The Barrhead Minor Hockey Association is facing some tough decisions, even before the start of the 2011/12 season.
More than 25 people attended the association’s annual general meeting on April 26, held in the multipurpose room adjacent to the Barrhead Agrena.
The association saw an increase in registrations for the 2010/11 season. The total number of registered players rose from 177 in 2009/10 to 216 last season, while the number of teams the association iced rose from 13 to 15, with the additions of an extra girls’ team and initiation team. Three teams won banners this past season.
“This represents a very productive year for Barrhead Minor Hockey. We’re also seeing a need to add more teams in the future,” said re-elected association president Larry Knapp.
However, the challenge facing the association this year is the possibility that costs will rise in the coming year. The association is faced with a painful decision: raise fees or fundraise, said Knapp. The association has found fundraising to be difficult in the past.
“If we go the route of raising fees, we will realistically see an average jump of 32 per cent across the board,” said Knapp.
“For example, a midget player will see an increase in their fees from $805 to $1,065 for the year,” said Knapp.
The two major contributors to rising costs are ice rentals which make up the bulk of the associations expenses at $74,233.22 in 2011 and referee fees, which totalled $22,751 in the same year. Those two factors represent about 64 percent of the total expenses for the association or $96,984.22. At this moment, it costs the association $16,295.24 for one month of ice.
“Barrhead has low fees compared to other surrounding associations, which helps us remain competitive with those associations,” said former association treasurer Dale Bujold.
BHMA is looking at the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association’s model of breaking down costs per team, so parents can have a better idea where every dollar is going.
“What we don’t want is for the younger players to subsidize the older players and vice versa,” said Barrhead peewee Flyers head coach Glen Starman.
Increasing fees may be the only way to offset the rising costs of playing hockey in Barrhead, if fundraising doesn’t work.
“If the BMHA actually has lower fees compared to other associations, you might have to find a balanced way to increase the fees to make it work,” said Barrhead atom ‘A’ Hawks head coach Trevor Steinbring.
The total number of teams that play under the BMHA banner in 2011/12 will determine if fundraising can be a viable option to offset some of the rising costs.
“The future path of the association will be determined this year,” said Knapp.
This year the association saw a 52 percent drop in revenue collected from hosting tournaments, as compared to 2008 when the association collected $14,960 in tournament revenue.
“The last thing we want to do is to penalize the kids, because really, it’s all about them when it comes to minor hockey in Barrhead,” said Bujold.
