Romford Raiders history: from Rom Valley Way to the Sapphire

The Romford Raiders were born with Romford Ice Arena in 1987, won titles at Rom Valley Way, survived the loss of their rink, and came home to the Sapphire in 2018. This is the club's story in brief.

1987: a team for a new rink

The Raiders were formed for the opening of Romford Ice Arena and coached by Gord Jeffrey, who became a hero to Romford supporters. Their first game, on 13 September 1987, was a 9–6 win over Oxford City Stars in front of 479 fans; captain Erskine Douglas scored the first goal. At the end of that first season they were Heineken League Division 2 champions and promoted.

Up and down the leagues

The late 1980s and early 1990s were a yo-yo between the Heineken League's Division 1 and Division 2, with relegation in 1988–89 and promotion again in 1989–90, followed by three seasons in Division 1. The club also played in the B&H Cup and the Autumn Trophy. Players who passed through Rom Valley Way in those years, among them Rob Stewart, Dave Whistle and Mike Ellis, went on to play and coach at the top level of British hockey.

After league restructuring in the mid-1990s the Raiders played in the English League South, then became a founder member of the English Premier Ice Hockey League in 1998.

Champions

The high point came in 2000–01, when the Raiders were English Premier League champions. They stayed in the EPL through the 2000s, with play-off runs including a semi-final in 2004–05.

In 2010 they dropped into the English National League South Division 1, and in 2011–12 they won it. On 28 November 2010 forward Danny Marshall scored his 1,232nd point for the club, passing Gord Jeffrey as the Raiders' all-time leading scorer.

2013–2018: the London Raiders

When Romford Ice Arena closed in 2013 the club moved to Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton and played as the London Raiders in NIHL South Division 1 for five seasons, keeping the team alive while Romford waited for a new rink.

2018: coming home

Sapphire Ice & Leisure opened on 3 February 2018 and the team, now simply "Raiders", played that evening in front of a sell-out crowd, beating Cardiff Fire 5–2. Olegs Lascenko scored the first Raiders goal on the new ice. Sean Easton became head coach in 2017 and led the team into the new era.

2024: Romford Raiders again

New ownership restored the Romford Raiders name in 2024. The team plays in the NIHL National League and reached the NIHL National Cup final in the 2024–25 season. Its colours remain gold, blue and white, and its supporters are still the Gold and Blue Army.

The development teams

Beneath the senior side, the Romford Spitfires and then, from 2009/10, the Romford Fury gave young players their first senior hockey at Rom Valley Way. Today that role belongs to the Romford Buccaneers, the Raiders' affiliate at the Sapphire. See ice hockey in Romford.

Names at a glance