Brighton Tigers

[Yorkie]

They were once the BEST in the land...

Brighton Tigers

Brighton, Sussex, England. Founded in 1935, the team played until 1965. Played in the 1963-64 BBC 'Grandstand TV Trophy'.

Home ice : Brighton Sports Stadium
Team colours : gold & black
General manager :
Head coach : Red Imrie 1963-65
Team captain : Bobby Lee 1946-54
Honours : Won the British Championship in 1960.
Won the British National League 1957-58.
Won the English National League 1946-47 and 1947-48.
Won the British Autumn Cup 1956-57 and 1958-59.
Won the English Autumn Cup 1946-47 and 1950-51.

That has made my day. I used to go to the Goldstone for football on a Saturday afternoon and ice hockey on a Sunday evening.
We were the best. The season we were disbanded we won the Championship and the cup beating Wembley Lions away.
Rupe Fresher was our Canadian captain and if they broke their sticks you could go round, pick up a decent remnant and get the players to sign it. I had my Rupe one for years/

 

[Yorkie]

I didnt know one ever exsisted! Where did they play?

The one thats closed up by the clock tower area must have been to small?

The ice rink was at the bottom of West Street and was demolished to build the cinema, Top Rank ballroom and Brighton centre. The council said that they would build another ice rink but as you said it was too small. The team just disbanded in 1965.

That is one of the reasons I have been so enthusiastic about helping out with our Falmer campaign because I have already seen one team that I love die because of council actions but now it seems it is about to be resurrected.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

That has made my day. I used to go to the Goldstone for football on a Saturday afternoon and ice hockey on a Sunday evening.

That's what I used to do as well!

Esso were running an advertising campaign at the time - "Put a tiger in your tank" - and many people had black and yellow striped tails they gave away.

I remember some great games against Wembley Lions.

I also clearly remember being amazed that a local team could be so good at their sport. I always loved watching the Albion but even when we did win something it wouldn't last that long and we'd always be a bit down the pecking order nationally. The Tigers were pretty well always either no 1 or no 2, usually no 1. It was like supporting Manchester United without feeling guilty!

And I remember Tigers v Albion in a 5 a side footy game during the interval in the annual 5 a side tournament at the ice rink - the Tigers looked tiny without their protective gear but actually played pretty well because they used the boards to get rebounds as they did in ice hockey

Happy days

 

[Chicken Run]

A generation of couples came together at the ss, my Mum and dad still rave about their sunday nights down wat the ss, I would love to see a brighton tigers team back at brighton, i wonder what franchise will be relocated though

 

[Nemesis]

It has got the go ahead as far as i'm aware.

Let's see LDC try and scupper these plans....bet they're thinking of it!

 

[mlg57]

They were truly great. They even beat the mighty Soviet Union 6-3 after being 0-3 down. This was a time when nobody in the world could beat the Soviet Union.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Impressive looking arena - and ice-hockey is brilliant to watch. Great news!

 

[JJ McClure]

Quality, I loved going to watch the Steelers when I lived in Sheffield, ice hockey is great

 

[Drumstick]

Let's see LDC try and scupper these plans....bet they're thinking of it!

We'll have you know the marina is an area of outstanding natural beauty! Even though its not in lewis where still going to oppose it! What about the wild chavs thats used to vandalise the walls. It will be very disturbing for them!

LDC

 

[Trigger]

I used to watch Ice Hockey on Grandstand many many moons ago (80s), I liked the Nottingham Panthers but they stopped showing it when Grandstand went crappy and I never really bothered with ice hockey until recently when I've started watching a bit of it (American & Canadian) on NASN, one game a couple of days ago had a fight after 0.01 seconds... Bring on the Brighton Tigers again, cannot wait.

 

[coventrygull]

Coventry Blaze V Brighton Tigers I will look forward to that one

 

[Yorkie]

I went to school with Alan Week's daughter. For the youngsters, he was the BBC commentator for all things ice, (hockey skating etc etc)
I went to his house a few times as a friend of hers.

 

[John Boy]

I wouldn't mind going for a couple of games, haven't really watched Ice Hockey before. Also good to read that Brighton Bears will be making a come back as well.

Whens Black Rock due to be finished?

 

[Drumstick]

Cant see a completion date on the BIA page or on the council page. Although the council one is way out of date.

 

[Turkey]

Brighton Tigers to roar back into action
By Lawrence Marzouk

Top-flight ice hockey is to return to Sussex with the comeback of the Brighton Tigers.

A deal has been struck to resurrect one of the UK's most successful ice hockey teams after a 40-year absence.

The team plans to play at the proposed £55 million international sports arena at Black Rock, Brighton, as part of the English Premier League.

The stadium would cater for up to 9,000 supporters and weekly audiences of between 4,000 and 6,000 people are predicted, raising millions of pounds for the city's economy.

The Tigers are also set to take on some of the best teams in Europe thanks to a deal with Geneva-Servette, one of Switzerland's top outfits.

Chris McSorley, coach and owner of the Swiss team, said: "The Brighton stadium is going to be the best in Europe and this team will be spoken about all over Europe."

Former ice-hockey player Marco Torriani, whose father was one of the leading stars with the Brighton Tigers in the Thirties, said: "I think Brighton could become a centre for the development of ice hockey in England, it is close to Europe, and Brighton has connections with ice sports.

"The arena is a great idea - I follow the football team and it might be that Brighton is more of an ice hockey town."

The project has been beset by a number of delays, with a number of deadlines missed for submitting planning applications.

But an application is expected imminently and the consortium behind the Brighton International Arena said it is hoped builders could be on site by the end of the year and the complex open in 2009.

David Pople, managing director of Brighton International Arena, said: "We expect an audience of 4,000 to 6,000 and it has a potential at full capacity to be just over 9,000.

"I am able to confirm that agreement has been reached in principle for the return of the much loved Brighton Tigers.

"This agreement is subject to the arena project gaining planning consent.

"Chris McSorley has been a great help in assisting with this process.

"As soon as practically possible after planning consent is achieved the BIA will be seeking to register the Brighton Tigers ice hockey team with the English Premier League"

Concerns have been raised about funding for the project and how thousands of spectators would travel to the stadium given the absence of parking on site.

Mr Pople said he could not comment on financing at the moment because of confidentiality agreements.

On transport, he said: "It is a requirement of our planning application to submit a full traffic impact assessment and travel plan.

"This will take account of the excellent existing public transportation services, supplementing them as required according to demand."

The Brighton Tigers are still fondly remembered by many people in Brighton even though they disappeared more than 40 years ago.

The club was based at the Brighton Sports Stadium on West Street, which closed in 1965, and was one of the country's best supported teams with 4,000 spectators at most matches which were held on a Thursday night.

Council leader Simon Burgess said: "I wouldn't be surprised if we got better attendance figures then the well established teams."

Did you play for the Brighton Tigers? Contact Lawrence Marzouk on 01273 544527 or post your memories on our online forums at www.theargus.co.uk
___________

Paper says proposed so cant have permission to build yet?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Does Ice Hockey have HOOLIES like FOOTER?

 

[coventrygull]

My mother used to play Ice Hockey. They tried to form a team called the Brighton Wild cats but couldn't get insured because they were women.

 

[Gwylan]

It's great news. The Tigers were a bit before my time - they disbanded when I was 7 but my father was a big, big fan.

He'd have been overjoyed to hear this news: he longed for them to come back to Brighton.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Could be good, wonder if the 4-6000 fans they're planning for will have such crappy traffic restrictions as Withdean, hmmm, I think not.

Out of interest, as I understand it, Black Rock is that bit between the far end of Madeira Drive and the Marina (someone confirm please)?

Will this mean the end of Dukes Mound as a popular, ahem, walking spot?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Could be good, wonder if the 4-6000 fans they're planning for will have such crappy traffic restrictions as Withdean, hmmm, I think not.

Out of interest, as I understand it, Black Rock is that bit between the far end of Madeira Drive and the Marina (someone confirm please)?

Will this mean the end of Dukes Mound as a popular, ahem, walking spot?

Correct. As you go out of the marina it's the bit as you go round the bend to the right with all the graffiti. It's where a lot of graff artists go to paint. And where a few raves are thrown every now and again.