Sorry but I always hate posts like these. There are so many factors as to what dictates attendance to hockey games.
For example, Fife is also probably the only team without anything at all to compete with.
With all due respect, what else is there in Fife? No football club that 90% of those who don’t live within 20 milles would be able to name. No pro speedway team, no pro basketball team, no pro rugby teams in either code, nothing.
This has so many benefits, like unchallenged coverage from local media like papers and nobody else for local companies to sponsor etc.
To compare, Manchester has to compete with;
Manchester United
Manchester City
Sale Sharks (Rugby Union)
Salford Red Devils (Rugby League)
Manchester Magic (Basketball)
Belle Vue Aces (Speedway)
Manchester Thunder (Netball)
That’s just the top flight teams. Every minority sport is catered for and has to be competed with, for sponsors, media coverage and audience.
Every single one of the aforementioned sports is far better at EVERY aspect of marketing, media management and overall league management and governance than Ice Hockey is. Not to mention the fact that those sports don’t have the constant farces and controversy that Ice Hockey does.
Ice hockey has attendances far superior than most of the bottom 3 of those in most cities where the mentioned sports exist. Yet Netball, the smallest of them all, can get a TV deal with sky sports and Ice Hockey can’t.
Ice hockey in the UK is a farce from top to bottom.