Pro Inline Hockey

[mcchockey9]

I wanted to start a thread that everyone could post to, without be negaitve. I read threw all of these posts, and 90% is negative towards any league besides PIHA, especially when a new league is mentioned. I believe in PIHA, and it is the premier league as of now. MLRH is in it's own right a premier league, seeing how it has a different format and rules. Both leagues co-exist for a reason, and both will continue to grow. MLRH has partnered with elite sports group, and is working on growing and changing seasons and such. PIHA is a great league, and has names in the league to back it (Yoder, Tracy, Yingling, etc...).

The true reality is, there is no TRUE major professional league. If you look at ice hockey, there are different levels (Major, AAA, AA, A,). What I see is we have two leagues. One league, PIHA, is a AAA & AA league, while MLRH is a AAA. Both leagues are doing their best to stride forward, and take the bad taste out of fans mouths from such leagues at the RHI & PBH. I'm sure everyone knows these leagues, and they put a bruise on the sport, that may not heal completely until our kids are old enough to play.

I'm not sure if everyone agrees, but i think that there are two major problems in the structure of inline hockey. First, the lack of fan support. The NHL struggles tremendously outside of Michigan, New York, and of course any canadian market. This being said, how can anyone expect inline hockey to take to a large scale with the same set up at the current time. The second issue is, regulations & rules. The regulations for rink sizes is a big thing, while there are not set rules being used for leagues, tournaments, & clubs. Do i believe that MLRH & PIHA can co-exist, YES. The only way is that they run in different seasons. This way players and fans can play and watch all year, with a different nitch for each league.

There is one more fault, none of the new leagues asks players what they think should be done in a league. What I would like everyone to do here on this post is not be negative, but to say what you expect a MAJOR professional league to consist of. Knocking everyone who as a plan or idea isn't a great way to help endorse the league.

Let's see some good ideas, and maybe some with real money, real rinks, and real motovation might take the ideas run with it!

[TheSnake22]

clearly you're not a member of piha, because we have our own forum where we discuss ideas for our league.

MLRH is not an "elite" league and it is an insult for it to be put on the same level as PIHA, at least at this point in time. From everything i've heard, bill is a great guy and pours his heart into his league, but the two products are just not comparable.

the answer is in your post. "How can anyone expect inline hockey to take to a large scale with the same set up at the current time." now, your wording is a little ambiguous, but basically the answer is it can't. the answer is that it needs to grow slowly and steadily into a true professional league, which is what PIHA is trying to do.

And have any of these other league proposals deserved to be taken seriously? not yet at least...

[TULaw]

Here are a few of my ideas that I think are a must for any emerging league.

1- A summer season: the months of november through april is just too packed with other options. I am a inline player and love the game and followed the RHI growing up, but there is no way i am going to go watch Inline Hockey given the superior options for Hockey. take Colorado as an example as far as Hockey options I have the Avs (NHL), DU and CC both top college hockey programs, i also have to CHL teams i can watch. Aside from Hockey you have all of the other sports leagues playing at the some time. In the summer you have MLB, MLS, and to a lesser extent MLL and WNBA, for a Hockey fan given the option I would take high level Roller Hockey (if packaged right) over any of those options, thus a May through September season would be a must.

2- Packaging the sport properly is a must, something i think neither PIHA and MLRH do well enough right now. The fans dont care if the players are paid or not but if they are going to spend their money (even if its 5 bucks) they expect certain things from a professional sporting events. Marketable team names, professional logos (something that says inline hockey and you would be proud to wear on official merchandise) as well as a professional in game experience. What hurts PIHA and MLRH is that fans with all of the sporting options expect alot, even out of semi-pro teams. Honeslty a professional product cant be put together in the venues either league is using for example the Bladium here in Denver dosnt have any permenant seating, most fans have to stand to watch the game, would you bring your family for a night out with that kind of product now. while yes it takes money, this is the next step both leagues need to take if they are to grow into real professional leagues, bigger venues.

3- In my humble opinion the league also needs to be full contact. while i love the no-checking aspect of amature inline hockey as a player i much prefer full contact as a spectator and i feel that your average sports fan who dosnt play Inline ( remember for a true professional league to develop we need to attract these folks, not simply those who participate in the sport) will expect that from a Hockey league.

4- The league needs to reach out to people not currently reached by the Inline Hockey community right now to develop fans. This idea is one that I feel both PIHA and MLRH could impliment now with minimal cost. I feel that one thing that has hurt the sport is that right now it had developed almost exclusively into a indoor, plastic tile tournament and travel team sport. Thus the costs of playing right now are almost the same as Ice Hockey. While the sport certainly looks and feels more professional everyone is noticing a decline in participation at the bottom levels. So why not start building small cheep outdoor rinks, give out some free or cheep used Hockey equipment and invite kids to play for free or at minimal cost in a league sponsored by the professional team, and give all the kids a free ticket and invite them to see a pro game in person. Or even cheeper simply rent a school gym, or outdoor basketball court and put together a small learn to skate and play hockey clinic with free tickets and merchandise for the kids participating. this kind of grass roots promotion of the sport is almost non-exsistent (at least here in colorado).

[mcchockey9]

I think that you have good ideas TU. The ideas are on the right track. As for Snake, once again you have proven me right. You always refer back to PIHA as the "BEST LEAGUE IN THE UNIVERSE". I agree that PIHA has it's act together better than any other organization. But it has it's flaws just as every other league. If you could take the good from PIHA and MLRH and make a league, then you'd have a great product. Also, NO i don't play in PIHA. I have had numerous offers to play, but I was busy playing in the SPHL & UHL, where the money is. I love the PIHA, and have talked with Charley about putting a division in the Great Lakes area, since the Inagural season. But to do so, we would have more travel than just about any other division. Thanks for responding, and being positive:p

[growl89]

Also, NO i don't play in PIHA. I have had numerous offers to play, but I was busy playing in the SPHL & UHL, where the money is.

where the money is? limited money at that, im a teacher and i make more then those leagues pay their players and i have better benefits, which is why i did not play in those leagues. We are talking about money to live off of, and these leagues do not provide that, including PIHA which is why we are trying to build it slowly so that one day it does happen, hopefully.

[TheSnake22]

I think that you have good ideas TU. The ideas are on the right track. As for Snake, once again you have proven me right. You always refer back to PIHA as the "BEST LEAGUE IN THE UNIVERSE". I agree that PIHA has it's act together better than any other organization. But it has it's flaws just as every other league. If you could take the good from PIHA and MLRH and make a league, then you'd have a great product. Also, NO i don't play in PIHA. I have had numerous offers to play, but I was busy playing in the SPHL & UHL, where the money is. I love the PIHA, and have talked with Charley about putting a division in the Great Lakes area, since the Inagural season. But to do so, we would have more travel than just about any other division. Thanks for responding, and being positive:p

my post had but 2 points. one, mlrh is not on the same level as piha, and two, that you're making my point. as much as we'd all like to imagine our dream league where everyone gets paid and we fly to games, its not about to happen. i understand that piha has flaws, but piha has also shown the ability to change and grow, and has shown signs that it can actually be successful and sustaining.

[Stampede#11]

1. Sponsorship is the key ....

A marketable well packaged product that people want to invest in and people want to pay to see. Be that check/non-check etc etc, how ever way you cut it ,you need the right people with the right savvy behind the sport.

I think mentioned in the other tread, the huge numbers of kids who play our sport are the target market that will attract sponsors. For every adult that plays inline, there will be 5 or 6 kids play.

The GLOBAL brand of inline hockey is strong with many countries that Ice Hockey isn't (e.g. IIHF Namibia's IIHF involvement). It is hard enough unifying the sport at a local level (per country) so unifying a global sport may be an even bigger task ... but shoot for the moon and you may hit a star (you may also crash and burn!). I see FIRS as probably the people to work with, as IIHF are an ice hockey organisation first. The global sport, is probably what needs the "brand" identity, which it sounds like from the other thread that something in on the horizon.

2. "Power Circles" need breaking .....

Too many people have given up to much of their time and money to see the "baby" leave home. Unless people truely have the good of the sport at heart, they will always shoot down new ideas as it risks their circle being broken. That's all I'm saying on this subject, as it is not intended to get people's backs up, but you all know what I mean and this is across all forms of factionalised inline hockey in any country and is not directed at any individual/organisation.


Note: I don't think you can knock the guy for playing pro Ice at a lower level, as it is down to your standard of living. I do pretty well for myself .... but would I give up that job (as long as I could still take care of me and mine) to play hockey for a 1/4 of the money? .... In a heart beat.
If you enjoy your job be it sales, marketing, teaching, laying brick ... you may get more enjoyment out of that you do hockey? .... but I know what I'd rather do all day.
So to compare $$$ is not "apples for apples" comparison as the "enjoyment factor", your expected standard of living & lack of pressure/stress has to have some financial weighting.
I would say pro hockey at lower levels is definately a single mans game.