Ice Hockey UK – Chief Executive Officer, Henry Staelens shares why the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is an ideal environment for Olympic sports to work with other National Governing Bodies and sporting institutions

Can you tell us briefly about your organisation and your role in that organisation?

Ice Hockey UK (IHUK) is the national governing body (NGB) for the sport here in the United Kingdom. In principle, we oversee the good order of the sport, as well as the direction and management of the Great Britain National Teams, who compete in World Championships and Olympic journeys, from U16 boys and girls through to GB Men and GB Women.

As Chief Executive Officer of IHUK, I am responsible for the progress of the organisation, across performance, compliance and growth, and ensuring our athletes and people are developed during their time with us.

How does being a part of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park help contribute to your organisation’s mission and goals?

With its world-class infrastructure and collaborative ethos, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park provides an ideal environment for Olympic sports, allowing us to work closely with other NGBs and sporting institutions.

Having recently launched our new six year strategy ‘Unlocking Potential, Through Unity and Innovation’ being part of the Park will also help us achieve our goal of bidding for and hosting an increasing number of major events.

The central location, and easy access from all parts of the UK, makes the Park an ideal home for IHUK to drive initiatives aimed at promoting participation, talent development and inclusivity.

Are there any unique partnerships or success stories that highlight the advantages of being part of the Park?

Working with Sheffield City Council and iceSheffield, we’ve been able to bring the Women’s Olympic Qualifiers to the Park, due to it being the ‘home of IHUK’. This highlights both our commitment to GB Women, where we continue to invest and support development, and our intention to bring world-class ice hockey to the city. The four-team tournament will take place at the Bauer Arena in iceSheffield between Thursday 12 and Sunday 15 December and Great Britain will face Netherlands, Spain and Latvia.

Additionally, our visibility and relationships with other NGBs and sporting bodies has improved, and much of that is down to being based at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. As an example, since moving here we’ve been able to put in place a shared services agreement with British Ice Skating who are also based at the Park.

Looking ahead, what future opportunities do you see for your organisation as a result of being part of the Park?

As well as bidding to host national and international events in Sheffield, we also plan to hold some of our High Performance Academy training camps and training sessions for coaches and technical staff here at the Park.

We also see NGBs working closer-and-closer over the coming years, sharing services and resources, to remove duplication and deliver best-in-class services across key areas. Having lots of NGBs based at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park will only help to smooth that transition and make the collaboration easier to deliver.

And of course we hope to identify and develop opportunities to collaborate with other organisations at the Park and make the most of being part of the expanding health, wellbeing and sport innovation ecosystem.

Left to Right: Henry Staelens, CEO Ice Hockey UK, Tony Smith, chairman of Elite League and owner of Sheffield Steelers and Robert Dowd, Sheffield Steelers captain and Great Britain international player and captain