NIHL South Division 1
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
The NIHL South Division 1 is the top-level league in the Southern Region of the British National Ice Hockey League setup.
It forms one of four NIHL divisions, of a total of 40 teams, which are divided regionally.
The NIHL was reorganised for the start of the 2017-18 season,[1] and South Division 1 features ten teams in 2024/25. The closing of the English Premier League meant that Basingstoke Bison, Swindon Wildcats, Bracknell Bees and Peterborough Phantoms joined the division, as the NIHL came to be the second tier of British ice hockey instead of the third.
The combination of semi-professional teams from the former EPL with largely amateur teams from the old NIHL South Division created pressure, with several teams preferring to play in South Division 2, in the face of increased costs and an unnaturally tougher playing field.[2]
At the end of the season, the top eight sides will play two-legged quarter-finals before the final four sides will contest a play-off weekend, currently held at IceSheffield.
| Team | Town/City | Home Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Fire | Cardiff | Viola Arena |
| Chelmsford Chieftains | Chelmsford | Riverside Ice & Leisure |
| Invicta Dynamos | Gillingham | Planet Ice Gillingham |
| Milton Keynes Thunder | Milton Keynes | Planet Ice Milton Keynes |
| Oxford City Stars | Oxford | Oxford Ice Rink |
| Romford Buccaneers | Romford | Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre |
| Slough Jets | Slough | Slough Ice Arena/The Hangar |
| Solent Devils | Gosport | Planet Ice Gosport |
| Streatham IHC | Streatham | Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre |
| Swindon Wildcats 2 | Swindon | Link Centre |