TO: Finance Committee DATE: September 14, Support for the 2009 National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championships

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CORPORATE REPORT NO: F015 COUNCIL DATE: September 14, 2009 FINANCE COMMITTEE TO: Finance Committee DATE: September 14, 2009 FROM: General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture Department FILE: 1850

1 CORPORATE REPORT NO: F015 COUNCIL DATE: September 14, 2009 FINANCE COMMITTEE TO: Finance Committee DATE: September 14, 2009 FROM: General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture Department FILE: SUBJECT: Support for the 2009 National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championships RECOMMENDATION The Parks, Recreation and Culture Department recommends that the Finance Committee recommend that Council approve financial support in the amount of $15,000 from the Council Initiatives Fund to offset the rental costs for the National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championships being held at the South Surrey Arena from November 4 8, INTENT The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with information regarding the 2009 National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championship to be held at the South Surrey Arena from November 4 8, 2009 and to recommend that the Finance Committee recommend that Council provide financial support for the event. DISCUSSION The Women s Under 18 Hockey Championship was awarded by Hockey Canada to the Surrey bid committee in September This event is the pinnacle of female minor hockey in Canada; the top female hockey players in the country are selected to represent their province or region in this eight team tournament. Over 160 athletes and 200 volunteers will be involved in the championship that is being hosted on the west coast for the first time since South Surrey Arena will host four hockey games per day from November 4 7 before the bronze and gold medal games are played on Sunday, November 8 th. The Gold Medal Game will be televised nationally on The Sports Network (TSN/RDS). The profile of this National Championship acts to support and enhance Surrey s Ahead of the Game sport hosting initiatives and Surrey s 2010 Olympic Plan. Female hockey was identified in the Olympic Plan as one of the key sports to target for opportunities related to sport hosting and pre Olympic training. The Under 18 Championship is identified by Hockey Canada as the first stage in the female Program of Excellence with the expectation that some players will go on to compete with the National Under 18 Team and potentially with the National Women s Olympic and World Championship Teams. Previous Under 18 competitors include current Olympians Meghan Agosta, Gillian Apps and Sarah Vaillancourt. The 2009 Under 18 Championship is expected to have an attendance of 7,000 to 10,000 over the six days of competition.

2 2 The National Women s Under 18 Championship is a Hockey Canada event hosted in cooperation by a Member Branch (BC Hockey) and a local organizing committee on behalf of Hockey Canada. In this instance, the local organizing committee is made up of community volunteers mainly from the Surrey Female Hockey Association and it has formed its own society, named the 2009 National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championship Society (the Society ). The Society reports to BC Hockey and Hockey Canada in adherence to the protocol and guidelines associated with hosting a Hockey Canada sanctioned national championship. In discussions with the Society, staff has learned that it is having challenges raising sponsorship dollars during the current economic downturn. This is making it difficult for the Society to cover all the costs associated with hosting the event. Hockey Canada requires an exclusive venue for the event plus upgrades to the venue that include the installation of logos into the ice surface and on the rink boards. This requires the Society to exclusively rent out the South Surrey Arena for at least 9 days (October 31 November 8), which will amount to approximately $15,000 in ice rental costs. A letter to the City containing the Society s request for financial assistance is attached as Appendix A. The recommendation to provide $15,000 in support of this event is consistent with the level of support that the City has provided to other national caliber events hosted in Surrey. CONCLUSION Based on the above discussion, it is recommended that the Finance Committee recommend that Council approve financial support in the amount of $15,000 from the Council Initiatives Fund to offset the rental costs for the National Women s Under 18 Hockey Championships being held at the South Surrey Arena from November 4 8, Laurie Cavan General Manager Parks, Recreation and Culture j:\park rec\wpcentre\corprpts\2009\u18 grant.docx. 9/14/09 2:46 PM Attachment

3 3 Appendix A

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BC Games corporate partnership package

BC Games corporate partnership package VISION We strive to inspire exceptional experiences through sport. MISSION The BC Games Society is the leadership organization that guides the BC Winter and BC Summer