Royal Enfield’s Ice Hockey Season Kicks Off with the Coaches’ Training Programme

Ranvir Singh

Gurugram : Royal Enfield announced the beginning of its Ice hockey coach training camp at ISKATE, Gurugram on 8th December as part of its Social Mission to develop the sport in the Himalayan region aimed towards building resilience in local communities.
Scheduled from 8th to 12th December, the camp provides world-class technical knowledge and leadership skills through a combination of practical on-ice training and theoretical modules. 32 coaches – 19 from Ladakh and 13 from the Lahaul and Spiti regions of Himachal Pradesh have been shortlisted for this camp. As community leaders, these trained coaches will scout and further train over 500 players for the 2025 Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League, Ladakh, and the Spiti Cup, supported by Royal Enfield.
This initiative is in line with the bottom-up action plan detailed in the Blueprint for the Development of Ice Hockey, ‘The Gamechanger’, which was created and released by Royal Enfield in December 2023 in collaboration with local and international stakeholders. The Blueprint provides a framework to enable the Indian Ice hockey team to compete in the 2042 Winter Olympics.
Emphasizing the importance of the camp as a foundational step towards the development of Ice hockey, Bidisha Dey, Executive Director, Eicher Group Foundation (Royal Enfield’s CSR arm) said, “Ice hockey witnesses widespread organic interest and mobilises the community through the harsh winter months as the most popular sport of Ladakh. It is widely gaining popularity in Himachal Pradesh. The camp is a strategic intervention that will have a multiplier effect by empowering these coaches to deliver quality training to community players as per international best practices.”
Curated and conducted by Darryl Easson, the camp flags off the 2024/25 Ice hockey season. Darryl brings 35 years of diverse experience in coaching various national Ice hockey teams including the United Kingdom and Hungary, as well as working towards the development of the sport in his stint with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Speaking about the camp, Darryl said, “The camp aims at the development of coaches as leaders, starting with the basic functional techniques element such as skating, checking, passing, shooting. It will also focus on softer elements like man and game management, tactical planning and tryouts. The objective is to first understand the theory and rationale of the technique through a classroom session, and then revise the same on the rink. It is great to see the excitement and willingness to learn amongst all the coaches and I am confident that with their commitment, we can create an Ice hockey revolution in the Himalayas.”
The trained coaches will return to their respective regions, including Leh, Bodh-Kharbu, Drass, Kargil, Nubra, Sham, Zanskar and Changthang, Lahaul, Spiti, Losar, Hul, Kaza, Schilling, Lalung, Sagnam, Keylong and Jispa, to prepare players for the upcoming competitions. These events will showcase the vibrant cultural connection between the Western Himalayas and Ice hockey while contributing to the region’s economic and social resilience. The leagues are slated to take place in January 2025, spanning Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.