Building The Summer Hockey League

How It Started

After the normal hockey season finished, there wasn't much organised hockey available during the summer.

I thought there was an opportunity for something competitive enough that people wanted to turn up each week, but was still relaxed and social.

That became The Summer Hockey League

The Boring Stuff

Before committing money to pitches or building the league, I wanted to know if anyone would actually play.

I created a short survey and shared it with players across different Dublin hockey clubs. I asked about interest, preferred nights, pricing, match formats and what people wanted from a summer league.

The response gave me enough confidence that there was demand and helped shape the format.

Next, I had to set up the organisational side of the league. Company registration, insurance, and finding a pitch who would actually rent to us (with no track record !).

I also put together our website to handle registration and payments along with sharing all necessary information to the players.

Marketing and Growth

Getting the first players was one of the hardest parts.

I promoted the league through Instagram, hockey clubs, friends and existing player networks. I created graphics, match updates, results and other content throughout the summer.

As more people started playing, the social media accounts grew organically and became one of the main ways I communicated with players and promoted the league.

By the end of the summer, more than 100 players had taken part.

Running the League

Once matches started, most of my work moved from planning to operations.

Each week I coordinated teams, pitch times and umpires, dealt with cancellations and substitutes, recorded results and made sure matches stayed on schedule.

With over 100 participants, good organisation became essential. Even a small fixture change could affect two teams, an umpire and the games scheduled afterwards.

It taught me a lot about running live events where problems need to be solved immediately rather than planned around later.

More Than Hockey

The social side was just as important as the hockey.

After the final matches each evening, players stayed around for pints, beer pong, football and other games.

It gave players a chance to meet outside the normal competitive season and helped make the league feel like more than just another set of fixtures.

That atmosphere became a big part of what made people come back each week.

The Numbers

By the end of the summer:

• 100+ participants
• Approximately €5,000 in revenue
• 7 weeks of competitive matches
• Players from all over dublin, including some as far as France