The England Hockey League Premier Division returns to motion this weekend for the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
The 2024/25 marketing campaign noticed thrilling matches and storylines emerge all through the season, concluding with Surbiton lifting the Males’s Premier Division title to forestall Previous Georgians lifting their fourth consecutive league title. Whereas Studying Ladies beat nine-time champions, Surbiton, within the Premier Division ultimate to win their first title since 2013.
Promoted groups Studying and Brooklands Manchester College shall be competing within the Open/Males’s Premier Division this season, whereas within the Ladies’s Premier Division, Barnes and Durham College enter the league after promotion final season.
Just like the final two England Hockey League Premier Division seasons, the upcoming marketing campaign will see a 19-match season and a finals weekend. Right here’s how each section works within the lead as much as the finals weekend the place the 2025/26 Premier Division champions shall be topped.
Matches 1-11 (20 September – 22 November)
The opening section of the season acts as a regular league format.
All 12 groups from every league will compete towards one another as soon as (11 matches) with a factors system of:
Win = Three factors
Draw = One level
Loss = Zero factors
After the opening 11 matches the leagues shall be cut up in half relying on every group’s ultimate standings.
Matches 12-16 (dates TBC)
Groups positioned first to sixth from their opening 11 matches will compete within the Prime Six league, whereas groups positioned seventh to twelfth will compete within the Decrease Six league.
Groups will then play a complete of 5 matches, taking part in every group of their respective league as soon as.
The ultimate standings of the overall 16 matches will resolve the pool teams heading into the Finals weekend play offs.
Matches 17-19, Play Offs (dates TBC)
The subsequent three matches will characteristic three swimming pools. The highest eight groups, from the primary 16 matches, will transfer into the finals weekend play off swimming pools (Pool A and Pool B).
Pool A will characteristic first, fourth, fifth and eight positioned group.
Pool B will characteristic second, third, sixth and seventh positioned group.
These groups may have their level totals restarted and can begin once more on zero factors. These groups will play every of their Pool groups as soon as, in a complete of three matches.
Win = Three factors
Draw = One level and an additional bonus level for the shootout winner
Loss = Zero factors
The highest two groups from each Pool A and B will proceed to the Finals Weekend.
The underside 4 groups from the opening 16 matches of the season (ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth) will compete in Pool C.
These groups will carry over their factors from the earlier matches performed and also will play one another as soon as with a complete of three matches.
These matches will observe the identical factors system as performed in earlier levels with no shootout being performed for a bonus level in a situation of a draw.
The underside two groups of Pool C shall be relegated to Division One North & South whereas the winners from these two divisions shall be promoted to the Premier Division for the 2026/27 season.
Finals Weekend (Date and Location TBC)
The highest two groups from Pool A and B from each the Open/Males’s and Ladies’s Premier Division will compete on the Finals weekend the place two champions shall be topped.
Semi-finals shall be performed between first place of Pool A and second place of Pool B, and first place of Pool B and second place of Pool A.
These matches shall be in a one-match-knockout format with the winners from every semi-final persevering with to the Premier Division finals match, whereas the losers from every semi-final will play one another with an opportunity of European qualification up for grabs for the winner.
The winners from every semi-final will play within the Premier Division finals with the winner being topped Premier Division champions 2025/26 and can earn England’s prime EuroHockey membership spot for the next season.
