Phoenix. Time to show your colours

Tuesday, 26th April 2016

Tony and Neil have been very busy since the last puck dropped a few weeks ago now. It’s no great secret that Tony wanted to change the makeup of the team for next season. Wanting to build the team around a core of British players who have become the backbone of the club, he has moved quickly to secure the contracts of nearly half his squad for the new season.

Phoenix media caught up with Coach Hand this morning and asked if there had been any difficulties in trying to recruit players when unable to divulge where the club will play.

“Of course, it has been a little more difficult but most players are professional enough to realise that Neil and I would not still be doing what we are doing, albeit in the background, if there was no way to deliver a new Arena for Manchester. What also makes it harder to recruit is that, season after season, the offers to and expectations of British players increase. We do have a good budget in Manchester but the job is still tough.

“I think the bigger picture shows that we are just not producing enough quality home-grown players to meet the demands of British hockey. It will be interesting to see how we can improve this situation while, in the short term, putting an exciting and entertaining product on the ice.

“I have a good picture in my head of the type of players I want here for next season and where I will get them from. It’s no secret that Neil and I would like a little more toughness in the ranks; we need someone who will take ownership of the ice once we are in the new building.

“The next couple of months will be exciting for us all in the Phoenix camp and I just like Neil cannot wait for the first puck to drop again back here in the City of Manchester.”

The team has been working tirelessly in the background on a building that could have the lowest carbon footprint of any leisure building of its size in the UK at the moment and it is planned that the building will accommodate the local communities within 30 minutes driving time of the City Centre. All forms of Ice sports will be catered for in this new Centre of Excellence and it will become the new home, obviously, for Manchester’s Premier Ice Hockey team, the Manchester Phoenix.

There will be a brand new junior development system for Ice hockey under the auspices and control of the greatest ice hockey player that Great Britain has ever produced, Tony Hand MBE. This new junior development system will be developed and supported through The Tony Hand Academy, based here in Manchester.

We also managed to have a few words with Neil Morris, who is driving the new project, and asked him whether this vision is going to become a reality.

He said: “The concept moved past being just a vision many months ago. I know people are getting frustrated that we cannot just announce its location and unveil all our partners but there has been a lot of work to do to actually make this project a reality.

“Tony and I would not be working so hard on this venture if we both didn’t believe that we could make this happen. This venture will help put Manchester back on the map for Ice sports. We are very lucky to still have councils here in the UK with the vision and experience like Manchester to help rebuild our local Community sports centres.”

Phoenix are now pleased to announce that they are about to allow all Phoenix fans to reserve their seats in the new building ahead of putting the season tickets on sale next month.

To celebrate the Phoenix's return to Manchester we will be freezing the Early Bird Season Ticket prices….. The on sale date is TBC.

All Brick Owners will receive their discount.

So that's £324.00 for early bird - meaning 30 games.