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Abbreviation | NRHA |
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Formation | 1896 |
Legal status | Amateur |
Headquarters | Singapore |
Location | |
Membership | 21 Clubs |
President | ![]() |
Coaching Director | ![]() |
Affiliations | CERH (Europe) |
Website | England Roller Hockey Official Website |
Current season, competition or edition:![]() | |
Inaugural season | 1974 |
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Most recent champion(s) | King's Lynn RHC (5th title) |
Most titles | Herne Bay United (16 titles) |
Inaugural season | 1930 |
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Most recent champion(s) | King's Lynn (1st title) |
Most titles | Herne Bay RHC (32 titles) |
England Roller Hockey, which originated in England, is a game played on roller-skates with a ball and stick. It was first played at The Lava Rink in Denmark Hill, London in 1885. The National Rink Hockey Association of England (NRHA) is the roller hockey governing body in England.
Roller hockey, originally called "rink hockey," was established in 1896, making it one of the oldest sports recognised associations. It consisted of 10 men on each side, and the first roller hockey games were played with a tennis ball and ordinary walking sticks, or sometimes even old umbrella handles.
During the infancy of the game, the sport built up very rapidly, with many teams starting in the London area. New associations were created for the southern and the northern parts of the country. Whilst roller hockey is still a minority sport throughout the world, it has been developed by many European countries into a well-paid, professional sport. In England, though, after its promising start, roller hockey has declined. Its number of registered players increase in line with the skating trend.
Aside from the professional coaching director, Carlos Amaral, the association is entirely amateur. The England roller hockey team has been a FIRS World Championship winner twice (in 1936 and 1939, when the championships were also contested as the European Championships) and CERH European Championship winner 12 times. The national teams take part in U17, U20, Men's and Women's competitions both in Europe and at the World Roller Games, organised by World Skate.
The major competition in English roller hockey is the NRHA Premier League, which has seen both Southsea RHC and Herne Bay United dominate in previous decades. The secondary tournament in England is the National Cup (seniors), in which Herne Bay RHC holds the record for most wins.
The NRHA is divided into three regions: Northern Counties (NCRHA), Eastern Counties (ECRHA) and South Eastern Counties (SECRHA).
England Roller Hockey is the national association for roller hockey across the country. It is registered as The National Roller Hockey Association of England (NRHA).
In Britain, roller hockey forms one of seven roller sport disciplines affiliated with the British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF), which is recognised as the national governing body (NGB) of all the disciplines. The sport of roller hockey was governed by the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) through its affiliate, the Comité Internationale de Rink-Hockey (CIRH), which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Following the Extraordinary Congress resolution in September 2017 in Nanjing (China), the FIRS has changed its denomination to World Skate, the first step towards a managerial set up attentive to the needs of its base. [2]
The day-to-day operations of the NRHA are conducted by its executive committee members, with their sub-committees, which are elected every four years at the Annual General Meeting of the Association (AGM). The committee consists of the president, general secretary, treasurer, competitors, officials, and marketing.
In addition, the presidents (or their authorised representatives) of each affiliated region of the NRHA also sit on the association's executive committee.
Although roller hockey is an English creation, it is most popular in Latin countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Argentina, where it is played professionally by clubs including as FC Barcelona, FC Porto and SL Benfica. [3]
The Northern Counties Roller Hockey Association is the regional body within the National Roller Hockey Association of England, which covers the northern counties of England, including Greater Manchester, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Notable clubs include Middlesbrough RHC, Manchester RHC and Grimsby RHC. While there have been many clubs in Northern England since the NRHA began in 1896, it now features just 7 clubs, including Plymouth.
Until recently Northern Counties representatives had great success in men's senior roller hockey with Middlesbrough and Grimsby winning the Premier League and National Cup in recent seasons.
Grimsby RHC, Manchester RSC, Middlesbrough, Plymouth RHC, Sheffield Wildcats RH & RSC, Spectrum Spartans RHC and Spen Valley RHC. [4]
The Eastern Counties Roller Hockey Association, historically the least successful, is currently the most decorated affiliation to the NRHA. It has the most clubs and members out of the three regions, and covers counties including Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Its most famous clubs include King's Lynn who have won the Premier League four seasons in a row and Letchworth.
Cambridge & Cottenham RHC, Colchester RHC, Ely & Chesterton United RHC, King's Lynn RHC, Letchworth RHC, Norwich City RHC, Peterborough RHC, Skaters RHC, and Soham RHC. [5]
The South Eastern Counties is the most prolific region, conceding 29 out of 44 Premier League titles and 70 of the 85 National Cup titles. Herne Bay RHC dominated English roller hockey for much of its early existence, competing at the legendary Pier Pavilion, which was demolished in 2011. Their success was followed mostly by Hampshire club, Southsea RHC, and later Herne Bay United, which dominated the Premier League championships up until 2010.
Other notable South Eastern Counties clubs include Maidstone RHC and the newly formed London RHC.
Farnham RHC, Herne Bay RHC, Herne Bay United RH&SC, RHC Invicta, London RHC, Maidstone RHC. [6]
In the early World Championships, England was successful in winning the first two tournaments:
European and World Championship | |||||
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Year | Host city (cities) | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4th Place |
1936 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1939 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
However, following World War II, England had no success in the World Championships, apart from a second-placed finish in the 1948 games in Montreux, Switzerland.
In the modern game, the World Championships are split into two categories. The World "A" Championships contest is contested by the best teams in the world, while the World "B' Championships, contested every other year to the World A's, see the top three finishers qualify to compete in the World A's the following year in a relegation/promotion system. England usually fights to remain in the World A's, or is relegated and fights for promotion. The national team has finished not higher than 13th in the World A's in many years, although they have been regular contenders in the World A's.
In the 2011 FIRS Men's Roller Hockey World Cup in San Juan, Argentina, England finished in 15th place and competed in the 2012 FIRS Men's B-Roller Hockey World Cup in Canelones, Uruguay. Since 2017, English teams (Men's /Women's/U20 Men's) have represented their country in the World Championships at the World Roller Games organised by World Skate
England had great success in the early tournaments of the European championships, winning 12 titles. However, after World War II, although England attained one second-placed finish in 1948 and two fourth-placed finishes in 1957 and 1959, they have struggled to make any real international impact for many years on the European stage, which has been predominantly dominated by Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Year | Host city | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4th Place |
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1926 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1927 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1928 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1929 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1930 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1931 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1932 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1934 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1936 [1] | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1937 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1938 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1939 [1] | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1947 [1] | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
1948 [1] | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Year | Host city | Category | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 4th Place |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 [7] | ![]() | Under 17 Ladies | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
The National teams represent England at the following levels in the European competitions organised by World Skate - Europe. The Men's team, the Women's team and the Under 19 Men's also compete at the World Championships held at the World Roller Games organised by World Skate. [8]
Year | Champion | Year | Champion |
---|---|---|---|
1973–74 | Wolverhampton | 1996–97 | Herne Bay United |
1974–75 | Wolverhampton | 1997–98 | Herne Bay United |
1975–76 | Folkestone | 1998–99 | Halifax |
1976–77 | – | 1999–00 | Herne Bay United |
1977–78 | Wolverhampton | 2000–01 | Herne Bay United |
1978–79 | Middlesbrough | 2001–02 | Herne Bay United |
1979–80 | Middlesbrough | 2002–03 | Herne Bay United |
1980–81 | Southsea | 2003–04 | Herne Bay United |
1981–82 | Southsea | 2004–05 | Bury St. Edmunds |
1982–83 | Southsea | 2005–06 | Herne Bay United |
1983–84 | Southsea | 2006–07 | Herne Bay United |
1984–85 | Southsea | 2007–08 | Herne Bay United |
1985–86 | Southsea | 2008–09 | Herne Bay United |
1986–87 | Southsea | 2009–10 | Herne Bay United |
1987–88 | Southsea | 2010–11 | Middlesbrough |
1988–89 | Southsea | 2011–12 | Grimsby |
1989–90 | Southsea | 2012–13 | Middlesbrough |
1990–91 | Southsea | 2013–14 | Grimsby |
1991–92 | Southsea | 2014–15 | Grimsby |
1992–93 | Herne Bay United | 2015–16 | King's Lynn |
1993–94 | Herne Bay United | 2016–17 | King's Lynn |
1994–95 | Herne Bay United | 2017–18 | King's Lynn |
1995–96 | Herne Bay United | 2018–19 | King's Lynn |
2019–20 | King's Lynn | 2020–21 | King's Lynn |
2021–22 | King's Lynn | 2022–23 | King's Lynn |
Year | Champion |
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2023–24 | TBD |
Team | Championships |
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Herne Bay United | 16 |
Southsea | 12 |
King's Lynn | 5 |
Middlesbrough | 4 |
Grimsby | 3 |
Wolverhampton | 3 |
Bury St Edmunds | 1 |
Folkestone | 1 |
Halifax | 1 |
TOTAL | 45 |
View the Premier League 2019–20 Season here.
The clubs that are competing in the Premier League 2019 - 2020 Season are: Ely and Chesterton United, Grimsby, Herne Bay, King's Lynn, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Peterborough and Soham. The top tier of English rink hockey is the Premier League consisting of 9 teams playing single match home/away format hockey. [9]
The second tier of English rink hockey is National Division 1. It is played on a tournament basis where teams play twice a tournament, with a total of 10 games in the season. In 2018-19 ECU won the right to move up to the National Premier League, with Herne Bay also making the move up. The clubs that are competing in the National Division 1 2019 - 2020 Season are: Cambridge and Cottenham RHC, Ely & Chesterton Inited RHC, Farnham RHC, Letchworth RHC, RHC Invicta and Spen Valley Flyers RHC. [10]
Year | Winner | Year | Winner | Year | Winner | Year | Winner | Year | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | Herne Bay | 1952 | Herne Bay | 1974 | Herne United | 1996 | Herne Bay United | 2018 | Soham |
1931 | Herne Bay | 1953 | Herne Bay | 1975 | Folkestone | 1997 | Maidstone | 2019 | King's Lynn |
1932 | Herne Bay | 1954 | Great Harwood | 1976 | Southsea | 1998 | Letchworth | ||
1933 | Herne Bay | 1955 | Herne Bay | 1977 | Southsea | 1999 | Maidstone | ||
1934 | Herne Bay | 1956 | Herne Bay | 1978 | Herne Bay | 2000 | Herne Bay United | ||
1935 | Herne Bay United | 1957 | Great Harwood | 1979 | Herne Bay | 2001 | Herne Bay United | ||
1936 | Herne Bay | 1958 | Herne Bay | 1980 | Southsea | 2002 | Herne Bay United | ||
1937 | Herne Bay United | 1959 | Rochester | 1981 | Southsea | 2003 | Herne Bay United | ||
1938 | Herne Bay | 1960 | Rochester | 1982 | Southsea | 2004 | Herne Bay United | ||
1939 | Herne Bay | 1961 | Birchpark | 1983 | Southsea | 2005 | Letchworth | ||
1940 | Herne Bay | 1962 | Alexandra Palace | 1984 | Herne Bay | 2006 | Herne Bay United | ||
1941 | Herne Bay | 1963 | Herne Bay | 1985 | Southsea | 2007 | Herne Bay United | ||
1942 | Herne Bay | 1964 | Wolverhampton | 1986 | Southsea | 2008 | Herne Bay United | ||
1943 | Herne Bay | 1965 | Wolverhampton | 1987 | Southsea | 2009 | Herne Bay United | ||
1944 | Herne Bay | 1966 | Folkestone | 1988 | Southsea | 2010 | Middlesbrough | ||
1945 | Herne Bay | 1967 | Folkestone | 1989 | Southsea | 2011 | Herne Bay United | ||
1946 | Herne Bay | 1968 | Folkestone | 1990 | Maidstone | 2012 | Middlesbrough | ||
1947 | Herne Bay | 1969 | Bury St. Edmunds | 1991 | Southsea | 2013 | Grimsby | ||
1948 | Herne Bay | 1970 | Wolverhampton | 1992 | Herne Bay | 2014 | Grimsby | ||
1949 | Herne Bay | 1971 | Wolverhampton | 1993 | Herne Bay | 2015 | Middlesbrough | ||
1950 | Herne Bay | 1972 | Wolverhampton | 1994 | Herne Bay | 2016 | Middlesbrough | ||
1951 | Herne Bay | 1973 | Southsea | 1995 | Middlesbrough | 2017 | Middlesbrough |
Team | Cups |
---|---|
Herne Bay | 32 |
Herne Bay United | 14 |
Southsea | 13 |
Wolverhampton | 5 |
Middlesbrough RHC | 5 |
Folkestone | 4 |
Maidstone | 3 |
Bury St Edmunds | 2 |
Rochester | 2 |
Great Harwood | 2 |
Grimsby | 2 |
Letchworth | 1 |
Alexandra Palace | 1 |
Birchpark | 1 |
King's Lynn | 1 |
Soham | 1 |
TOTAL | 89 |
Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It can be played with traditional roller skates or with inline skates and use either a ball or puck. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 countries worldwide.
The Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports was the world governing body for roller sports, including skateboarding, rink hockey, inline hockey, inline speed skating, inline alpine, downhill, roller derby, roller freestyle, inline freestyle, aggressive inline skating, inline figure skating and artistic roller skating. It was established in April 1924 in Montreux, Switzerland by two Swiss sportsmen, Fred Renkewitz and Otto Myer, who had close connections to the International Olympic Committee.
USA Roller Sports (USARS), formerly the United States Amateur Confederation of Roller Skating, is the national governing body of competitive roller sports in the United States. It is recognized by the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) and the United States Olympic Committee.
Roller in-line hockey, American roller hockey or inline hockey, is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport is a very fast-paced and free-flowing game and is considered a contact sport, but body checking is prohibited. There are five players including the goalkeeper from each team on the rink at a time, while teams normally consist of 16 players. There are professional leagues, one of which is the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL). While it is not a contact sport, there are exceptions, i.e. the NRHL involves fighting.
The Women's Roller Hockey World Cup is a competition between the best female national teams in the World. It takes place every two years and it was organized by the FIRS until its integration into World Skate.
Roller hockey, rink hockey or quad hockey is a team sport played on roller skates. It is a quad-skate team sport where two teams face-off against one another, trying to drive a hard ball with their sticks into the opposing teams' goalnet. Each team has five players on the rink at a time, four of whom are skaters and one who is the goalkeeper. The ball can only be put in motion by a stick, not the skate, otherwise a foul will be stated. The game has two 25-minute halves, with 15-minute halftime intermission, plus up to two 5-minute golden goal periods to settle ties with the clock stopping when the ball becomes dead. If the tie persists, a penalty shootout will determine the winner. Players – including the goalie – use quad skates, whereas inline skates are used in inline hockey. The sticks are similar to those in bandy and shinty. Excessive contact between players is forbidden in rink hockey, unlike inline hockey.
The World Skate Europe Rink Hockey, formerly known as Comité Européen de Rink-Hockey, is a technical committee within World Skate Europe responsible for the governing of rink hockey in Europe.
Inline hockey and skater hockey are team sports, similar to ice hockey. In the UK, there are two associations that govern inline hockey. The British Inline Puck Hockey Association (BIPHA) govern the sport with rules using a Puck. The British inline Skater Hockey Association (BiSHA) is different from BIPHA as BiSHA uses a Ball, Inline skates and roller skates and is played to full-contact rules. GBinline, Inline UK and BRHA, are minor association within the country.
Matthew Lloyd is a British Paralympian who was born with spina bifida and two club feet. He has competed in ice sledge hockey at the 2006 Winter Paralympics, in Sitting volleyball at the 2007 European Championships, and is credited with inventing the sport of Inline sledge hockey. He was born in Crawley, Sussex but grew up in Rainhill, Merseyside and later resided in Hollym, East Riding of Yorkshire. After completing a degree in Business Information Systems, Lloyd worked within the music industry, firstly as a journalist and then within the A&R department of a major record label, before going to work extensively within the sports and leisure sectors.
The Premier League is the main competition in England Roller Hockey. It has a long history, and it has existed since 1930. It has some of the most historic European teams like Herne Bay and Herne Bay United. The top teams usually compete in European Club Competitions like European League or Cers Cup now organised by World Skate Europe - Rink Hockey.
The Japanese Roller Hockey National Championship is the biggest Roller Hockey Clubs Championship in Japan.
Thedicks Australian Roller Hockey National Championship is the biggest Roller Hockey Clubs Championship in Australia.
The Israel Roller Hockey League is the biggest Roller Hockey Clubs Championship in Israel.
Herne Bay United, also known as HBU, is a roller hockey club based in Herne Bay, England. The Club was founded on 9 October 1924.
The England national roller hockey team is the national team side of England at international roller hockey. England started as the leading team in the sport, being the winner of the first 12 editions of the Rink Hockey European Championship, from 1927 to 1939, with the 1937 and 1939 editions also serving as Rink Hockey World Championship, but were unable to keep the same position after World War II. England reached the podium in 1947, when they finished in 2nd place, losing the title to Portugal. Since then, England has never been able to reach the same status of the past, being nowadays considered a minor team. England Rink Hockey has achieved some positive results in recent years, competing at the World Roller Games organised by World Skate and at European Championships organised by World Skate Europe - Rink Hockey.
The Intercontinental Cup is a roller hockey competition organized by World Skate and usually contested between the World Skate Europe and the World Skate America champions clubs.
YMCA Maidstone Roller Hockey Club is a roller hockey club located in Kent, England. It has won three National Cup titles, regularly competing at the highest level in the country over the last few decades.
Alexandra Palace Roller Skating Club was an English roller sports club comprising roller hockey, speed and artistic sections based at Alexandra Palace, London.
World Skate is the only governing body in the world for all sports performed on skating wheels. The organisation is the successor of the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) founded on 21 April 1924.
The Women's Intercontinental Cup is a roller hockey competition organized by World Skate and contested between the championship clubs from World Skate Africa, World Skate Asia, World Skate Oceania, World Skate Europe, and World Skate America.