Summer comes early on Teesside

Broadcaster Jeff Marek says tradition is peer pressure from dead people. He’s a fan of change and of chaos.

Traditionally in the summer Billingham ice hockey goes dark after presentation night and generally springs back into life in mid August.

After the relative success of 22/23 for Billingham Stars – league runners up and Cup Finalists, slew of full houses at season end, growing fan base – things are changing this off-season. Change, Jeff, not chaos.

It’s not even the end of May and Stars have confirmed the return of last year’s coaching staff – Stephen Foster and Rob Wilkinson – and inked club captain Michael Elder to his twelfth season on Teesside. More player announcements are due in the coming days.

Given the changes in the make up of the division this summer – Solway Sharks out, Hull Jets in – the competition is wide open for clubs this coming season. No longer are teams chasing Solway, it’s seeking to dominate the league – silverware is open to pretty much everyone.

Billingham’s management have recognised the importance of building on last year and not disappearing until August.

As well as the on-ice success, the club noticeably attracted dozens of new fans to the Forum on home nights. Entertaining hockey, goals, and winning (14-2 league record at home) were a recipe for success. These fans kept coming back.

Keeping the new larger, wider fanbase informed as the off-season progresses is important. The social media age means there is no real off-season for hockey clubs, even at the semi-pro/amateur level of NIHL North 1. Fans are frequently searching online for news, rumours, discussion.

Clubs have a duty to keep the flow of news going through the summer. And the Stars are buying in to the new timescales, posting teasers ahead of the first announcement with the hashtag #itsnotevenAugustyet.

It’s going to be a fun summer in the NIHL North – Solway have left huge boots to fill at the top of the table, clubs will be doing everything they can to have the best chance of stepping into those boots next season.

Here at march74 towers we’re lending our hand to the Stars media machine, and we’re excited to share their summer of news and fan engagement on the road to season 23-24. Even if it isn’t August yet.