Sutton Sting's 2010/11 team jerseys were unveiled yesterday for the first time and players were quick to get their hands on them at the Lammas Rink in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

More than 100 people attended the launch to watch the kids excitedly tryiong-on their new team strip in anticipation of their first games over the next couple of weeks as they compete in the EIHA's junior leagues for only their 4th season.

Some of the players were lucky enough to have their shirts personalised with their own name and preferred number and this is a brave move for the Club which took quite some organising especially with the Club having two teams at every age group.  "We had a bit of a job getting everyone accommodated" said Gary Apsley, Sutton Sting's kit boy. He added "Shaun at Rhino Sports worked closely with us to get the designs just right.  We went with two designs for our home and away shirts with the home shirt featuring our new style logo.  We also managed to introduce some new colours too which will help us with new merchandising and this helps raise money for the Club.  I am really pleased with the end results.

The new shirts were very well received by the players and their parents although there was some debate about which was the best shirt.  New U12's player Bailey Templar had no doubts "I think the black shirt is awesome" he said but Dad, annd new U12's Assistant Coach, Jamie disagreed "No, I like the white jersey, the number on the front with the new style logo looks sharp" he said.

The teams won't have long to wait before the jerseys get their first outting as Sutton Sting U10's take to the ice with a double-header road trip to Blackburn and Nottingham next week-end.

As the ice hockey season gets closer news of player signings is a regular event.  None of this really affects Sutton Sting unless it is a story about a former player and today is one of those days.  Andy Cunningham has been signed by the Coventry Blaze following his first season in senior hockey with Sutton Sting.

Cunningham came to the Sting as a ‘rec’ player with very little experience but with a strong passion to play and at 6’ 1” and 175lbs Andy was a big guy to have on the roster attributes which have clearly interested Blaze Coach Reg Wilcox.

With Cunningham signing for the Blaze the Sting can be proud of the part played in his development especially given that he has only been playing hockey for five years.  For Sutton Sting, moves of this nature are likely to become regular as players hone their skills in the lower league only to progress to better opportunities that ENL 1 and the EPL present suggesting that the Sting is a feeder club for the more fashionable clubs who benefit from the arena or full-ice pads found elsewhere.  All the Sting can do is work hard and gain promotion to ENL 1, easy really?

As time passes no doubt we will hear more about players graduating from the ranks of Sutton Sting to the bigger clubs…  watch this space!

Our Learn to Play Ice Hockey Programme starts again on Sunday 12th September 2010 at the Lammas rink and bookings are now being taken for the limited number of places that are available on the first course.  The Sting LTP programme started in April 2009 and quickly became another of the Club's success stories.  Initially more than 75 kids were enrolled on to the programme and 80% of that first group graduated from the programme with more than 20 going on to join the Sting teams.  Those players will be looking forward to their first season of league competition which starts in a few weeks time.

You can download the flier here

To accompany the LTP programme we have produced a "Passport" which details all of the skills and techniques taught by our coaches during the programme.  The idea of the "passport" is that players can complete the levels at their own pace and the progress of achievement is recorded in a simple format which is all designed to make the learning process that much easier to follow.  The programme is delivered in 3 stages; Fundamentals, Intermediate and Advanced.  Everyone starts with the Fundamentals stage which is delivered in 6 levels.  There are certificates and badges for each level which is made up of 5 core skills for each level.  There is no set time limit to complete any of the levels and the player can learn to master the core skills at his/her own pace.  Once the Fundamental stage has been completed then the real fun starts as players will be actively involved in learning to play ice hockey.  In the second and third stages Full Protective Kit MUST BE WORN.

You can download the Passport here

The cost of the Sting LTP programme is supported by the Club and after the initial 6 week block you will have the opportunity to apply for membership of the Club and at that time you may be invited to take part in team training with one of the Ashfield teams.  Each 6 week course costs £30 which is payable at the first session and we have two courses planned for 2010.  Enrolment for the first course takes place on Sunday 12th September 2010 at 5pm at Lammas with the first on ice session on Monday 13th September at 6:00pm.  Anyone wishing to take part in the LTP programme will need to have items of "basic equipment" as detailed in the passport.  The Club has a stock of kit and will loan kit to new players taking advantage of the Free Trial session.  Places are very limited and booking is essential so to reserve your place please call us on 07967 323 395.

The Sting has produced a new logo image for use as a wallpaper for home use only.  Simply copy and paste this image on to your desktop.