Ice hockey in South Africa
| Ice hockey in South Africa | |
|---|---|
| Association: | South African Ice Hockey Association |
| Founding: | 1936 |
| IIHF member since: |
1946 (dormant membership 1970–1991) |
| Men's | |
| 1st World Cup participation: | 1961 World Cup |
| 1. Olympic participation: | no participation yet |
| 1st championship: | 1937 |
| 1st national champion: | Mohawks IHC Johannesburg |
| Record champions: | Krugersdorp Wildcats (5 ×) |
| 1st international match: | March 3, 1961 South Africa - Yugoslavia 3:12 |
Ice hockey is a marginal sport in South Africa ; a national association has existed since 1936. There are around 1,350 active players, 1,170 of them youngsters and five ice rinks. The South African national team , the Springboks, took part in the World Cup for the first time in 1961.
history
The expansion of ice hockey in South Africa began in 1936 with the establishment of an association, the South African Ice Hockey Association . That year a South African selection played against teams from Oxford and Cambridge . In the year it was founded, the association managed to set up a league in which the following four teams played: Maple Leafs, Mohawks, Lions and Protea.
In the summer of 1937 an Austrian ice hockey team was invited, consisting mainly of players from the Vienna Ice Skating Club , two players from the Engelmann ice hockey club from Vienna, and one from the Vienna Athletics Club . The occasion was the inauguration of the Ice Palace in Johannesburg. The Austrian team played a total of eight games against South Africa and local teams.
In 1946 South Africa became an official member of the IIHF . In the post-war years, the season was played in the summer months from September to April. A big star during this time was the German player Rudi Ball . Since the late 1950s, the season was held from March to September. In 1961, the association decided to allow the national team to take part in the World Cup in Switzerland. South Africa finished fifth in the six-team C-Group after the team had defeated Belgium 9-2 in the last game . It was not until 1966 that South Africa took part in the World Cup again, with all four games being clearly lost. In the 1960s, ice hockey was comparatively popular in South Africa. Many players from Canada , Austria , Switzerland and Germany strengthened the local semi-professional league, the 3,000-spectator hall in Johannesburg was regularly sold out. In the 1970s the boom was over again: the rand lost value, which meant that it could no longer attract as many legionnaires, and the level of the league gradually fell. With television, people's leisure habits also changed. However, more ice rinks were built during these years.
It was not until 1992 that the Springboks took part again in a world championship, this time in their own country. South Africa finished second behind Spain in the C2 group and just barely missed promotion to the C1 group. South Africa hosted a World Cup in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2002. In 2004 South Africa rose from Division II to the lowest level, Division III, but in 2005 managed to rise again immediately. In 2006 the team rose again to Division III. In 2007 South Africa took part in the Division III World Cup in Dundalk , Ireland , and was only fourth of five teams. A year later, however , the team in Luxembourg finished second behind North Korea and ahead of the hosts and thus returned to Division II after two years. In 2009, however, they were immediately relegated to the lowest class without a win. While they only just lost 4-2 to Mexico , they suffered double-digit defeats against the other four group opponents.
Tournaments and championships
The South African championship was initially divided into two leagues. In the so-called Gauteng League , three teams from the Gauteng Province played against each other twice with AMA Horney Pretoria , Wildcats Krugersdorp and Scorpions Vereeniging . Three teams from Cape Town played in the Western Province League , whose level is far below that of the Gauteng League : the Sharks , the Eagles and the Rams . At the end of the season, the South African champions are played in the so-called Interprovincial Tournament . In 2006 the winner of the Gauteng League , AMA Horney Pretoria, became national champions.
In 2015, with the SA Super League, a new top division was created in which three teams (Cape Town Kings, Pretoria Capitals and Gauteng Wildcats) fight for the South African championship, replacing the Interprovincial Tournament . The two regional championships continued to be held.
Title holder
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Web links and sources
- South African Ice Hockey Federation website
- The exotic ice hockey: South Africa - The fat years are over (article on hockeyweb.de)
- A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey - Championship & League - South Africa
Individual evidence
- ^ Project: Martin Formánek: The new Super League: a step forward for South African hockey. In: eurohockey.com. July 24, 2015, accessed August 14, 2017 .