Altrincham Aces

Altrincham Aces
League	English National Ice Hockey League
Founded	1961
Disbanded	2003
History	Altrincham Aces 1961-1986, 1995-2003 Trafford Metros 1986-1995
Arena	Altrincham Ice Rink
Capacity	2,500 (1962)
City	Altrincham, England
Team Colours	White, Black & Red

The Altrincham Aces were an ice hockey team based out of the old Altrincham Ice Rink, situated on Devonshire Road in Altrincham, a large town located just south of Manchester. The team was initially founded in 1961, and played on until 2003, when the rink was sold , then demolished to make way for a new housing development.

During the period 1986-1995, the team was known as the Trafford Metros, as the team was in part funded by Trafford council. This name was revived in 2009, as the name of the Manchester Phoenix English National League team.

In the course of the teams existence, they played in a variety of regional and national leagues, mostly due to the unstable and largely amateur structure of the sport within the UK.

Early Years

The Aces were formed not long after the collapse of the old British League, and initially played in regional games. In 1967 they became a member of the newly created Northern League, initially playing in the leagues 2nd Division. During their 2nd season in this league they had to withdraw as a number of Scottish teams refused to travel as far south as Altrincham to play games.

The 1970s

In 1970, the Aces became one of the founder members of the new Southern League. The club had its first taste of league success in the 1972-1973 season, and followed this up the next year by finishing as runner up. They were also to finish as runners up in 75-76, 76-77, and in the Inter Cities League in 78-79.