This is happening, however these rinks are costly, and cost is one of the biggest limiting factors for players joining the game.Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2024 5:49 pmThere are enough private rinks scattered around that the unsanctioned leagues are having a much easier time now getting ice than back when they first started.Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2024 5:38 pmOne big problem with unsanctioned hockey. They can't get ice from the cities.Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2024 11:25 amCorrect, up until this started happening the OHF, OMHA and others have refused to listen to their customers. They continued to abuse their power and protect bad organizations/coaches all in the name of fairness. It's BS and I am so glad that these private leagues are pushing the change. I just hope they can act quickly enough so that the whole thing doesn't go private and nobody can afford to play. The elite and rich won't have to worry, they will be taken care of, it will be the hard-working families in the house and local leagues that will pay the price.Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2024 10:18 am The reason OHF is worried is Klevr threat of expansion into U10 and beyond. Some people wont agree based on the posts earlier..but hey look at facts. OHF is aware of what has happened in Alberta. Look at HSL: https://hockeysuperleague.ca/content/ab ... per-league
This is a defense move. Hope it comes early enough to influence the 25-26 season.
Unless they start building rinks, they can't run full programs at all ages due to lack of securing ice.
If OMHA teams were to start folding rapidly, thus reducing ice contracts, then the unsanctioned leagues would have a better chance to get more established.
One of the factors that a competing alternative to HC needs to keep in mind is cost, especially as compared to other sports, and overall value for money. I can already see that the AAA crowd parents are the ones who want to drive change, but they are short sighted. Youth sports is a pyramid, and the HL level is the base, entry level Rep, then AA and finally AAA. AAA is a very small component to all this, so don't ignore the base and the middle.
Another an alternative to HC should keep in mind is our BIGGEST ASSET we have here in Canada and specifically Ontario....our talented players!! We have the highest concentration of talent anywhere in the world!!! Exploit that! We should be able to make participation cheaper than anywhere else! Lower costs attracts more players. More players means better chances of having more players at each level of play. More players, more teams, more leagues, and then quality and comparable competition...aka games... in a relatively small geographical area! Exploit this!
Where else can they have true AAA quality leagues of a decent size-the GTHL has 12 AAA teams, a little smaller in other areas, and you sleep in your own bed every night. Other areas, specifically US, this level is automatically a travel team! And FAR travel!
We can have tier 2, AA teams, playing in leagues even MORE local! That's good! These leagues are high quality as compared to AA anywhere else, and they will feed players in to AAA. Competition, quality competition, BREEDS better players!
We have the best players, the best resources in terms of rinks, the best private options for coaching outside the team, concentration of talent, motivated players and parents, all we need is a SOLID long term plan that will be cost effective, keep KIDS loving the game for as long as possible, and stay at the top of innovation. HC has the foundation of a solid long term plan, the LTAD model, but lack innovation, implementation and buy in. The solution isn't to throw the baby out with the bath water though, it's to do like USA Hockey and improve on it. No plan, brings us back 2 decades and will end any attempt to be a viable alternative to HC run hockey.