Not just a bigger minor hockey association but a better one. That’s the responsibility that now rests on the shoulders of 10 volunteers for now and more to follow later.
Approval to merge Richmond Minor and Seafair sets the stage for minor hockey’s new era in the city, starting next season. A board of directors (five from each association) was already formed to begin laying the foundation of the organization. Now, their work load increases immensely, leading up to the launching of registration for the 2018-19 season in the spring.
The board features some familiar names, including current Richmond Minor and Seafair presidents Carolyn Hart and Nigel Shackles, as well as some who volunteered on the merger committee for the past 13 months.
The directors have made it clear the new association will not only bring together the best from Richmond Minor and Seafair but from elsewhere too, yet always conscious of keeping the sport as affordable as possible.
“It really has become a sport for the high-end player with money. That’s not what a public minor hockey association strives to be,” said board member Trevor Northrup. “We have to evolve so that we present families with a viable public option to compete at the highest levels. We are going to be doing that. The community will be coming first.”
Northrup and Shawn Hill served on the merger committee before joining the new board too. Both expect the number of volunteers contributing to Richmond-Seafair will quickly escalate.
“It will be 10 for voting on whatever the issue is but when we need to, we will dial in people with more expertise in certain areas and have their input,” said Hill. “We will form a committee and might have one or two (original directors) to lead it. It just will make it easier to get more people involved in things like that. It also will help create a better understanding on how some decisions were reached and easier to support them.”
The new association will feature over 1,200 players, making it the largest in Metro Vancouver and second to only Kamloops in the province. Size will mean nothing unless Richmond-Seafair has the programs and the leaders in place to compliment it.
“One of the mantras of our merger committee right from the beginning was to make sure we are not just bringing the associations together because it sounds a like good idea. We are bringing it together because we want to utilize the talents of the people available to create the best association in this province,” said Shackles. “Not just by wins and losses, although those are fun, but the way we look after our members. Our kids, the safety, the time and money we invest in referee development. We want to go and steal the best ideas from everywhere and create the best program in the entire province right here in the city.”
There won’t be a huge season end sale on the current Richmond Minor and Seafair jerseys. The new logo and colour schemes are still being discussed. It might be some time before all the teams are wearing them.
“The plan for next year is to utilize the jerseys we already have. We will need special permission from Pacific Coast Amateur to do so but we can’t see it being a problem, added Shackles. “There are so many questions and we don’t want to spend money we don’t have. We have to be careful.
“Whatever the association is in year one it will be something different in year two, three, four, five. We will not be trying to hit a home run in year one.”
