English National Ice Hockey League
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|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| No. of teams | 37 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Official website | eiha |
The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of amateur ice hockey leagues below the English Premier Ice Hockey League which is administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. Formerly called the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL), it was renamed in 2012 to recognise the inclusion of several teams from Scotland and Wales.
The league is currently split into two regions, North and South, meaning teams aren't travelling the length of the country for away games. Each region has 2 divisions, with promotion and relegation between the divisions in each region. South Division 2 is further split into western and eastern conferences, with an end of season playoff to find an overall division champion. The North Conference have named their divisions; Moralee Conference (Division 1) and Laidler Conference (Division 2).
The ENIHL was formed in 1996; following the dissolution of the British Hockey League, and the creation of the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League as the top two tiers of British hockey. The ENIHL served as the third tier of hockey; operating below the BNL. Following its inaugural season an upper tier within the ENIHL was founded, so as to serve as a league for the members of the BNL who couldn't afford to remain in that league due to the increased operating costs; but at the same time played ice hockey to a higher standard that of the other ENIHL teams. This division was originally known as the "national division", and during the 1997–98 season the teams in this division played duel schedules; a series of games solely amongst themselves, and another amongst all of the teams which fell under the jurisdiction of the ENIHL at this time. Solihull Blaze won the league and play-off trophies of both formats during this inaugural season. At the start of the 1998–99 season the divisions, whilst still both under the ENIHL umbrella, performed in their own separate competitions; and the national division adopted the name "premier division", and later on became known as the "premier league". By the end of the season the league had established itself outside of the ENIHL as the English Premier Ice Hockey League; reducing the ENIHL to the fourth level of Britain's ice hockey pyramid. However, in 2005 the BNL disbanded; leaving the EPIHL to take its place as the second tier of the national game and, consequently, re-establishing the ENIHL as the third tier of British ice hockey.
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