NEVER SKATED?
START HERE.
The EHL teaches adults who have never worn a pair of skates how to play ice hockey. There is no age cutoff and no experience required. Beginners skate at 7:30 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Sun City Mall, Cairo — come to one and we will teach you from whatever level you are at.
Four ways people Start
Adults arrive at hockey from very different places, and the only one that matters is the one you are actually at. Every route below is a normal way to begin.
You have never worn skates
This is the ordinary starting point, not a disadvantage. Most adults who come to us have never been on ice outside a shopping-mall rink, and the first sessions assume exactly that.
You can skate but have never played
Being comfortable on your edges is a real head start. We add the stick, the puck, and the habits of the game on top of the skating you already have.
You played once, years ago
Returning after a decade away is its own thing, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We put you back in at the level you are at now, not the one you remember.
You think you have left it too late
You have not. There is no age cutoff at the EHL and no upper age limit on a beginner session — nobody ages out of learning to play.
The beginner Hour
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
Come to whichever night suits you. There is no need to make all three, and nothing about turning up once commits you to the next one.
The league's own session follows at 8:30 PM on the same ice, so you can stay on after yours and watch the thing you are working toward — which is a better answer to “what am I actually building to?” than anything on this page.
Message the league before your first one and we will have gear ready for you.
Tell us you're coming →Skates, then stick, then Game
The order never changes, but the pace is yours. Some people spend a long time on the first stage and some arrive already skating — both are fine, and neither is a verdict on whether you will be any good at this.
Read the game format →- 01
Learn to skate
Before any stick: balance, forward stride, stopping, edges, and how to fall and get back up without hurting yourself. Hockey is a skating sport first, and this is the part that actually takes time.
- 02
Learn to play
Stick and puck on top of the skating — passing, shooting, protecting the puck, and where to be when you do not have it. Small-area games from early on, because reading the game is a skill you can only practise by playing.
- 03
Play
Community skates and EHL hockey: three skaters and a goalie a side, two eight-minute halves, penalty shots instead of power plays. Plenty of people stop here and keep playing for fun — going on to club hockey is an option, not an expectation.
What you do Not need
Gear you do not have to buy
The league runs an equipment lending library so the cost of a full kit is not what decides whether you get to try this. Borrow it until you know you want your own.
No fitness test
There is no standard to meet before your first session and nothing to pass. You will be tired and you will be on the ice with people who were exactly as tired a month ago.
No season-long commitment
Coming to find out whether you like it is a complete reason to come. Nothing about a first session signs you up to a roster.
Tell us where you're starting from.
Say how old you are, whether you can skate, and what you are hoping to get out of it. We will tell you which session to come to and what to bring — and we will teach you from whatever level you are at.
Before you Get in touch
Am I too old to start playing ice hockey?
No. There is no age cutoff at the EHL, and there is no upper age limit on learning to skate or learning to play. Adults start with us in their twenties, their forties, and later — the league teaches beginners from whatever level they arrive at, whatever age they are.
I have never been on ice at all. Is that a problem?
No, and it is the most common way people start. The first sessions are learn-to-skate sessions: balance, stride, stopping, and falling safely, before a stick is involved at all. You are not expected to arrive able to skate.
Do I need to buy equipment before I start?
No. The EHL runs an equipment lending library specifically so gear cost is not the barrier to trying the sport. Borrow a set while you find out whether hockey is for you, and buy your own later if you want to.
How fit do I need to be?
There is no fitness test and no standard to meet before a first session. Skating is demanding and you should expect to be tired, but you will be tired alongside other adults who started from the same place. Come as you are and build from there.
How long before I am actually playing hockey?
It depends entirely on the person — how often you get on the ice and whether you could already skate when you arrived. Anyone quoting you a fixed number of weeks is guessing. Get in touch, come to a session, and a coach will tell you what your own progression looks like.
Where and when do adult beginner sessions run?
Beginners skate at 7:30 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Sun City Mall, Cairo. The league's own sessions follow on the same ice at 8:30 PM, so you can stay on and watch after yours. Come to whichever night suits you — there is no need to commit to all three.
Is there a separate programme for women?
The EHL runs women’s and men’s programmes alongside its junior pathway. Say which you are asking about when you get in touch and the league will point you at the right session.
What if my child wants to play too?
Players aged 4 to 17 are covered by EHL Kids at https://www.egyptianhockeyleague.com/kids, which runs its own age-tiered pathway from first strides through to academy squads. Adults and children are both welcome — they are simply different programmes.
Still unsure? Write to the league office — no question about starting late is one we have not been asked before.