Raiders IHC is an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, participating in the National Division of the

National Ice Hockey League The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of semi-professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is currently the second tier of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly calle ...

(NIHL), the second tier of British ice hockey. They were known as the Romford Raiders when they were based at the

Romford Ice Arena Romford Ice Arena was an ice rink located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering, England. The venue was built in the 1980s and at the time of opening in 1987 was equipped with a full range of facilities, including a cafe and arcade games. ...

in the London Borough of Havering. They were founder members of the

English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being ...

but have competed in the NIHL since 2012. Their development team was the Romford Spitfires, which played in Division 2 of the NIHL before being succeeded in 2009/10 by the Romford Fury. The team moved to Leyton, East London, in 2013, when it adopted the new name London Raiders. Its team colours are white, gold, and blue, and fans of the team are known as the Gold and Blue Army. The team returned to Romford in 2018, keeping the Raiders name until 2024 when they reverted to Romford Raiders under former owner John Scott.

History

The club was founded in 1987 under the name Romford Raiders and coached by Gord Jeffrey, who went on to become a hero amongst the Romford fans. Some of the best-known players to play for the Raiders include Rob Stewart, Dave Whistle and Mike Ellis, all of whom went on to play and coach at the highest levels in the UK. The Raiders' first-ever match was played on Sunday 13 September 1987, against the

Oxford City Stars The Oxford City Stars are an ice hockey team based in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.The team was founded in 1984. They currently play in the NIHL South Division 1 at Oxford Ice Rink, Oxford. History The British Hockey League (1984–1996) ...

. Romford's first captain, Erskine Douglas, also scored the Raiders' first-ever goal. On 28 November 2010, during an English National League game against the

Bracknell Hornets The Bracknell Hornets is an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, who play in the NIHL South Division 1. In 2009/10 they won the league playoffs. History Bracknell have been a part of the ENL since its creation in the 2000/2001 season pl ...

, Danny Marshall scored his 1,232nd point as a Raider when he assisted on a short-handed goal by Frankie Harvey. With that point, Marshall became the club's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Gord Jeffrey's long-standing record. In 2013, the

was sold by Havering Council to investors. The team subsequently had to move to

Lee Valley Ice Centre The Lee Valley Ice Centre is located in Leyton in the Lower Lea Valley, London. The original venue opened in 1984, and a major redevelopment and expansion was completed in 2023. The centre now has two Olympic size (60 m × 30 m) ice ...

and became the London Raiders. On February 3, 2018, the Raiders played their first game at their new home back in Romford, th
Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre
Raiders would come back to win 5–2 against the Cardiff Fire in front of a sell-out crowd. Former Romford Junior Olegs Lascenko scored the team's first-ever goal at the new venue, however, it was Cardiff's Jackson Price who scored the first goal overall.

Season Records

The following list details the Raiders' finishes in the league and notes any playoff success.

League

Cups

Club roster 2022-23

Source: (*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)

2021/22 Outgoing

References

External links

Romford Raiders Official Site

NIHL League Official Site

London Raiders Official Site

London Raiders statistics at Elite Prospects

{{British ice hockey Sport in the London Borough of Havering Ice hockey teams in London Romford Viking Age in popular culture