 Ahearne was secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) from 1934 to 1971, and served as the association's president from 1971 to 1982.During this time he was also the United Kingdom's delegate to meetings of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).During this time he hired Pat Marsh as his secretary, who later took over as the BIHA secretary when Ahearne became president.