The Southampton Vikings were an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team from
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Their home venue was Southampton Ice Rink.
The Vikings were established following the collapse of
French side Club Francais Volants.
The name 'Vikings' was adopted due to the new team using the shirts of the old French club which had large V logos on them.
Southampton’s first game was a 10–5 victory over the London All Stars in 1936. The club played only briefly before succumbing to financial problems.
The team was reestablished in 1952 and would win the Southern Intermediate League in their first season. The Vikings continued playing until 1964 when they once again closed. The team returned for a third time in 1976 and would continue playing until the closure of the rink in 1988.
During this time the Southampton Vikings played a single season in the Premier Division of the
British Hockey League
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1980 until 1996 (with a short break between 1981 and 1982), when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League. The league r ...
.
References
History of the Southampton Vikings
Ice hockey teams in England
Sport in Southampton
Defunct ice hockey teams in the United Kingdom
Ice hockey clubs established in 1936
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1988
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