The Guildford Flames began competing in the 1992-1993 season and currently play at the Guildford Spectrum in the English Premier League (EPL) which is made up of ten English teams. They have competed in the EPL since its inception in 2005 and are currently champions after winning the league last season! The Guildford Spectrum arena has a capacity of 2001, averaging just over 1600 people per match. There are approximately 600 season ticket holders, nearly two million visitors per year and so it stands as the best facility in the English Premier League.
The 2013-2014 League and Cup season will commence on September 14when the defending champions go on the road to Slough Jets before returning home to the Spectrum the following evening for another local derby clash against Bracknell Bees. Those games will be the first of 54 League outings and each team will play each opponent on six occasions; three at home and three away.
Previously, the Flames competed in the British National League (BNL) from 1996-2004 with teams in England, Scotland and Wales. Each teams’ roster was composed of 50% domestically trained players and 50% foreign nationals. The Flames were crowned 1997-1998 Southern conference champions, also winning the BNL and Playoff titles. They remained in the BNL for the subsequent seven seasons and during their BNL tenure, the Flames only finished below 3rd place on two occasions. In addition to the original championships, the club secured the 1998 Benson & Hedges Plate before repeating the treble haul in 2000-2001 and adding the 2003-2004 playoff crown.
Since joining the EPL, the Guildford Flames have won three league championships, three Premier Cups, and a playoff title. EPL teams have a predominantly British trained roster but are allowed to incorporate four foreign nationals to bolster their squad. In addition to sourcing players locally and from a variety of pro leagues around the world, the Flames roster has included former and current (during lockout periods) National Hockey League players, as well as players with World Championship and Olympic International experience.
The club takes part in many community and charitable causes in a variety of ways and the Flames presence in Guildford includes contributing to the local and surrounding regions. The primary method of interaction is through a pair of school programmes which due to sponsorship are provided free of charge to specific sets of year groups. ‘Drug Freeze’ is a long running programme that commenced during the 1993-1994 season and has run continuously since that time whereas ‘Road Safety’ began in the autumn of 2009.
James Martin