blACKBURN
JUNIOR HAWKS
Blackburn
junior hawks
B
lackburn Junior Hawks is a terrific example of well-run, community
establishment that provides people with an opportunity to enjoy
ice hockey in a safe and enjoyable environment. We recently
caught up with Club Representative Matthew Strong to find out
more about the good work they’ve been doing.
Involvement
He told us, “I’ve always been interested in Ice Hockey. When I
was in my teens my friends and I used to watch the Blackburn
Hawks every week. This was when Ice Hockey was in its
ascendency in the UK. When we all went to University that
sort of fell away. I took my nephew and niece to a Hawks
match about 5 years ago and they both loved it.
We came Ice Skating a few times after that on Saturday
mornings and a local volunteer for the club picked them out
and asked them to start the ‘stick and puck’ Hockey starting
course Blackburn Junior Hawks runs. 5 years later both my
nephew and niece are still playing the game and I am chair
of the club. Hockey is very addictive, and gets you that way.”
The Role
“Running an Ice Hockey club is tough – we ask a lot of our
members. The main issue is the cost to hire the ice pad. It is
very expensive to hire it for just an hour. We run 5 junior teams
and a senior team, who all need practice ice, and game day ice
in order to compete.
I’ve been a parent, Manager, Secretary and now Chair of the
club, but through all these roles the most rewarding aspect has
always been the same – seeing the kids get kitted up and take
the ice for a game.
www.blackburnjuniorhawks.com
www.sportip.biz
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