OXFORD City Stars have requested to turn down their promotion to the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL) South Division 1.
The Stars won the South Division 2 title last month, but have opted to remain in the same division next season.
While admitting it had been a difficult decision to make, the club felt they were not yet ready to step up to the higher level, where they would be competing against teams with more resources.
A club statement read: "In order for us to be able to compete successfully with teams who have large budgets, we need to continue to strengthen our links with local businesses and improve the profile of ice hockey in Oxford.
"We have started this process this season and the increased crowd numbers at our home games are testament to this, but we need to continue developing our growth and profile before trying to make the step up to NIHL1."
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