Stewart Roberts must have set some form of world record in compiling and editing virtually single-handedly, 37 consecutive editions, and counting, of his yearbook -The Ice Hockey Annual.
Advertised by the editor as ‘the bible of British ice hockey’ it covers in detail the major leagues, and includes features such as ‘Review’ and ‘Diary of the Season’. Exploits of club and national teams plus international events are ably supported by detailed team and individual player statistics and numerous photos. From day one a directory of clubs with their rinks and key organisations has been included.
As soon as one season’s exploits are despatched to the printer they are used as templates to log, day-by-day, the next winter’s adventures in British hockey and beyond. A core of contributors, advertisers and a network of distributors also need to be nurtured and occasionally replaced.
This labour of love all started in 1975, as Stewart conceived and brought to fruition in that October, the first of his monthly Ice Hockey Newsletters which ran for five seasons. It fulfilled, as he wrote in the first editorial, ‘a need for a place to air ideas – and grievances’. Oh yes, he was controversial from the start, any good journalist must have the courage of their convictions, so a few feathers were ruffled in the following decades. It was produced on a manual typewriter and printed on a hand-cranked duplicator and published by London solicitor Bernard Smith; as was the review of that season which formed the first Newsletter Annual of 52 pages, in late summer ’76.
Sales of around 250 at 50p, led Stewart a long way towards the format familiar in today’s Annual. Advertising was increased to help offset the cost of 144 A5-size pages professionally printed with 26 photos, priced at 75p.and published by Smith; as were the next three with a slight drop in page numbers. In 1981 Nick Keppe at Streatham’s Prontaprint took over for five editions as printer and publisher, with coverage of the expanding sport increased to 162 pages. Two years on Newsletter was dropped from the title. Stewart learnt a lot from his tenth, and the following two Annuals, as the Crowood Press polished up the style and presentation. On the front cover for three years was ‘Official Yearbook of the BIHA.’ This reflected one of Stewart’s many varied roles in the sport - publicity officer for the national governing body.
It was back to 14-hour days in 1989 as he added the role of publisher, costs being offset by a further rise in advertisers to 29. Roberts continued to hold down a day job in insurance as an underwriter, but was fortunate in being able to take
early retirement six years later. The introduction of word processors, (Stewart was one of the first to buy an Amstrad) with their increasingly sophisticated computer programs, all of which had to be mastered, eased his burden considerably and helped him to improve the layout. At the height of the Heineken sponsored British League the sales approached 2,000 a year.
The economic downturn in 2008 accentuated the fall in attendances at most games and along with the internet also impacted on the Annual. Content had to be reduced, although the price remained at £9.95. If he had not received significant backing from local Canadian businessman Troy Labelle his publication might not be chronicling the sport today, to leave such an informative journal of record to future generations. Each autumn a copy is despatched to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Resource Centre in Toronto
Born on 20 January 1945 at Worthing, Sussex he was educated at the local High School. Stewart Roberts first fell in love with ice hockey watching Brighton Tigers in the early 1960s. In 1969 he became secretary, then manger of the amateur Sussex Senators and helped found the Southern League a year later. Various unpaid positions followed including, secretary of the seminal Inter-City League, responsibility for fixtures for 13 years and in the early 1980s administrator of the division below the Heineken British League. It was during this time that head of the BIHA ‘Bunny’ Ahearne referred to him as ‘secretary of almost everything except the Common Market.’
All the while Stewart was a regular correspondent on the sport to the Sunday Times, and Daily Telegraph.
An honorary member of Ice Hockey Journalists UK, he now resides in Lancing not far from his office where he continues his labours on the Annual most days.
Written by Martin C Harris
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