Facing pressure to make their associations more viable, two local minor hockey associations are considering a merger, Windsor Minor Hockey and LaSalle Minor Hockey.
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association encourages organizations to merge to lower operating costs, access more volunteers, and improve competition in their house leagues. Some, like Essex Minor Hockey and Southpoint Minor Hockey, have already taken the plunge.
Minor hockey in Canada faces decreased enrolment. The Windsor league has 730 members now, about half what it had a decade ago. LaSalle's has 879.
President of the LaSalle Minor Hockey Association, Mike Seguin, said enrolment is falling for multiple reasons. The greatest is changing demographics and the cost of enrolling a child in minor hockey. Registration fees are around $700, although both organizations have programs to help cash-strapped families.
Windsor Minor Hockey President Kipp Van Kuran is waiting for approval for a new program to encourage new Canadians to enrol their children in hockey. He believes there's a potential for growth in that community. His strategy has already attracted funding.
In the short term, Seguin said house leagues are suffering.
"There was one division that had three teams in LaSalle here," he explained. "You would be playing the same team every other week. Two teams would play on the weekend, and the other one would just practice because they don't have a partner to play with."
He believes the merger between Windsor and LaSalle makes sense.
"Philosophically, LaSalle and Windsor are on the same page," said Seguin. "We respect the work they've done recently, and their board structure and the way they operate, are really similar to LaSalle. We've been good partners over the years."
The merger still needs the approval of members of both associations and the provincial body. If approved, the change won't take effect until the 2025-26 season. Van Kuren doesn't anticipate many changes at first. Fees should remain the same.
