ROYAL ENFIELD has announced the third edition of its Ice Hockey season, featuring developmental competitions such as the Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League (REIHL) in Ladakh and the Spiti Cup, powered by Royal Enfield, in Himachal Pradesh.
Building on the momentum of previous years, the 2025–26 season places a stronger emphasis on training, capacity building, and community development, further reinforcing the brand’s long-term commitment to establishing a self-sustaining ice hockey ecosystem in the Himalayan region.
The season will begin in November with comprehensive coach and referee training camps in Dehradun and Leh, led by IIHF-certified experts, Coach Darryl Eason and officiating instructor Peter Gebei. These programmes aim to equip local coaches and officials with advanced technical skills to run Learn to Play (LTP) sessions, identify emerging talent, and develop community-based teams that will compete in forthcoming developmental tournaments.
The season will conclude in January 2026 with two of India’s highest-altitude ice hockey events, the Royal Enfield Ice Hockey League in Leh and the Spiti Cup in Kaza. Together, they are expected to feature over 30 teams and nearly 700 players from Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. Notably, REIHL will include a new team from Kharu, Ladakh, while the Spiti Cup will welcome a team from the Lahaul region for the first time.
Key training initiatives:
* Basic & Intermediate Coach Training Camps (Dehradun): Empowering local coaches to conduct Learn to Play (LTP) camps and refine their technical expertise, scout emerging talent to form competitive teams for the developmental leagues.
* Referee Training (Delhi): Bringing together officials from the Army, ITBP, and regional associations, with a strong emphasis on women’s participation in officiating roles.
* Learn to Play (LTP) and Basic Skating Programmes: Introducing over 1000 children to Ice Hockey across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
* Pond Hockey Programme (Leh): A new community initiative, will pilot a 5-day training programme for 80 kids followed by a non-contact 3v3 tournament at Gupuk pond near Leh, serving as a fun and inclusive entry point for young enthusiasts and first-time skaters to experience the sport.
Eicher Group Foundation, the CSR arm of Royal Enfield, executive director Bidisha Dey said, “Ice hockey continues to be a powerful expression of community resilience across the Himalayas. With season 3, we are moving from participation to progression, strengthening the grassroots ecosystem through structured coach and referee training, and extending our reach across Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. This season is about deepening our impact, enabling local coaches and youth leaders to build, train, and sustain their own communities of play. That, for us, is the real victory, when the movement belongs entirely to the people who live it.”
