The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League will be seeking financial assistance from the provincial and federal government in order to continue.
Due to the negative impacts the leaguesa国际传媒檚 20 teams are facing from the COVID-19 pandemic, the league hopes to tap into the $500 million program announced by the federal government that was earmarked for arts, culture and sports organizations.
sa国际传媒淥ur league has been operating for more than 50 years and our teams make a huge impact in their communities, both on and off the ice,sa国际传媒� said KIJHL commissioner Jeff Dubois, in a news release. sa国际传媒淭he reality wesa国际传媒檙e facing now is that without some financial assistance from the government, that may not be able to continue. When it comes to quantifying the negative financial impact on our league and teams, itsa国际传媒檚 clear wesa国际传媒檙e feeling the effects in a number of different areas.sa国际传媒�
In March, the eight teams still involved in the Teck Cup playoffs lost significant ticket sale revenue upon the cancellation of the remainder of the season. And all 20 clubs are now managing without anticipated proceeds from annual spring tryout camps.
Ryan Parent, general manager of the Revelstoke Grizzlies, said they lost 25 per cent of their annual operating budget.
sa国际传媒淲hen you put all of that together, the impact at the individual team level could very well be in the tens of thousands of dollars,sa国际传媒� said Dubois. sa国际传媒淎nd when you factor in all 20 teams in our league, it wouldnsa国际传媒檛 be a stretch to project an overall impact of a million dollars or more.sa国际传媒�
The league consists of 13 community-owned teams and seven privately-owned clubs.
On top of the financial outlook, the league is also keeping close tabs on the latest information from Hockey Canada and the relevant health authorities to determine when its teams can get back to on-ice activities, the news release said.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e hopeful that we can proceed with a full 2020/21 season beginning in September, but there are a number of hurdles to clear before we get to that point,sa国际传媒� Dubois said. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e thinking positively, because we know everybody involved with our league wants to be back on the ice, but wesa国际传媒檙e also planning ahead in case the season is delayed, or the financial challenges put us in a spot where plans have to change on the fly.sa国际传媒�
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