The country’s first national ice hockey league skated into action on wednesday 07 october, and its organisers are hoping it leads to the game developing as a professional sport in the Emirates.

The Abu Dhabi Scorpions hosted the Dubai Mighty Camels at Zayed Sports City in the capital in the inaugural game of the Emirates Ice Hockey League, which has been launched as part of a development programme led by the Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Club and the UAE national side. There are also plans for a new national ice hockey rink.

“We have everything we need to help the UAE team grow and play professional hockey,” said Mohammed Aref, a technical director of the league and national team defenceman. “Not in a big way, but it is still professional ice hockey.”

The fledgling league will initially consist of five teams, two of them made up entirely of Emiratis. League games will be held in Dubai and Al Ain as well as the capital. Season-ending play-offs will take place at the Dubai Mall rink.

Having a national league and a junior development programme are conditions set by the International Ice Hockey Federation in order for the country to compete in international tournaments.

The UAE will play in a tournament in Thailand this month and host a 12-team tournament of Arab nations next month. In March, they will take part in the Asia Cup before going to a World Championship Division III tournament in Athens in April, where they will play Luxembourg, the Republic of Ireland and Greece. They follow that with a tournament in Hong Kong and the Asian Club Championship.

“Once we see how this year goes we can build from here,” said Aref. “This is a busy year for us and we have very big hopes.”

Team by team preview

Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Club
This team of Emirati players came together in 1993 after a summer spent in the capital’s ice rink avoiding the heat. The team developed into the first UAE national ice hockey team and set up the UAE Ice Hockey Association. As both a regional and national team, the ADIHC have featured prominently in regional and international competitions, winning the 2009 Challenge Cup of Asia in March.

“We have many expats who play ice hockey back in their countries and have very good skills. Especially in Dubai,” said Mohammed Aref, the technical director.“My vision is that it will be us against the Dubai Mighty Camels,” he added. “They have many expats who are very talented ice hockey players..”

Dubai Mighty Camels
This team of expats, with mostly Canadians in their ranks, have been playing together since the mid-1990s.

They play in their own league – the Dubai Mighty Camels League – with seven teams and more than 150 players. They also compete in tournaments around the world and host an annual international tournament, which they last won in 2005.

“The league has been a long time coming,” said Ron Murphy, the Mighty Camels’ 35-year-old captain. “It is great other teams in the UAE have given it support. Hopefully it will encourage more young locals to take up the sport. It will be a high calibre of hockey, so our better players will get to play against good players. The Abu Dhabi Ice Hockey Club will probably be the ones we have to beat, but we expect to win.”

Abu Dhabi Scorpions
They started life as the Abu Dhabi Blades in 1998 and developed into the Abu Dhabi Scorpions in 2000.

Although they have mostly expat players, a number of Emiratis turn out for them as well, and they became an official Abu Dhabi club in 2003. The Scorpions have played in tournaments across the UAE and GCC countries, and compete in their own four-team league which started last Sunday and runs to mid April.

“We have a very good team, with strong players and a high level of sportsmanship,” said the team chairman, Ali Kaddas. “I hope I can cheer the Scorpions in the final.”

Al Ain Vipers
The Al Ain Vipers were set up as a junior club in 1998 by a group of expatriate parents whose children loved ice hockey. A senior team quickly followed, and the Vipers have gone from strength to strength.

They have many experienced players, including a number who have competed at US college level, and they beat the Scorpions in the final of the Qatar Ice Hockey Tournament earlier this year.

“It is about time there was a real league in the UAE,” said the Vipers centre, Alex Hennawi. “The local players are getting much better, but you can see they are not quite up to international level. The league will help expose them to what the game is like. “It is hard to say who will win the cup until we see the teams. We have the best goalie in the Emirates [Michael Jabri-Pickett] and some other very good players. We have a good chance of winning the league.”

Al Ain Ice Hockey Club
This Emiratis team, initially formed in 1998, developed into a properly structured club in 2000. AAIHC boast several members of the UAE national team, including the 26-year-old captain, Obaid Ali al Muharami.

“Not only for me, but also for my team the start of this league is a dream we never thought would come true, but all of a sudden it has happened,” said the assistant manager, Waheed al Arab. "We are happy and delighted to be part of it. This could benefit us in many ways such as strengthening our team, chances to play better internationally and the chance to learn more about the game.”