Originally from Belfast, Ian Wight’s earliest memory of ice hockey was at the age of eight, in the King’s Hall and he was hit on the head by a puck.
That childhood incident didn’t however turn him off sport – far from it. A keen football fan, he was horrified when his parents sent him to Campbell College – a solid rugby establishment. He continued to play soccer whenever he could and eventually had an ‘illicit’ professional trial with Ulster. He also gained a county cap at field hockey as a schoolboy.
In 1979 Ian founded the Wight Company, later renamed Orbit International, as a sponsorship agency for several organisations, including Whitbread’s, the brewers and distributors of Heineken in the UK. In the early 1980s, he received a presentation from the BIHA on ice hockey, around the time he had been commissioned by Whitbread’s to find a sport that would be attractive to 18 to 24-year olds. After watching a game at Streatham with BIHA Frederick Meredith, Ian realised ice hockey was the very sport Heineken were seeking.
Over the following ten years, he put in an enormous amount of time at every level of the game to ensure its success. Former BIHA secretary Pat Marsh, who worked closely with Ian, said, “Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are today. He was hooked on hockey from the start. What stands out in my mind is that he grasped the game so quickly. His enthusiasm, ideas and forthright personality sold the game to television, to Wembley and, of course, to Heineken.”
For his role in securing and nurturing one of the longest run sponsorship deals in domestic hockey history, Ian Wight was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a sponsor’s representative.
Compiled with research, provided by Martin C.Harris – April 1993.
Read More
