Women's Elite Ice Hockey League
| Women's Elite Ice Hockey League | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1983 (English League) 1988 (British League) 1990 (Premier League) 2015 (Elite League) |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country(ies) |  Great Britain
|
| Most recent champion(s) | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| Most championship(s) | Sunderland Scorpions (8) |
The Women's Elite Ice Hockey League is the top-level of women's ice hockey in Great Britain.
It is administered by the English Ice Hockey Association, a governing body under the umbrella of Ice Hockey UK.
From 1991 to 2005, the league champion was awarded the Chairman's Cup. In 2005, it was named in honor of Bill Britton, chairman of the Women's Department of the EIHA, after his sudden death. Since then, the Bill Britton Memorial Trophy has been awarded annually.
History and development
The first women's competition to be contested in England was in 1984, with the creation of the Women's English League. Five teams participated in the first season, and league membership increased to seven the following year.
From 1988 to 1990, the British League, which was divided into three regional groups, was contested. A single-division Premier League was formed in 1990, with a second-tier league, comprised of two regional groups - North and South - operating below it.
The Elite League, featuring the top five women's British teams, was established for the 2015-16 season. The Premier League was dropped to the second-tier competition, while Division One became the third-level league.
The Elite Cup has been contested by the top four teams from the previous season since 2012-13.
Champions
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Women's Elite League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Solihull Vixens | |
| 2021-22 | Guildford Lightning | Streatham Storm | - |
| 2020-21 | Cancelled | - | - |
| 2019-20 (regular season) | Solihull Vixens | Bracknell Queen Bees | - |
| 2018-19 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Solihull Vixens | - |
| 2017-18 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Guildford Lightning | - |
| 2016-17 | Solihull Vixens | Bracknell Queen Bees | - |
| 2015-16 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Solihull Vixens | - |
| Women's Premier League | |||
| 2014-15 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Kingston Diamonds | Sheffield Shadows |
| 2013-14 | Kingston Diamonds | Bracknell Queen Bees | Guildford Lightning |
| 2012-13 | Kingston Diamonds | Bracknell Queen Bees | Guildford Lightning |
| 2011-12 | Kingston Diamonds | Guildford Lightning | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 2010-11 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Sheffield Shadows | Guildford Lightning |
| 2009-10 | Slough Phantoms | Sheffield Shadows | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 2008-09 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Guildford Lightning | Sheffield Shadows |
| 2007-08 | Sheffield Shadows | Slough Phantoms | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 2006-07 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Newcastle Northern Stars | Slough Phantoms |
| 2005-06 | Sheffield Shadows | Newcastle Northern Stars | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 2004-05 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Sunderland Scorpions | Cardiff Comets |
| 2003-04 | Sunderland Scorpions | Guildford Lightning | Slough Phantoms |
| 2002-03 | Cardiff Comets | Sunderland Scorpions | Guildford Lightning |
| 2001-02 | Sunderland Scorpions | Guildford Lightning | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 2000-01 | Guildford Lightning | Slough Phantoms | Bracknell Queen Bees |
| 1999-2000 | Sunderland Scorpions | Nottingham Vipers | Guildford Lightning |
| 1998-99 | Sunderland Scorpions | Slough Phantoms | Guildford Lightning |
| 1997-98 | Sunderland Scorpions | Bracknell Queen Bees | Slough Phantoms |
| 1996-97 | Sunderland Scorpions | Bracknell Queen Bees | Swindon Topcats |
| 1995-961 | Sunderland Scorpions | Bracknell Queen Bees | Slough Phantoms |
| 1994-95 | Sunderland Scorpions | Guildford Lightning | unknown |
| 1993-94 | Bracknell Queen Bees | Slough Phantoms | Swindon Topcats |
| 1992-93 | Oxford City Rockets | Bracknell Queen Bees | Semifinalists: Dundee Royals, Durham Dynamites |
| 1991-92 | Oxford City Rockets | Bracknell Queen Bees | Semifinalists: Dundee Royals, Streatham Strikers |
| 1990-91 | Oxford City Rockets | Bracknell Queen Bees | Streatham Strikers |
| Regionalised British League | |||
| 1989-90 | Winner of the Central Division defeated the Streatham Strikers 4-1 in final Oxford City Rockets (unofficial) |
Winner of the South Division lost to the Oxford City Rockets 4-1 in final |
Winner of the North Division Did not participate in final Sunderland Scorpions |
| 1988-89 | Oxford City Rockets | Streatham Strikers | Sunderland Scorpions |
| Women's English League / Women's England League | |||
| 1987-881 | Streatham Strikers | Oxford City Rockets | Solihull Vixens |
| 1986-871 | Oxford City Rockets | Streatham Strikers | Peterborough Ravens |
| 1985-861 | Streatham Strikers | Peterborough Ravens | Solihull Vixens |
| 1984-851 | Peterborough Ravens | Solihull Vixens | Brighton Amazons |
| 1983-84 | 1st place: Peterborough Ravens & Solihull Vixens | ||
Note:1. Regular season winners.
See also
| Women's Elite Ice Hockey League seasons |
|---|
| 1983–84 - 1984–85 - 1985–86 - 1986–87 - 1987–88 - 1988–89 - 1989–90 - 1990–91 - 1991–92 - 1992–93 - 1993–94 - 1994–95 - 1995–96 - 1996–97 - 1997–98 - 1998–99 - 1999–2000 - 2000–01 - 2001–02 - 2002–03 - 2003–04 - 2004–05 - 2005–06 - 2006–07 - 2007–08 - 2008–09 - 2009–10 - 2010–11 - 2011–12 - 2012–13 - 2013–14 - 2014–15 - 2015–16 - 2016–17 - 2017–18 - 2018–19 - 2019–20 - 2020–21 - 2021–22 - 2022–23 |