The Wightlink Raiders was 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 h ...

team based in

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

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 ...

. The team were known for their small

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

Ryde Arena Ryde Arena (previously Planet Ice Isle of Wight) was an ice rink in Ryde, Isle of Wight, England. It was opened in 1991 and had a capacity of 1,000 spectators. The venue was the only ice rink in Isle of Wight, functioning as home ice to the Wigh ...

, which prevented them competing at a higher level. In 2016, following the closure of the rink by

AEW UK AEW UK is an affiliate of AEW Global, one of the world’s largest and most established real estate investment managers. AEW UK is a 50:50 joint venture between the AEW UK management team and AEW Global’s European operation, AEW Europe. As at 30 ...

, the building's landlord over a rent dispute with the community group which ran the ice rink , the team withdrew from the league and competitive play.

History

Originally called the

Solent Vikings The Wightlink Raiders was an ice hockey team based in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. The team were known for their small ice rink, Ryde Arena, which prevented them competing at a higher level. In 2016, following the closure of the rink by A ...

, the team changed to their current name a year later. Although they were known as the Isle of Wight Raiders between 1999 and 2003 when Wightlink withdrew sponsorship, before the company re-joined the club in 2004. They are still the only club to be formally known with their sponsor in their name. Due to the club's location on the Isle of Wight, the team struggled to survive without Wightlink's support. In the 1990s, they dominated the English National League (now called the English Premier League), winning the league a record five straight years, including winning the league's cup competition during that time as well.

References

External links

* {{British ice hockey, state=autocollapse Defunct ice hockey teams in the United Kingdom Sport on the Isle of Wight Ice hockey clubs established in 1991 1991 establishments in England Ryde