Men's Irish Hockey League

The Men's Irish Hockey League (sponsored by Ernst & Young and known as the EY Hockey League) is an all-Ireland men's hockey league. The competition began in a short group format in 2008–09 as the successor to the All-Ireland Club Championships, with the top teams from the provincial leagues taking part.[1] It was relaunched in 2015–16 as a full league competition comprising 18 rounds of fixtures, and with member clubs resigning from their provincial leagues to assume permanent membership.[2]

Format

Each team plays each other on a home-and-away basis, with three points awarded for a win and one for a draw. The team finishing in first place qualifies for Europe. The top three teams qualify for the Champions Trophy along with the winners of the Irish Senior Cup. If the winner of the Irish Senior Cup is also one of the top three, then the fourth-placed team also qualifies. The last-placed team is relegated to its home province's top division and replaced by the winner of the Provincial Play-offs (between the provincial league champions). The second-bottom enters a play-off with the runner-up in the Provincial Play-offs.[3]

From 2018-19, a second division will be added. It will run alongside the provincial leagues, with clubs participating in IHL matches interspersed throughout the provincial season. The competition will be split into two pools of four teams, with clubs playing each other home and away and the top two teams in each pool qualifying for the IHL Division 2 finals, the winner of which will be promoted to the top division and the runner-up will enter a promotion/relegation play-off.[4]

Members 2017-18

Location of teams in the 2017-18 Irish Hockey League (men's hockey)

Past winners

Source: Irish Hockey Association

Group format

League format

Relegated and promoted

Year Relegated to provincial leagues Promoted from provincial leagues
2015-16Annadale
Cookstown		Instonians
UCD
2016-17Instonians
UCD		Annadale
Cookstown

Champions Trophy winners

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ Irish Hockey Association
  2. ↑ EuroHockey
  3. ↑ Irish Hockey Association
  4. ↑ Belfast Telegraph
  5. ↑ Banbridge win EY Hockey League
  6. ↑ News Letter
  7. ↑ Hockey Ireland
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