Manchester Storm Women’s team are gearing up for their inaugural first season in competitive ice hockey in 2025/26.
Head coach James Ashton is the man at the helm for the team’s opening campaign. Ashton enters the role with a storied reputation coaching from coaching at youth level for team GB as well as turning out for the Altrincham Aces.
Despite the excitement it was a calm and calculated approach by Ashton. He wanted to ensure the team was sustainable and could withstand the unpredictability that sport is revered for.
“You’re not allowed straight into the league as it is a bit of a risk,” he said.
“[you] Get your people in and see if you can sustain it because it costs a lot of money. You need to make sure you are safe.
“We’ve got 15 registered with us specifically and then we have another 10 from the university and sometimes they’ll come in and out depending on who’s available”.
The excitement allowed Ashton to see the bigger picture for ice hockey in the North West. Ashton explained: “The most important and exciting thing is, [the] opportunity.
“If we can increase that opportunity across areas in the northwest, then we can get more players and that and that grows the sport.
“That’s what it’s really about and for me that’s why it’s exciting. It’s exciting to have a Manchester Storm Women’s team but it’s more exciting to have actually have more women’s teams in the northwest.”
Currently, the Widnes Wild are the only women’s ice hockey team in the region, giving the team a monopoly over players from the Manchester Storm development pathway. The only other option for players would be to move further afield.
Ashton also expressed the need for balance in the program, adding: “We may be able to end up fielding an actual team of highly skilled players and run a development team if we have enough.
“We’re at the point where we’ve got 50% of our program is experienced and played for a number of years and 50% new or returnees within the last one to two years and that’s brilliant because that shows that people are interested in coming in.”