Chalmers confident Clan won’t go to the wall during crisis
We have a solid and sustainable club
WHEN Glasgow Clan last left the Braehead Arena ice over 130 days ago after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Manchester Storm, the most pressing issue on the minds of many fans was securing a play-off berth or maybe even trying to avoid traffic on the way home.
Few could have predicted as they left Braehead that it would be their final home game of the season, that it would be head coach Zack Fitzgerald’s last home game, and that they would soon be posing questions about the future of the league, their home arena and more.
Just two weeks later, hockey fans across the UK were informed that in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) had cancelled all matches with immediate effect, voiding the UK’s EIHL season with just six games left.
Following the announcement of the owner of Clan’s home arena in Braehead, Intu, going into administration, the club were quick to update fans on their home rink situation. Glasgow Clan chief operating officer Gareth Chalmers said: “We’ve been very proactive with the unravelling situation with Intu; since the premature end to the 2019/20 season we’ve continued to have consistent dialogue with the Braehead Arena management.
“We understand the Arena will remain open while the group administrators look at options for the venue.
“We have a very solid and sustainable club, a very ambitious club that wants to continue to grow and win trophies, so we’ll continue to work along with Braehead Arena as we focus on the new season.”
Chalmers, who has been part of the Glasgow Clan since 2013, also admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the dayto-day operations at the club.
“The Covid-19 situation has been nothing but catastrophic,” he said. “We lost our final three or four home games, the league lost the play-off finals weekend and ultimately it has cost the Clan in the region of £150,000 to £200,000. For a club like ourselves, that’s roughly 15 to 20 per cent of our annual turnover.”
He also admitted that the uncertainty around the future of the league had sent a number of plans, in particular the recruitment of new players and the appointment of a new head coach, to the back burner. He said: “I made the decision a couple of weeks ago to put our discussions on hold.
“At that time we didn’t have a defined plan. We now have a much more coherent plan, so we’re now back to assessing our options and talking to our targets. It’s probably the most difficult environment to be recruiting a new head coach but I’m confident we’ll get the guy we’re looking for.”
Sport across the UK is in unknown territory. However, the EIHL is in the particularly rare situation of having teams across all four home nations competing in the same league. This provides a host of challenges in a regular season let alone in a season that could be subjected to restrictions such as social distancing, lockdowns, reduced capacities and travel limitations in the near future. Although some sports are contemplating the prospect of a reduced capacity, this was quickly dismissed by Chalmers as an option for hockey in the UK.
“The start of the season is very much reliant on social distancing and how that develops,” he said. “Let me reaffirm that with social distancing, sport at our level is simply not viable.
“We’ve built various plans and assessed a number of different scenarios; however, it simply doesn’t add up the club starting the season with reduced capacity for home games. It would be fatal to even attempt to start the season.”
Many hockey fans have expressed their concern for the future of the game in the UK as a result of the pandemic. Before Glasgow Clan released a statement regarding their home rink, many supporters from clubs around the UK posted messages of support regarding the future of the club. Chalmers, who previously had a stint at the Newcastle Vipers before they folded in 2011, said: “There are no concerns for the future of the professional game in the UK, it’s just an important time for the EIHL to be adaptable to the changing world around us.
“The EIHL is the most solid and sustainable top league we have ever had in the UK. It’s a time we need to be flexible, be aware of the various hurdles from the economic impact to how this will affect the sporting aspect of the league.
“The Clan have become an absolute integral part of the EIHL, to the extent of being one of the flagship organisations.
“Having a professional hockey club in one of the UK’s biggest cities and one that is world-renowned and has been a major positive for the EIHL.
“From a Scottish perspective the viability of Dundee and Fife is linked to having Glasgow in the league, and vice versa. We may be rivals on the ice but off it, behind the scenes, a lot work goes in.”