By Kristi Patton /
The female hockey game is once again growing in Alberta as they celebrate the inaugural season of the Alberta Major Bantam Female Hockey League this year.
Split into North and South divisions, the AMBFHL will feature 10 teams spread across the province.
“I think some people are thinking it might be too soon but if we don’t give it a shot, it doesn’t happen. Obviously we have to try something at some point,” said Byron Stephens who is the president of both the AMBFHL and the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League. “There was a lot of discussion about going forward with this and I think the biggest thing will be taking baby steps and letting the league develop slowly.”
The teams involved this year include Red Deer, Sherwood Park, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Cochrane (Rocky Mountain Raiders), St. Albert, Lloydminster, Grande Prairie and then Calgary which is supporting two teams. Stephens suggested as the league continues to grow the addition of two or more teams would be ideal to ensure a solid feeder system to the Midget league and to have at least one Bantam team in the same community as the already established Midget teams.
“Again, we will take baby steps...you can’t really jump in and say everything will be like the Midget league because it has taken time to evolve into that. This is an opportunity to play at a higher level first, then it is also going to be a chance for the Bantam kids to learn how to deal with travel while balancing school work — which is something they have never had to do before. There will be some challenges for both the athletes and the teams themselves because of the economic structure right now isn’t that great but we hope to accommodate to work through that process,” said Stephens.
Stephens said it is going to be a combination of efforts put forward by the teams, associations, the league and the players to ensure the league steps into the right direction. He added that by associations ensuring the right people, staff and coaches are coming into the fold, the league will slowly develop the way it was meant to be.
Laury Schmidt, female council chair for Hockey Alberta, said the timing was right to expand the AAA program to a female Bantam league because of the request from the membership in Hockey Alberta and the growing numbers within the age group. Through committees, it was decided on how many teams would fill the league’s two divisions.
“The female program in Alberta has been consistent and steady. At the point when the Midget AAA league was developed, there was a certain number of players to field quality teams and now it has grown to that area where there are enough quality players to field Bantam teams,” said Schmidt. “So far the response from the kids, parents and coaches has been very positive.”
For more information on the AMBFHL visit the league’s website at www.ambfhl.com |