It is already mid-August, which means that the first preparations for the new season have been completed. Our registration for the competition with Ice Hockey Netherlands has been submitted, and our ice rental agreement with Optisport has been confirmed. These matters had to be arranged back in June, so we are right on schedule.

The good news: the schedule for the upcoming season is now finalized.

We already know the dates and start times of our home games, and the training ice slots have also been confirmed. As for training sessions, there are no changes compared to last season, which will come as no surprise.

The summer season will come to an end on Tuesday, September 1, which will be our final day on summer ice. One week later, on Tuesday, September 8, we will kick off the winter season with our first training session.

Please make a note of these dates in your calendar if you play in the competition, but also if you are a training member.

The competition is expected to consist of seven teams, which means we will have at least six home games. This will leave three ice slots available for practice games or additional training sessions.

The final league structure is expected to be confirmed by 1 September at the latest. The provisional teams in Division 3 South for the 2026-2027 season are:

The team finishing first in the regular season will be promoted to Division 2. There will be no relegation to Division 4 this season.

Training Schedule

The training schedule will remain unchanged, as unfortunately no clubs have ceased operations or returned any ice time slots. As a result, no additional opportunities have become available for us.

Please note: due to a scheduled short track event, the ice rink will be closed from 20 November through 3 December 2025.

In addition, please be aware of the following dates:

• 24 December 2026: Ice rink closed after 6:00 PM
• 25 December 2026: Ice rink closed
• 26 December 2026: Ice rink closed
• 31 December 2026: Ice rink closed after 6:00 PM
• 1 January 2027: Ice rink closed

These closures may affect training sessions and game scheduling during the season.

Planning and Availability

We understand that some members plan their schedules well in advance, including weekend trips, holidays, birthdays, and other commitments. Therefore, we kindly ask you to submit these dates through the questionnaire further below. This will allow us to arrange any necessary replacements or additional players in a timely manner.

Contribution

Some traditions are hard to get rid of, even when we’d secretly prefer otherwise.

Optisport has once again applied its annual CPI adjustment, this time a modest 2.7%. As a result, the ice rental fee, and therefore the season contribution, will increase slightly.

Fortunately, one thing remains unchanged: having fun on the ice still comes at no extra cost.

Because the total costs depend on the number of participants, and we will not know that until everyone has responded, you will find a preliminary cost overview below. In previous years, we have never had to request additional payments, nor have there been any significant fee increases. We expect this to remain the case this season. Therefore, the provisional amounts are likely to be close to the final contribution.

Black Sheep will once again field one competitive team. This means a maximum of four lines plus two goalies, just as in previous seasons. So far, we have always been able to accommodate everyone who wanted to play, and I will make every effort to do so again this coming season. However, in all fairness, there is always a small possibility that we may not be able to. We will only know for certain once everyone has completed the questionnaire.

The priority order for selection to the competitive team is as follows:

1. Players who participated as competition members throughout the entire previous season.
2. Willingness and ability to attend Tuesday evening training sessions.
3. Registration order, based on sign-ups received during the past period and from this point onward.

Following this inventory, additional information and questions will be provided, which is currently expected to be around mid-September.

I am already looking forward to making it another great season together! 🏒

Wrapping Up Summer Ice

All that remains is a request to everyone who participated in the summer training sessions.

Please ensure that any outstanding payments or obligations are settled as soon as possible. If, for whatever reason, this is not possible, please get in touch so we can discuss the situation.

Season 2026-2027 Questionnaire

Would you like to remain part of the Black Sheep family next season? If so, please complete the attached questionnaire as thoroughly as possible.

As in previous years, we kindly ask you to provide your full address and contact details. This information is required to identify who has submitted the questionnaire, to keep Black Sheep’s records up to date, and for our administrative obligations towards Ice Hockey Netherlands.

Submission deadline: August 20, 2026.

Once all responses have been received, we will review the results and finalize, among other things, the team roster for the upcoming season.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!