BLACKBURN Ice Hockey Development Association (BIHDA) chairman Matt Strong says the sport needs a clear league structure to avoid a repeat of the furore surrounding Blackburn Eagles.

The club is set to fold just weeks after winning the NIHL Laidler Conference title with the club claiming the new contract offered to them by Blackburn Arena was unworkable while Silver Blades, who own the rink, insist they would welcome talks to find a resolution.

But Strong, who is chairman of the BIHDA which runs the junior set-up at the rink and is nominally in charge of the Eagles, believes the increased costs of promotion within ice hockey has contributed to the problem.

He said: “I am immensely proud of what the Eagles have achieved this season and over the past few seasons.

“The Eagles were initially set up as a team to help progress players from the junior set-up to senior hockey at Laidler Conference level and then onto Moralee Conference level and above.

“Young players develop more quickly when they are playing with better players. In order to be successful at developing these young players we brought in a number of good quality senior players for the younger players to learn from and who have had a massive impact on developing their games.

“However, the success of the team has been to the degree where the club has won the league, and has almost become a victim of its success.

“We were fully aware of the increased cost to play in the Moralee Conference and the Arena are within their right to ask us to pay the increased costs. “Whilst we have been considered a development team we have received ice time at development rate, but now with promotion we are considered a commercial team. While that is frustrating I can understand the point of view.

“Similarly with Totally Wicked, if that is a policy that is being introduced across all Silver Blades rinks then we can have no complaints. But from some of the information presented to the Eagles it looks as though they are being victimised. However, I don’t think that is the case.

“We are in an unfortunate situation where we get promoted and the Eagles have to cover the increased costs themselves, or we fold.

“That is in part down to the structure of the sport where success and a promotion can lead to an increase in finance and essentially put teams out of business.

“That issue needs sorting right the way from the top down so that promotion and relegation is more seamless and not like the situation we have at the moment.

“Whether this is, or is not the end of the road for the Eagles we all want a Blackburn side in the Laidler Conference that can continue to act as a pathway for junior players where they can play and learn from more experienced players, and progress and improve and compete.”