Ireland’s club structures in line for major revamp

Ireland’s club hockey structures look set for a major revamp in the 2015/16 season with the proposal of a two-tier Irish Hockey League.

The Irish Hockey League working group (IHLWG) held meetings in Cork, Dublin and Belfast earlier this year to test the waters for a “full” IHL, which would take participant clubs out of their domestic leagues.

The competition has undergone a couple of formats since being introduced in 2007 to replace the Club Championships. Currently, the best 12 men’s and women’s teams compete in an IHL packed into six weekends at the season’s end.