Do I needs to know how to skate? | ||||||
| Yes. Ideally you will be able to skate to a decent level and be able to perform the following skills: - Skate forwards - Skate backwards - Hockey stop (one side or both) - Crossover (at least one direction) - Tight turn | ||||||
Do I need my own equipment? | ||||||
| Yes. Anyone wanting to train or play with Manchester Swarm will need their own equipment. An individual players kit normally consists of: Player: - Helmet (with Visor or Cage) - Neck protector - Shoulder Pads/Chest Protector - Elbow Pads - Knee/Shin Guards - Hockey Shorts - Socks - Skates - Gloves - Stick - Jock/Jill strap - Jersey Netminder: - Hemet (with cage) - Neck protector - Shoulder Pads/Chest Protector - Goalie Shorts - Knee Pads - Goalie Leg Pads - Goalie Skates - Goalie Stick - Goalie Jock/Jill Strap - Jersey | ||||||
Is there equipment for hire? | ||||||
| No. Manchester Swarm as a club do not have equipment for hire as hockey equipment can be smelly and everybody is a different size and shape. For these reasons, we are unable to lend out equipment to players. Though, some players do have spare equipment available for one-off use. | ||||||
When are your training sessions? | ||||||
| Manchester Swarm train at Planet Ice Altrincham on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Monday session is 21:30-22:30 and the Wednesday session is 21:15-22:15. Our players aim to be ready five minutes before the session starts. Training is late in the evening because our home rink is first and foremost a business. This means they make their money from public skating sessions, and so, we have to work around those | ||||||
How much does training cost? | ||||||
| Training sessions cost £15 per session, this is payable to a committee member by cash or card before stepping onto the ice. A standing order can be arranged if you are attending our sessions regularly, this is £85 per month. | ||||||
Are there any training restrictions? | ||||||
| Players can attend training on an initial trial for one month. An EIH form will need to be filled in on session one. Following this, players would need to be registered with the club through the EIH to ensure they are covered by the insurance policy. EIH registrations cost £57.75 or £25 if a second team. | ||||||
Are there any age restrictions? | ||||||
| Unfortunately, we cannot register any players under the age of 18. This is mainly because we do not have coaches with the relevant qualifications. | ||||||
How often do you play games? | ||||||
| The EIH's recreational level does not have any fixed league structure. This means that cups/tournaments are hosted independently by various Ice Hockey clubs around the UK. We do enter some of these tournaments as a team, and also arrange challenge matches and development scrimmages with other clubs throughout the season. | ||||||
Do you play checking hockey? | ||||||
| As a recreational club, Manchester Swarm understand that our players are not professionals and still have a job to go to on Monday morning. There is contact involved in the game but for the reason above, most of the ice hockey we play is non-checking. | ||||||