sports

Ice Hockey is a fast-paced and physical sport, fantastic to watch and even better to play! The Sheffield Bears consists of Students and Staff from both Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield. The club competes alongside other university teams from around the UK and has a strong record in both the cup competition and the national championships.

Arguably one of the biggest games in the clubs calendar is the annual Winter Varsity Ice Hockey match, in which Sheffield Hallam and the University of Sheffield separate and compete against each other for one match only in the Winter Varsity competition. Last years event saw the game held at the Sheffield Arena in front of 4,000 fans! Sheffield Hallam are currently undefeated in all five Varsity games that have taken place so far.

The club offers its members much more than playing Ice Hockey, there is also regular socials (ranging from fancy-dress bar crawls to team-building laser quest). The club also runs regular ‘off-ice’ fitness and conditioning sessions to increase endurance and strength on the ice.

With Sheffield hosting one of the most established Ice Hockey traditions in the country, there is no better city to get involved in this sport – so take your chance now!

Contact:

Chair: Matt Jeffcock
Email: info@sheffieldbears.com

Getting Started

Ice Hockey is an expensive sport; To play you’ll need full kit, skates and a stick (typically around £300 brand new). We recommend asking around the club to see if there is any second-hand kit for sale. We also have 6+ kits available for hire to players in their first season – please ask about this at your sports fair if you’re interested as they usually go quick!

We also run a ‘Give it a Go’ session at the start of the year for new players to try the sport before committing to the significant cost. This will be held on Wednesday 5th October 2-4pm at Ice Sheffield (tickets are available from the University of Sheffield box office).

Remember, no previous experience is necessary. We have a fantastic coaching team (many of whom are certified by the EIHA) ready to teach everything from basic skating techniques to advanced tactics and plays.

Additional Costs

League Registration: approx. £45 per season
Membership: approx £180 per season
Additional costs for travel to away games

Whilst these prices may seem high, our president has worked tirelessly throughout the summer to secure ice-time at a reasonable cost for our members.

Trips

The club also organises a bi-annual tour during the Easter holiday period to the Czech Republic for a week long hockey camp trained by professional coaches. The tour typically consists of 5 days training camp (including approximately 3 hours ice time a day) before venturing into the countries capital, Prague, for a weekend of socialising!

Training

Training sessions (and home games) take place at Ice Sheffield(http://www.icesheffield.com/directions/).
Each squad will usually have one hour of ice time per week and ‘off-ice’ sessions run three times per week (two one-hour circuit-training and one run). Specific training slots for the forthcoming season are still TBC but will be made available very soon.

Fixtures

The club competes in the BUIHA (British University Ice Hockey Association) at three levels (Division 1, 2 and 3) making the club one of the largest in the country. Competing in all three divisions allows the club to cater for all levels, from experienced senior players (EPL, ENL) to complete beginners who want to get into a new sport!
Our club page on the BUIHA website can be accessed at http://www.buiha.org.uk/clubPage.php?cid=18.