STEELERS owner Bob Phillips today admitted he has only just begun to warm to his own playing staff after two seasons in charge at Sheffield Arena.
He says his dislike of the 2006-07 squad inherited by then new coach Dave Matsos was such that he felt it would not be right to properly market the team across South Yorkshire.
But, after the right chemistry was found to land the Play-offs crown last April and recruitment "improvements" made over this summer, Phillips feels he now has an on-ice product that he is proud to promote.
"Winning a championship gives Matty, myself, the management, fans and sponsors the confidence we have been lacking," he said.
"Arriving here, I asked for three years to turn things around. It was an honour to buy the greatest hockey club in Great Britain and I knew it was possible to get 7,000 fans behind us.
"But the product on ice was so poor it put people off.
"That is why we pulled way back in sales, ticketing and marketing. It is why fans haven't seen our name as much in the papers, on TV, buses and posters.
"It was only at the end of last season that confidence in the team's ability on the ice returned."
Phillips bought Steelers for £200,000 but said he had to put in a further £150,000 to pay off other fees. Last season saw the club break even for the first time.
"That was a massive feat," said the Welshman. "The seeds have been sown for sponsorship growth and (general manager) Mike O'Connor is doing a great job in building on the foundation we put in place that first year.
"Last year we had an average crowd of around 4,000 fans, including sponsors and guests. It's our dream to now improve on that.
"Unlike some of our rivals, we have frozen prices to ensure we look after existing fans and we want to build on that loyalty."
Phillips believes that although the 2008-09 squad lacks a "KO heavyweight guy" there will be enough toughness to protect the "speedsters and skill players".
What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Football headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 404 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
