As the Building Craftsmen Dumfries Solway Sharks wait with the rest of the planet to see when the current Covid-19 restrictions are eased and start to look at how things might progress going towards a new ice hockey season, we took the opportunity to look at the wider scope of the club, beyond the players on the ice that provide the entertainment each Saturday night at the rink.
Club chair Ian Bryden told us, “There is a huge amount of work behind getting the Sharks team onto the ice every week, from volunteers to backroom staff, sponsors to committee members – as a club we know how lucky we are to have such great support both in the stands and from everyone else, and without this we would just not be able to carry on. Our supporters club do sterling work on a lot of fronts, and their substantial contribution to club finances is just part of the help that we are so lucky to have week in and week out.”
Stuart Brown from the Solway Sharks Supporters club explained, “We have a lot of involvement in supporting the team and the club, and we are all Sharks fans. We work hard at introducing new fans to the sport and growing our supporters club, helping to maintain the club website and using our supporters club facebook page to spread the word about the great entertainment available at the ice bowl watching the fastest team sport in the world. Ice hockey really is addictive, and the speed and skill on display means that most people are hooked after their first game. We have attended local Christmas fayres and other events to promote the team and the sport in general, and people are always interested and happy to come over for a chat. We have a big involvement on match nights at the ice bowl as well, helping with all sorts of fundraising, selling Sharks merchandise, lotto and 50/50 tickets. We have discovered there is a huge appetite (pardon the pun) for home baking and cake and candy at games, and one of our members Anne Brown spends hours in her kitchen every week making sweet treats to raise funds for the team. As well as helping financially the players and staff enjoy sampling what is on offer each week, and the money from this, along with everything else, goes right back to the club to support the team.
We work closely with the team and the Sharks Committee for the benefit of the club and the fans, and we know our contribution, both financially and of our time, is really valued, and in turn we appreciate the support and input we get from the club and the players. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without our willing game night volunteers who help at the Supporters tables every game night. Craigie, who does the announcing at Sharks games, does a great job highlighting our efforts to the fans in the rink, and Kerri Johnston keeps our facebook page updated during games which is a great help to anyone who can’t get to a game but doesn’t want to miss the action. Huge thanks are also due to our wonderful fans for supporting our fundraising efforts -without them there would be no Sharks. Finally, once the season gets started and the Sharks are back in action at the ice bowl, why not come along and see for yourself how enjoyable watching a game of ice hockey can be – we would be delighted to see you!”
Sharks head coach Martin Grubb commented, “As a team all the players and staff really appreciate all the work the supporters club do for us. We are lucky to have such good people heading up our supporters club and I believe it is such an important link between the players and the supporters, and we hope to see this continue to grow after we can get back to playing again. The players love to test out the home baking that Anne does, and they also appreciate all the support they get not only at home but on the road as well. Everyone is looking forward to getting back on the ice and playing for all our supporters, and continuing to try to bring more success to our fans.”
Keep up to date with developments on the Sharks facebook page and website, and visit the Supporters Association facebook page to find out how to join.
Photo credit: Helen Hobbins Photography
