On Tuesday, June 21st,
2022, board representatives from Bradford West Gwillimbury Minor Hockey, Innisfil
Minor Hockey and the OMHA met to discuss the creation of a new Representative Hockey
Association – South Simcoe Minor Hockey Association - with an overall objective
to create a dynamic new hockey organization that enriches and strengthens the
development of the athletes from both associations while offering the
opportunity for players to compete at the appropriate skill level.
The new association, if approved, would be operational for the 2023-24 Hockey season. It would merge the Representative programs for both organizations while allowing House and Local League programs to remain unchanged within their current organizations and keep their current format. The newly formed South Simcoe Minor Hockey Association would be classified as an OMHA AA Center and would govern all Representative teams from AA through MD. We strongly believe structuring the new association this way allows for the best of both worlds. House League, Local League and Rostered Select programs will be able to preserve their heritage of hometown hockey at the community level while keeping their respective brands of the Bradford Bulldogs and Innisfil Winterhawks, while athletes who want to play Representative hockey will have the opportunity to compete at a higher level within the South Simcoe Minor Hockey Association.
We are pleased to let you know that initial conversations have progressed very well. Our associations have a shared goal of working together to ensure the creation of a strong, competitive organization to serve the needs of our members.
The Board members of both the Innisfil and Bradford involved in the merger discussions are highly cognizant that we represent the best interests and wishes of our membership. It is our mandate throughout this process to be open and transparent as to the process and progress of these discussions. Over the next couple of months. we will be meeting regularly to discuss and align on all operational and financial considerations for the new organisation and will be updating you on our discussions as they happen. In early September, each association will host a Q&A session with their membership to share the details and answer any questions our families may have about the proposed merger.
To review the full joint statement, please read the following PDF document below
Draft_Joint_Statement_Jun30_F