Ice Hockey UK are proud to announce that Standard Motor Products Europe (SMP Europe) will be the main team sponsor of Great Britain at next month’s World Championship in Latvia.

GB, who will play in Group A at the Olympic Sports Centre in Riga, will come up against Russia, Slovakia, Denmark, Belarus, Sweden, Czech Republic and Switzerland between 22nd May and 1st June.

SMP Europe’s partnership with Ice Hockey UK began in 2019 as they came on board with the historic Lucas brand. This year, SMP Europe’s company brand will proudly be on show on Great Britain’s shirts at the tournament.

It will also be displayed on GB replica shirts and merchandise – and the sponsorship deal also covers media output on Ice Hockey TV, Ice Hockey UK Radio, along with the website and social media.

For over 50 years, SMP Europe has developed one of the strongest global aftermarket programs in ignition, engine management, emissions and fuelling. With a no-compromise attitude to quality and performance, their expertise in engineering and manufacturing has led to its position as a global leader in the automotive industry.

These ideals that SMP Europe personify and the culture they have instilled over their long history, perfectly match the ambitions and aspirations of Ice Hockey UK and the GB programme.

A family-owned company, based just outside Nottingham, SMP Europe provides an innovative and reliable product portfolio via a range of well-known and established brands throughout all tiers of distribution.

SMP Europe Managing Director, Ross Toomey, said: “We are delighted to once again be supporting Ice Hockey UK and Great Britain at the World Championship.

“As a global company, we look forward to bringing the passion and excitement of World Championship hockey to our customers and have our brand represented by one of the top hockey nations.”

SMP Europe in Pink
Usually, you would see SMP Europe’s branding as its traditional navy blue and white. However, this year the company takes on a slightly different look as it adopts a bold pink impression as part of a campaign to raise awareness and money for breast cancer charities.

Toomey added: “It may take people a while to get used to the different look, but we hope that they understand that we are still the same people and help to support us with our campaign on breast cancer.

“Around the world, we are facing challenging times living amid the coronavirus pandemic. This is particularly true for all of those impacted by breast cancer, who now face increased risk and vulnerability.

“SMP Europe wants to use its platform as the main sponsor of Ice Hockey UK for good and we hope it will lead to a really powerful campaign in support of breast cancer charities.”

More information on the campaign – including opportunities to support it – will be released in the coming weeks via SMP Europe’s website and social media channels.

Ice Hockey UK General Secretary, Andy French, said: “We are thrilled that our friends at SMP Europe are on-board once again. They are amazing supporters of Great Britain ice hockey at all levels.

“The support given by SMP Europe is invaluable to the GB team and Ice Hockey UK and we’d like to sincerely thank them for their continued fantastic backing. It is particularly poignant to be able to help them share their SMP Europe in Pink campaign, as breast cancer is something that affects so many people around the world.”

Find out more about SMP Europe..
Website: www.smpeurope.com
Twitter: @SMPEurope (business) @SMPEcommunity (community relations)
Facebook: SMPEurope
LinkedIn: SMPEurope
Instagram: @SMPEurope

Pictured: GB players Ben Lake, Ben Davies, Brett Perlini and Luke Ferrara with SMP Europe’s Ross Toomey and Emily Toomey. 

Photo credit: Martin Turner.