The government announced last week that four million pounds from their Winter Survival Package would support ice hockey in the UK, with money being made available to the Elite League.
The EIHL have today announced some more details about the DCMS funding, saying: “We have been advised that the funding allocated last week relates to teams in England only, with separate funds made available to the devolved authorities under the Barnett formula.”
Elite League chairman, Tony Smith, said: “We are not losing sight of the fact that we applied for government help as one Elite League across four nations. While the funding that covers England is extremely welcome, our next steps are to try to secure similar possibilities for the remaining five teams – Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan.
“Until we know more, there is no guarantee that these nations will allocate funding for ice hockey. We are calling on the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to assess the options available to all teams in their regions as soon as possible.
“The EIHL will do everything it can to assist these teams in requesting funding from their devolved administrations and take the lead in the process where required. We’re still some way from being able to guarantee something might happen in early 2021 and again I’d ask for everyone’s patience while we continue to find out more information.”
Click here to read the full story on the EIHL website.