Islanders UK Supporters Club Takes Over UBS Arena

As the New York Islanders UK Supporters Club toured Northwell Presents The Park at UBS Arena, there was something fitting about a group of Isles fans who had traveled across the pond to check out the Islanders new pond hockey rinks.

The Isles UK Supporters Club, comprised of 20 Islanders fans from the United Kingdom, traveled over 3,000 miles to the United States for a memorable and exciting week-long Isles pilgrimage. The group of devoted Islanders fans felt at home immediately, noticing the community atmosphere of Isles Nation during their visit.

“It’s like a family community,” said Andy Welsh, founder of the Islanders UK Supporters Club. “You can tell everyone here is so friendly and wants to come along and support the team together.”

The Supporters Club went to the Stadium Series together, explored Long Island throughout the week and forged a stronger bond over Islanders hockey. Although they were thousands of miles away from the UK, joining a sea of thousands of Islanders fans to cheer on their favorite team throughout the week made the UK natives feel at home.

“We had great seats, it was just incredible to sit there and see it,” said Cheryl Davies. “Everyone’s been so welcoming and friendly, it’s like a community.”

Walsh has organized five or six Islanders meetups back home in the UK, but this trip marks the first time the Supporters Club was able to visit the NYC Metro area for the full experience. The Supporters Club attended Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where they went to UBS Arena for a pre-game tour. They got to see the MSG Networks broadcast booth, the Islanders trading card wall at section 110, and were given an exclusive shopping experience at Isles Lab where they took pictures with mascots Sparky and Nyisles.

“It keeps getting better and better,” Welsh said. “Every 10 steps there is something else really cool, we keep ticking things off the list. And a private shopping experience? It doesn’t get much better than that.”

The Islanders organization also provided a special surprise for the UK Supporters Club to celebrate the group coming to the game. The FA Cup, which is the trophy given to the winner of England’s annual national knockout tournament, also happened to be in the building and was displayed in Isles Lab for members to take pictures during their private shopping spree.

The Supporters Club also got to meet their favorite broadcast team in Brendan Burke, Shannon Hogan and Thomas Hickey before the game. Lisa Maciver had a friendly banter with Brendan Burke on the American vs the British version of "Tuesday," where she insisted it's "Chews-day" but iterated how much she liked to hear the American version on the broadcasts.

The Supporters Club was later interviewed on MSG during their tour of Northwell Presents the Park at UBS Arena. Though they’re five hours ahead in the UK, the dedicated group stays up late to watch Islanders broadcasts and had a surreal experience meeting the crew.

“Brendan [Burke], Shannon Hogan and the broadcast team means Islanders for us,” Maciver said.

Since the UK is far away from NHL action, their journey of developing passion for Islanders hockey is unique for each member. Maciver was on a trip to New York in 2014 where she decided to see an Islander game on a whim. The Islanders topped the Blackhawks in an overtime thriller, but before she left to head back home to London, her husband proposed at Times Square, and they were devoted fans ever since. Maciver and her husband Scott were in Pittsburgh this week and captured Adam Pelech’s overtime goal in Tuesday’s 5-4 OT win over the Penguins.

“When the puck hits the back of the net, the video just stops because I’m going crazy,” Maciver said. “I videoed overtime because I had a feeling they were going to win.”

Saturday’s game was proceeded by a week’s worth of memorable moments and stops on Long Island. The Supporter Club went exploring on Friday - visiting Blue Line Deli, Oyster Bay Brewing Company, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Islanders practice facility at Northwell Health Ice Center - in a grand tour of all the iconic Islanders spots.

“It was one of the best days of the trip,” Welsh said. “We got the sense that the Islanders are a real community team, and these are the places where it stemmed from. We loved it.”

Though Saturday’s game was the first time many members got to experience UBS Arena, it was not their first Islanders game, as the group had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium. Being in town for a special game in a unique outdoor environment was unforgettable for the group to say the least.

“It was once in a lifetime,” Welsh said. “The game was just really special, it’s something where you'll ask all of the group and it will literally live with us for the rest of our lives. It was just brilliant.”

At the end of Saturday’s game, the Blue and Orange Army invited the UK Supporters to join their group photo at center ice, raising flags and cheering for the team. Throughout the week’s experience, the Supporter Club forged a stronger bond over Islanders hockey and have a full slate of memories they’ll never forget.

“It’s nice because we’re from all over the UK, so it’s nice to get together,” Ashleigh Walsh said. “We’ve got such a good bond as friends and this trip is bringing us even closer together.”