Frozen Steel Meets: Leeds Knights GM Neil Fox - What Can We Expect From The New Yorkshire Outfit?

You may have seen the poster doing the rounds, announcing the first game for the newly formed Leeds Knights, as they take on the Grimsby Stormers in a "Charity Challenge Match" at Ice Sheffield on Sunday April 6th at 8:30pm.

I took the opportunity to speak to Knights' GM Neil Fox about their formation, and their plans for the future.

Whose idea was it to form the side, and when was it conceived?

The idea to form the team was made by my family. Both my sons have been involved in the sport from being very young but have never been able to play for a local team as they have spent most of their time between Bradford, Sheffield and Hull.

The Idea was conceived towards the end of last year with a view of the team entering the league last September and using ice time at either Sheffield or Bradford for home games, but due to there being several Sheffield teams including Steelers, Steeldogs and the NIHL teams including Sutton no time was available there, and there was a problem with the ice at Bradford at the start of the season so we missed out.

Am I right to presume the team will play out of the Elland Road Ice Rink when it is completed?

You are quite right yes, the new Elland Road rink will hopefully be the home for the Leeds team in early next year and we are currently using Bradford for training purposes.

Which league will you be playing in?

The current plan is for the team to play a number of Charity Challenge Games between now and the start of next season and then ice time permitting join the NIHL.

Where have you sourced your players from? Are they local to Leeds or from further afield? 

The majority of the players are form the Leeds area and local surrounding areas but we do also have a Canadian forward and a Polish Netminder.

The plan once the new rink is open is to develop the sport within the Leeds area by working closely with the new rink and provide beginners classes and the introduction of an academy. We also plan for the players to visit local schools to promote the sport and get young people interested in Ice Hockey.

Do you have intentions of joining the Elite League at some point?

You can rest assured that this Leeds team has no intention of joining the Elite League due to the financial and logistical aspects. The plan for now is that the NIHL team will be the main team.

How can readers find out more about the Leeds Knights?

Readers can find out more about the team by visiting our website www.leedsknights.co.uk where regular news updates will be posted. As we are holding our first game on the 6th April in aid of the Leeds Children's Hospital it would be fantastic to have as much support as possible and raise money for such a fantastic cause.

Thanks to Neil for taking the time on a Sunday morning to answer our questions. Check out the poster below for details on their first game, £3 entry for a worthy cause, I fully recommend you heading down there.