On Ice Academy

The Clarke & Co on Ice Academy will enable players to come to Nottingham on a weekly basis and gain high-end on-ice development, overseen by leading coaches and players to develop in three essential areas; skating, skills and compete levels.

Clarke & Co Hockey was established in 2008 with the aim to provide elite hockey tuition throughout the off season to young British hockey players, our clinics now operate across the country, including Nottingham, Gillingham, Leeds, Peterborough and Widnes, reaching many students throughout the summer

Founder of Clarke & Co Hockey David Clarke, He had a glittering career as a player for club and country and is synonymous with Nottingham and the National Ice Centre since arriving in the city in 2003. His number 5 shirt was retired by the Panthers when he finished playing in April 2018.

“The reason why we are keen to commit to a programme like this is that the current system for developing our aspiring junior hockey players just isn’t quite cutting it,” said Clarke.

“This is no fault of the junior clubs and coaches. Our junior clubs have limited ice time to spread across all members and they are designed to cater for everyone, which is why it is such great environment to be a part of.

“Not every player who commits to suiting up in ice hockey equipment on a weekly basis is in pursuit to taking their talents as far as they possibly can, which is quite normal across amateur sports.

“Currently here in the UK we see so many of our young talented players move away from home at a young age in pursuit of high-end tuition and more ice time. This comes at a substantial cost in many ways.

“We were keen to bridge that gap by bringing a similar development opportunity on a weekly basis and support existing process, so players will now be able to join us to improve and then return to their clubs in better physical, mental and playing shape.”

This opportunity to host an innovative way of developing young players is the next step for Clarke & Co Hockey, tapping into our excellent staff experience and understanding to give back to aspiring players at the grassroots of the game, an area David openly expresses he feels strongly about improving. The on ice academy will provide the opportunity to practice, play and develop alongside Elite coaches and current professionals within the game, this is something we are excited to be able to provide our participants access to on a weekly basis.

The Academy aim will be to work with a consistent group of junior hockey players from the local and surrounding areas on a regular basis and provide the exposure their talent and commitment rightfully deserve.