DONATE YOUR
GEAR.
Ice hockey is expensive everywhere. In Egypt there is no pro shop to walk into, no second-hand rack, and no way to replace a cracked helmet on a Saturday morning. The skates in your garage are the single most useful thing you can give this league — post them to our US address and we carry them to Cairo from there.
A full set of kit is the Barrier
Almost every player who tries hockey in Egypt borrows their first set of equipment. There is no local supply chain: a helmet, skates and pads have to be imported one order at a time, at a cost that stops most families at the door before a child has ever stood on the ice.
Gear you have outgrown is worth more here than almost anywhere else. A pair of junior skates sitting in a garage in Pittsburgh becomes the reason a kid in Cairo gets a second session, and then a season. Nothing we receive sits in storage.
Goaltending is the hardest position to fill for exactly this reason. One missing set of pads is the difference between a practice and a real game, which is why goalie equipment sits at the top of our list and stays there.
Why Pennsylvania and not Cairo
Couriering a single hockey bag from North America or Europe to Egypt can cost more than the equipment inside it, and used sporting goods are assessed for duty on arrival. So we consolidate instead: you pay ordinary domestic postage to our Pennsylvania address, we sort and box everything there, and the gear travels to Cairo as checked baggage with players, coaches and staff who are already flying. Nothing is thrown away and no donor is ever asked to cover an international freight bill.
- You pay ordinary domestic postage — nothing international, no customs paperwork.
- We sort, check and box everything in Pennsylvania before it flies.
- Gear travels to Cairo as checked baggage with players and staff already on the move.
- Anything not safe to play in is stripped for parts and recycled locally, not flown across the world to be binned.
Five steps, start to Finish
Tell us what you have
Email us a short list and a photo or two — what the item is, roughly what size, and what condition it is in. We will confirm what we can use within a couple of days. This step is not red tape: it stops you paying postage on a helmet that is out of certification or a boot that has gone.
Email the gear deskClean it and dry it properly
Wipe or wash everything and let it dry completely — a bag that is sealed while still damp arrives mouldy and has to be binned. Pull the laces from skates, tape guards over the blades, and keep pairs together with a band or a bag.
Pack it to survive the trip
Any sturdy box or an old hockey bag inside a box both work. Fill the gaps so nothing shifts, put a note inside with your name and email so we can thank you, and tape the seams. Several small boxes are usually cheaper to post than one oversized one.
Post it to our US address
Send it to the address below using ordinary domestic post or any carrier you like. USPS Ground Advantage and flat-rate boxes are typically the cheapest for heavy kit. Nothing needs to be declared or insured beyond whatever you would normally do.
EHL Gear Donations
4112 Manor Oaks Ct
Export, PA 15632
United States
Send us the tracking number
Reply to your original email with the tracking number so we know a box is on the way and can chase it if it goes astray. We will confirm the moment it lands, and tell you where the gear ended up once it reaches Cairo.
Send your tracking numberStuck at any point, or not sure whether something is worth sending? Email hello@egyptianhockeyleague.com and a person will answer.
The Wishlist
Goalie equipment
Top need- Leg pads, blocker and catching glove, any size
- Goalie skates, masks and chest protectors
- Goal sticks — youth and intermediate especially
Skates
- Player skates with a boot that still holds its shape
- Youth sizes are the fastest to be claimed
- Blades that can take a sharpening — light rust is fine
Helmets & cages
- HECC, CSA or CE certified helmets inside their date
- Cages, visors and mouthguard-compatible chin cups
- No cracks, no repainted or modified shells
Sticks
- Intact shafts — no cracks, no field repairs
- Junior and youth flexes are in shortest supply
- Goal sticks and spare blades welcome
Protective kit
- Shoulder pads, elbow pads and shin guards
- Hockey pants and girdles
- Neck guards and jocks/jills (new or unused only)
Gloves
- Gloves with palms that are not worn through
- Youth and junior sizing especially
- Mismatched pairs are still useful to us
Jerseys, socks & base layers
- Plain or club jerseys in any colour
- Hockey socks, base layers and jock shorts
- Practice pinnies for clinic sessions
Bags & maintenance
- Wheeled and carry hockey bags
- Skate sharpening stones, laces and tape
- Spare rivets, screws and blade holders
Pucks & training aids
- Practice and game pucks in any quantity
- Cones, passers, shooting tarps and radar
- Off-ice sticks and balls for school sessions
What we cannot Accept
We would rather say this plainly than turn a box away after you have paid to post it. Everything below either cannot be made safe or cannot be repaired here — and a package that has to be binned on arrival has cost you money and us time.
If you are unsure about a specific item, send a photo before you pack it. Borderline gear is usually still useful for parts, and we will tell you honestly either way.
- Helmets past their printed certification date, or cracked, repainted or modified in any way — we cannot legally put them on a player.
- Skates with a collapsed or split boot, or blades worn down past the holder.
- Sticks with cracks, splinters or previous repairs.
- Anything still damp, mouldy or with a smell that will not wash out.
- Gloves with palms worn through, and pads with the foam broken down or missing.
- Trophies, memorabilia, apparel that is not playing kit, and anything that is not hockey equipment.
Gear, money, or Both
Puts equipment on a player
A donated set of pads is a player who skates this season rather than next one. It is the most direct thing you can give, and it costs you postage rather than cash.
Start with step oneCovers what gear cannot
Ice time, freight for the bulk shipments out of Pennsylvania, sharpening and repairs, and travel for young players to tournaments. None of it arrives in a box.
Donate to the GoFundMeGear donation questions
Why am I shipping to Pennsylvania if the league is in Egypt?
Because a single hockey bag couriered to Cairo can cost more in freight and customs duty than the gear inside it is worth. Shipping to our US consolidation point in Export, Pennsylvania costs you ordinary domestic postage, and the equipment then flies to Egypt as checked baggage with players and staff who are already travelling.
Does my equipment have to be new?
No. Used gear is exactly what we are asking for — most of what our players skate in was donated. It needs to be clean, dry, structurally sound and safe to put on a player. The one hard limit is helmets, which must be inside their printed certification date and free of cracks.
I only have one or two pieces. Is that worth sending?
Yes. Kit is assembled piece by piece here — a single pair of shin guards or one goalie glove finishes a set for a player who has everything else. If postage for a small parcel is the issue, email us first and we will tell you whether to hold it until you have more.
Can I drop gear off in person instead of posting it?
Yes, if you are near Export, Pennsylvania. Email us first and we will arrange a time rather than have you arrive to an empty house.
I am outside the United States. What should I do?
Email us before you send anything. Posting internationally to Pennsylvania is often still cheaper than sending direct to Egypt, but it depends where you are — and in some countries we can point you at someone closer who is already collecting.
Can I get a receipt or a tax deduction?
Email us with what you sent and we will confirm receipt in writing, including an itemised list. We are not able to issue a US tax-deductible receipt, so please do not claim one on the basis of an acknowledgement from us.
Would money help more than gear?
They do different jobs. Gear puts equipment directly on a player. Cash through our GoFundMe covers the things gear cannot — ice time, freight for the bulk shipments, sharpening and repairs, and travel for young players to tournaments. Both are needed, and either is welcome.
What happens to equipment you cannot use?
Nothing is thrown away casually. Anything that is not safe to put on a player is stripped for usable parts — blades, rivets, cages, foam — and the rest is recycled locally in Pennsylvania rather than being flown across the world to be binned.
Still unsure? Email hello@egyptianhockeyleague.com or contact the league office.
Send it to Egypt.
EHL Gear Donations, 4112 Manor Oaks Ct, Export, PA 15632, United States. Email us first so we know what is coming — then post it, and we will take it the rest of the way.