Women’s hockey tourney takes place March 22-25, 2012
All eyes will be on Niagara Falls in March when the Clarkson Cup comes to town.
The four day playoff tournament for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) will take place on the ES Fox rink, with the final game airing live on TSN. For Niagara Falls, it’s not just a chance to get some of the tournament’s spotlight, it’s an opportunity to showcase the new Gale Centre as a prime choice for sports events of this calibre.
“This is the reason the Gale Centre was built,” said Mayor Jim Diodati. “To host tournaments and events like this in our community.”
The Clarkson Cup – named after former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson who donated the cup – will see the CWHL’s top four teams battle it out on the ice for the chance to be named champions. Taking place March 22 to 25, there will be two games each day on Thursday through Saturday with the final game happening on Sunday.
“The thing that is so great about this is that it will be raw hockey on an organic level,” said Diodati. “These women will be playing for the love of the sport.”
The hockey players performing in the tournament are at a high level of sportsmanship, he added, with many of the players being Olympians and national champions.
“It’ll be great for the young girls in our city to see, it encourages them to get involved in team sports and play in leagues,” he said.
At Monday night’s council meeting, councillors voted in favour of waiving the ice and facility rental fees for the event and providing the CWHL with a one-time $5,000 sponsorship under the city’s Sport Tourism Police. This marks the first time the Sport Tourism Policy, with an annual budget of $20,000, has received a formal application for funding. As part of the agreement the city will receive 50 complimentary tickets for the tournament weekend. School visits will also be coordinated for residents through the CWHL in an effort to promote the sport and engage students. The young residents will be encouraged to attend the game at no cost.
Other expenditures for the city, in relation to the tournament, include ice maintenance and painting costs of $1,725. For the tournament, the CWHL sponsor’s logo will have to be placed at centre ice and the existing centre ice logo will be removed, and all other ice logos will be covered for the event. The maintenance costs will cover the cutting of the ice to remove the logo.
In order to facilitate the live broadcast of the game on TSN, a fibre optic cable will need to be installed at the Gale Centre leading up to the tournament. The cable, however, will mean that the transmission of other live events will now be possible in the sports complex.
In a letter written to Diodati and other members of council, the CWHL’s commissioner Brenda Andress and its president Fran Ryder said historically women’s has had tremendous support in the Niagara Region. They anticipate that support to translate into a “tournament to remember.” Clarkson is expected to be in the audience for the final game and Olympic players will be hosting a skate on Sunday for all final-game ticket holders.
The event is expected to bring a lot of visitors to the city for the tournament, as well as support staff, friends and family members of the players.
“The economic impact of this event plus the positive exposure for the City of Niagara Falls is priceless,” the letter stated.
In addition to the live game on TSN, there will also be a community profile aired on the sports television station leading up to the tournament during the pre-event coverage.
In the staff report presented at Monday night’s meeting the approval of the CWHL’s request was recommended by Kathy Moldenhauer, acting director of recreation and culture.
“The television coverage of the Clarkson Cup event will profile the Gale Centre to attract new tournaments and special events,” the report said.
In past years the tournament has been held in Barrie, Richmond Hill, and Kingston.
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