Belfast Giants To Join The Ice Hockey Superleague
One Small Step for Man, One Giants Leap for the League
The Ice Hockey Superleague are delighted to announce officially the award of the Northern Ireland Franchise and the introduction of the Belfast Giants into the league for 2000/01 onwards.
At a press conference held last week a management agreement between the Odyssey Trust and SMG-Sheriden was announced, thus securing the first criteria for a Superleague Shareholder, an Arena to play out of. The acceptance of the Belfast Giants into the Superleague expands the league to nine teams, making the Ice Hockey Superleague the only professional sports league to have a team in each corner of the UK.
Home for the Giants will be the 10,000 seat Odyssey Arena, which will be Northern Ireland's premier destination for sports and entertainment. The state of the art building will host a myriad of sports and entertainment events, concerts, live shows and exhibitions. Facilities within the Arena include ice floor, hydraulic four lane running track, 24 luxury hospitality suites, club seating for 500, a restaurant, a suspended scoreboard, press lounge, meeting rooms, retail, interactive and concession areas. Odyssey is Northern Ireland's Landmark Millennium project. Creating 600 permanent jobs. Odyssey covers a 23-acre site on the River Lagan and will include: the 10,000 seat indoor arena; W5 - an imaginative interactive centre providing exciting hands on experience in relation to science, engineering and technology; The Sheriden IMAX Cinema; 12-screen Warner Village Multiplex Cinema and a 12,000 sq. m. retail and entertainment pavilion. The cost of the project has been estimated at almost รบ100 million.
Chief Executive of the Ice Hockey Superleague, Ian Taylor, said. 'The process of acquiring a franchise and entering the Superleague involves an extensive process of due diligence. With such a major project involving a number of complex partners it was essential to clearly identify and confirm the role of each organisation and reach the necessary guarantees and warranties to be acceptable to the Board of Ice Hockey Superleague. With the announcement last week of the joint venture facility management company, this enabled Bob Zeller and his colleagues at Belfast Giants to fulfil all their obligations both current and for the future in operating a team in the Superleague.'
Taylor continued. 'I am delighted to be announcing the first of our expansion franchises. I have no doubt whatsoever that Superleague ice hockey will be a fantastic success in Belfast and the whole of Northern Ireland. I am confident that the fans in the province will lock into the Giants and prove tremendous support for the region's first wholly professional sports team. I also have no doubt the other visiting Superleague teams will find the magnificent Odyssey Arena a real experience and with passionate Giants support, one they will find very intimidating.'
Managing Director of the Belfast Giants, Robert (Bob) Zeller, commented. 'We have spent two and a half years preparing for today. We are thrilled to be in the Sekonda Superleague; it is the most competitive league in Europe, providing great ice hockey for the fans, and without doubt one of the finest managed leagues as well. We are indeed extremely fortunate that we have such a wonderful building to play out of, but we are equally fortunate to have such a wonderful fan base as well. People in Northern Ireland are extremely excited about the Giants and the prospect of following first class Superleague ice hockey.'
'We will be holding a media luncheon tomorrow (Thursday 23rd March) to cement our already blossoming relationship with the Northern Ireland press and to also unveil our team strip. We expect to announce the appointment of our Head Coach in April, and our first marquee player in May.' Zeller added.
Odyssey Chief Executive, Tom Fanning, remarked. 'Ice hockey will make a tremendous impact at the Odyssey Arena. It will give us up to thirty-five events per year and give many people their first experience of Irelands first Arena. It will be a fantastic attraction and I'm sure will prove one of the greatest successes of the Odyssey project. We are looking forward to welcoming Superleague hockey fans from all over the UK, and I hope they will take advantage of and enjoy the other remarkable facilities at Odyssey.'
22nd March 2000
For further information contact the Sekonda Superleague Media Office on 01530 838899, e-mail apollard@btconnect.com or visit our website at www.iceweb.co.uk
For information direct from the Belfast Giants, contact Ann Marie at McCann Erickson Tel: 01232 331 044.
The Ice Hockey Superleague are delighted to announce officially the award of the Northern Ireland Franchise and the introduction of the Belfast Giants into the league for 2000/01 onwards.
At a press conference held last week a management agreement between the Odyssey Trust and SMG-Sheriden was announced, thus securing the first criteria for a Superleague Shareholder, an Arena to play out of. The acceptance of the Belfast Giants into the Superleague expands the league to nine teams, making the Ice Hockey Superleague the only professional sports league to have a team in each corner of the UK.
Home for the Giants will be the 10,000 seat Odyssey Arena, which will be Northern Ireland's premier destination for sports and entertainment. The state of the art building will host a myriad of sports and entertainment events, concerts, live shows and exhibitions. Facilities within the Arena include ice floor, hydraulic four lane running track, 24 luxury hospitality suites, club seating for 500, a restaurant, a suspended scoreboard, press lounge, meeting rooms, retail, interactive and concession areas. Odyssey is Northern Ireland's Landmark Millennium project. Creating 600 permanent jobs. Odyssey covers a 23-acre site on the River Lagan and will include: the 10,000 seat indoor arena; W5 - an imaginative interactive centre providing exciting hands on experience in relation to science, engineering and technology; The Sheriden IMAX Cinema; 12-screen Warner Village Multiplex Cinema and a 12,000 sq. m. retail and entertainment pavilion. The cost of the project has been estimated at almost รบ100 million.
Chief Executive of the Ice Hockey Superleague, Ian Taylor, said. 'The process of acquiring a franchise and entering the Superleague involves an extensive process of due diligence. With such a major project involving a number of complex partners it was essential to clearly identify and confirm the role of each organisation and reach the necessary guarantees and warranties to be acceptable to the Board of Ice Hockey Superleague. With the announcement last week of the joint venture facility management company, this enabled Bob Zeller and his colleagues at Belfast Giants to fulfil all their obligations both current and for the future in operating a team in the Superleague.'
Taylor continued. 'I am delighted to be announcing the first of our expansion franchises. I have no doubt whatsoever that Superleague ice hockey will be a fantastic success in Belfast and the whole of Northern Ireland. I am confident that the fans in the province will lock into the Giants and prove tremendous support for the region's first wholly professional sports team. I also have no doubt the other visiting Superleague teams will find the magnificent Odyssey Arena a real experience and with passionate Giants support, one they will find very intimidating.'
Managing Director of the Belfast Giants, Robert (Bob) Zeller, commented. 'We have spent two and a half years preparing for today. We are thrilled to be in the Sekonda Superleague; it is the most competitive league in Europe, providing great ice hockey for the fans, and without doubt one of the finest managed leagues as well. We are indeed extremely fortunate that we have such a wonderful building to play out of, but we are equally fortunate to have such a wonderful fan base as well. People in Northern Ireland are extremely excited about the Giants and the prospect of following first class Superleague ice hockey.'
'We will be holding a media luncheon tomorrow (Thursday 23rd March) to cement our already blossoming relationship with the Northern Ireland press and to also unveil our team strip. We expect to announce the appointment of our Head Coach in April, and our first marquee player in May.' Zeller added.
Odyssey Chief Executive, Tom Fanning, remarked. 'Ice hockey will make a tremendous impact at the Odyssey Arena. It will give us up to thirty-five events per year and give many people their first experience of Irelands first Arena. It will be a fantastic attraction and I'm sure will prove one of the greatest successes of the Odyssey project. We are looking forward to welcoming Superleague hockey fans from all over the UK, and I hope they will take advantage of and enjoy the other remarkable facilities at Odyssey.'
22nd March 2000
For further information contact the Sekonda Superleague Media Office on 01530 838899, e-mail apollard@btconnect.com or visit our website at www.iceweb.co.uk
For information direct from the Belfast Giants, contact Ann Marie at McCann Erickson Tel: 01232 331 044.