There’s only one problem with being the UK’s first competing high school ice hockey team – there are no other schools to play against!

Now Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College is hoping to inspire other high schools to take up the sport.

The Buttershaw team, which goes by the name of BBEC Spartans, is coached by 33-year-old Brian Fulton, who played ice hockey for Thunder Bay in Canada as a junior before moving to the UK.

Mr Fulton, who teaches ICT and business at the school, said: “The teachers were asked if they had any ideas or interests in terms of extra-curricular activities, and this was something I wanted to do.

“We’re the first UK high school to have a competing ice hockey team. There are some high schools that have ice hockey teams but they don’t compete against league teams.

“We play in the UK under-16 league and, yes, we do get beaten and beaten badly but it’s tough to compete against club teams at that level.

“We want to encourage other high schools to start playing so we would have other schools to compete against.”

The school raised £10,000 to buy the necessary kit over a two-year period and practices regularly at Bradford Ice Rink.

Mr Fulton said: “It’s not easy to get established in the UK, but we want kids to have the chance to experience some rarer sports.

“Ice hockey was very big in Canada so to come here, where it wasn’t so popular, was a surprise.

“Each time you say ‘do you want to be part of an ice hockey team?’, the kids think ‘right let’s smash people and have a ruckus’ but now they have realised there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s about teamwork, control, hand-eye co-ordination, skills on the ice and skills with the stick.”

Jack Cockcroft, 14, who plays on the left wing for the team, said: “It’s a lot of fun. I did it because I thought it would be an interesting sport to get into. It’s a bit of a change. It’s dangerous but fun. It gives me a bit of a rush.”

Daniel Connell, 14, of Woodside, said: “It’s excellent. It’s a hard sport to get into but we get a lot of practice. It’s a challenge.”

George Hyland, 12, of Wibsey, said: “The team is good and we’re all good friends. I hardly knew any year nines before I got into ice hockey but now I know loads.”