the HEV umbrella. It is a licensed youth performance center certified with 2 stars in the DEB 5-Star Program.
• Lady Dragons (Women's Team)supportingOthersThe Lady Dragons is the women's ice hockey team affiliated with the Herforder Eishockey Verein, providing a competitive platform for female athletes in the region.
• DEB (German Ice Hockey Federation)coreOthersThe DEB (Deutscher Eishockey-Bund) is the governing body for ice hockey in Germany. The HEV participates in DEB-organized leagues (Oberliga) and follows DEB guidelines including the 5-Star Youth Development Program. The club received its Oberliga license through the DEB's licensing process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Black Dragons Erfurt: Oberliga club from which Herford signed defenseman Tom Banach. Operates at the same semi-professional tier with a comparable mix of imported and regional player sourcing.
• Höchstadt Alligators: Bayern/Oberliga-level club that sold Maxim Mastic to Herford. Compares as a peer given similar Oberliga scale, regional sponsorship mix, and talent-trading dynamics.
• Füchse Duisburg: Oberliga Nord opponent scheduled in Herford's 2026/27 pre-season. Both operate in the same league with similar club sizes, regional sponsorship models, and amateur-to-semi-pro talent pipelines.
• Hammer Eisbären: Oberliga Nord team in the same regional catchment. Brett Jaeger, Herford's new goalie coach, previously played for the Hammer Eisbären, illustrating shared talent circulation within the same tier of German ice hockey.
• Eisadler Dortmund: Oberliga Nord pre-season opponent for the Ice Dragons. Comparable in tier, regional NRW base, and club-resource scale, making it a direct competitive peer.
• Tölzer Löwen: Historic Oberliga Süd club with similar semi-professional scale, regional sponsorship focus, and youth development program. Operates in the same third-tier league structure as the Ice Dragons.
• Hannover Indians: Oberliga Nord rival that the Ice Dragons face in pre-season and league play. Both compete in the same German third-tier ice hockey division with comparable semi-professional structures and similar regional fan-base models.
• Saale Bulls Halle: Oberliga competitor in eastern Germany with a similar e.V.-style sports club structure, regional sponsor base, and tier-3 professional ambitions. Comparable revenue scale and operational footprint.
• Crocodiles Hamburg: One of the most established Oberliga Nord clubs with a comparable mix of semi-professional sport operations, regional sponsorship, and youth development. A direct peer in league play and operational model.

Broad incumbents

• Düsseldorfer EG: Established NRW-based ice hockey club from which Herford sources young talent (e.g., Laurens van Leyen from DEG U20). Operates at a higher tier but is a relevant feeder partner and regional benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubesprade.tv/de/teams/409/herforder-ice-dragons
• Xx.com/SportKontakt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herforder-eishockey-verein

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Herford Ice Hockey Club