SSNlogo4SSNlogo4SSNlogo4SSNlogo4
  • Home
  • About us
  • Local Sport Stories
    • Sports Shorts
    • Hockey
    • Figure Skating
    • Curling
    • Baseball
    • High School
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Swimming
    • Lacrosse
    • Rugby
    • Soccer
    • Golf
    • Football
    • MMA
    • Auto Sports
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Become a community partner
  • How to support us
  • Contact Us
✕
Royals’ Mailhot signs pro contract in Sweden
June 23, 2020
Brock Dykxhoorn set to pitch for 7-Eleven Lions in CPBL
July 9, 2020
Show all

Minor hockey asking council to reconsider Rec Centre closing

Photo by Darryl G. Smart

By Darryl G. Smart

Norfolk’s minor hockey associations on the east side of the county are requesting that council reconsider its decision to close the Simcoe Recreation Centre.

“The Norfolk Minor Hockey Association, along with our partner minor hockey associations, strongly believe that closing the Rec Centre puts our hockey programs in dire straits, and severely threatens the exciting and expanded hockey programming we are bringing to Norfolk County,” a release penned by the new Norfolk Minor Hockey Association, in co-operation with Simcoe, Port Dover, Waterford and Norfolk HERicanes minor hockey associations. “We are more than willing to work with Norfolk County to ensure our arenas are operating in a sustainable and fiscally responsible manner. It is critical that they do so. It is also imperative that the Rec Centre arena stay in operation, particularly in light of the new realities that have emerged

since Norfolk County’s 2020 Budget.”

The minor hockey associations worked together to create an analysis of ice requirements, which includes NMHA, which is in its inaugural season. The anticipated ice requirements for the 2020-2021 season were provided to Norfolk County staff in early May 2020.

The associations require 163 hours of ice per week. Last season Waterford, Simcoe, Port Dover and the HERicanes associations used 124 hours per week.

“To put it in perspective, the creation of NMHA increased our combined ice requirements by almost 40 hours per week. This increase represents about a full business weeks’ worth of ice – every week,” the release signed by NMHA president Martin Jefferson, first vice president Pat Meahan and second vice president Darnell Lambert reads. “Upon review of our ice requirements and arena availability, Norfolk County staff agreed that without the Rec Centre there is not enough ice to satisfy our needs. This is the case even if we found a way to use every single hour of ice available, outside of school hours, at every Norfolk arena. There is simply not enough ice.

“Norfolk County shared a tentative ice schedule for all five Norfolk arenas with our associations, thereby providing us with even further insight into what time slots were being made available to minor hockey,” it reads. “This analysis revealed even more serious scheduling issues. Contrary to the ice times made available to us and which we were told were ‘usable hours’, it is a reality that it is not possible to use every single hour of ice outside of school hours due to the need to respect local bus times.”

This is just the tip of the ice berg, considering  minor hockey needs additional ice for tournaments to create revenue, other programming like the First Shift Program, not to mention its loss of traditional ice times at Talbot Gardens on Tuesday and Wednesday nights because of  adult leagues being moved from the Rec Centre closure.

Speaking of adult leagues, as a result of the Rec Centre closure, some traditional ice times for adults, including shinny and leagues may fold after, for some, decades of use.

“We accept that there are challenges, but we are also confident that solutions can be found,” the release reads. “However, Norfolk County has to want to find the solutions, and to engage users to do so. In the end, we are partners in our communities and partners in the arena facilities. There is no doubt we can work together, engage, and make this work. This is not a bridge too far. In the meantime, while we endeavor to find a workable and sustainable path forward, we strongly request that you allow the Rec Centre arena to remain in operation, and to serve our children at a time when they need such activity the most.”

Share
0
Darryl G. Smart
Darryl G. Smart

Related posts

January 12, 2022

Huge December for Chuli; named PHF Player of the Month and to All-Star Showcase with Woods


Read more

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

✕

SPONSORS

Donate Securely with PayPal

Choose currency

Enter amount

FIND US

CATEGORIES

  • Auto Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Curling
  • Figure Skating
  • Football
  • Golf
  • High School
  • Hockey
  • Lacrosse
  • Local Sport Stories
  • MMA
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Sport
  • Sports Shorts
  • Swimming
  • Uncategorized
  • Volleyball

LATEST POSTS

  • 0
    Huge December for Chuli; named PHF Player of the Month and to All-Star Showcase with Woods
    January 12, 2022
  • 0
    A grand time at 12th annual Langton Skating Gala
    December 20, 2021
  • 0
    Alliance Hockey places pause on playing games; OMHA still a go
    December 17, 2021
  • 0
    Blue Devils awarded Sportsmanship award at OFSAA ; Plus all of the high school scores and standings heading into the break
    December 17, 2021
  • 0
    Minor hockey – Dec 16
    December 16, 2021
  • 0
    Local PJHL Roundup:Storoschuk and Noble lead Merchants to victory
    December 16, 2021
  • 0
    Corvairs hope perseverance pays off
    December 16, 2021
  • 0
    U18 Thunder flex defensive muscle to earn silver at A division tournament
    December 15, 2021
  • 0
    Dover skaters get back to competition for the first time in two years
    December 15, 2021
  • 0
    High school roundup
    December 14, 2021

TAGS

AABHN Athletic Association of Brant Haldimand Norfolk baseball basketball Brantford Brantford 99ers Brantford Bandits Brantford Red Sox Burford Bulldogs Caledonia Corvairs Delhi Delhi Raiders Dunnville Mudcats gojhl Greater Ontario Junior hockey League Hagersville Hawks Haldimand Haldimand County high school high school athletics high school sports hockey Holy Trinity Titans IBL ICBA Intercounty Baseball League junior C hockey junior hockey Langton minor hockey Norfolk Norfolk County Norwich Merchants OHA OJHL Ontario Hockey Association pjhl Port Dover Sailors Provincial Junior Hockey League SCBA Simcoe Giants Simcoe Sabres softball sports shorts volleyball
Smart Sports Network The place for all things local sports Serving Norfolk, Haldimand and surrounding areas
© 2020 Smart Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.