Inline hockey and skater hockey are team sports, similar to ice hockey. In the UK, there are a few associations that govern inline hockey. The British Inline Puck Hockey Association (BIPHA) and British Rink Hockey Association (BRHA) govern the sport with rules using a Puck. The British inline Skater Hockey Association (BiSHA) is different to BIPHA as BiSHA uses a Ball, Inline skates and roller skates and is played to full-contact rules. GBinline, is a minor association within the country.
BIPHA has nine current regions spread across the UK, regional league winners and runners-up progress to national finals held in Rotherham each summer. BIPHA is able to provide leagues for players at two year age groups beginning at Under 10. The association also sends teams to compete in FIRS World Championships normally held in the USA.
BRHA covers mainly the south coast from Exeter to Fareham but always open to new teams to join. They have close ties with the Major League Roller Hockey (MLRH) and in particular MLRH Europe, promoting elite completion across Europe and the world. http://www.facebook.com/BritishRinkHockeyAssociationbrha?ref=hl. http://www.facebook.com/mlrh.webmaster
BiSHA has four current regions and is more popular in the South of the UK with only one league covering the North of England. Similarly to BIPHA, BiSHA holds national championships for league winners and runners-up. BiSHA also sends teams to represent the country, the BiSHA Great Britain team competes in the iiSHF European Championships.
BIPHA has four specific Inline hockey venues. These are used by each of the associations. Deeside Leisure Centre, North Wales, is the largest with Skate Central, Sheffield being a similar size. Virtual Ice Inline, in Rotherham, has two small sized pads and is the home venue of BIPHA. Also, the Lord Roberts Centre in Bisley, Surrey, has a similar sized rink. For Regional Leagues, often Leisure Centres are used due to the lack of specific venues.
Often, players will play in one or more associations, this is generally due to the lack of players and available teams. Some players will travel to other regions where the standard of hockey may be higher than in their own region.