Canadian Ball Hockey Association – Kingston, ON, Thursday, February 23, 2017 – The International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) has awarded the 2018 ISBHF Junior World Championships to Canada. The selection was approved during the ISBHF annual congress in Montreal (February 17, 2017) by a vote of member ISBHF nations.

“We’re thrilled to be selected to host the World Juniors in 2018”, commented Steve Power, President of the CBHA. “Canada last hosted the Junior Championships in 2008 in St. John’s Newfoundland and we consider these Championships to be an important program in growing the game of ball hockey across Canada.”

The 2016 Junior World Championships were hosted in Sheffield, UK and featured 18 National teams. The event is held every two years and attracts the top men’s U20 and U18 teams from around the world. Specific hosting dates for the 2018 Championships will be confirmed when the bid is released for tender by the CBHA in March.

“Canada in one of our founding members of the ISBHF, and we’re excited to bring our World Junior Championships back to North America in 2018”, stated ISBHF President George Gortsos. “We believe Canada will be an exceptional host, and we’re confident the CBHA will determine a destination hosting partner that will deliver an outstanding event.”

The Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA) now begins the process of developing the official bid hosting RFP for the Championships, with the goal of releasing the package during the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s annual Sport Events Congress. The SEC is scheduled for March 19-22 in Ottawa. At that time, the CBHA intends to release full details on the economic impact for the Championships using the CSTA’s Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM). Data from the 2016 Championships in Sheffield, England will be used in determining the value. A final announcement on the Canadian host location will be selected by the end of May 2017.

The ISBHF anticipate 8-10 teams entering in each of the U20 and U18 divisions when the World Junior Championships are hosted in Canada in 2018. This amounts to over 650 Players, Coaches, Support Staff and Referees and with the number of parents and friends attending, the event is estimated to draw 1000-1200 people over the 4-5 day Championship. Venue requirements include a two-pad indoor arena, with a minimum 2500 seat capacity main rink. The 2016 Championships webcasts drew over a quarter-million people.

“It is a strategic direction to release the bid package during the CSTA’s annual Sport Event Congress”, explained Laurence Bishop, CBHA Executive Director. “This is a direct way for the CBHA to connect with tourism professionals in sport hosting destinations from across Canada and provide specific details of all our hosting opportunities and requirements. Along with our annual big-three National Championships, 2018 is designed to be a tremendous year for ball hockey in Canada.”

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Canadian Ball Hockey Association
The Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA) is a registered non-profit organization. It is officially recognized as the governing body of the sport of ball hockey in Canada by the International Street & Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) and Hockey Canada. Nine Provincial members belong to the Association including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador. The CBHA hosts three annual National Championships. The 2018 Championships are as follows:

National Men’s B,C,D and Ladies B – St. John’s, NL – July 20-23
Junior Nationals – Kitchener, Ontario – July 27 – July 30
National Men’s and Ladies ‘A’ and Masters – St. John, New Brunswick – August 7-13

For more information about the Canadian Ball Hockey Association, please visit www.CBHA.com or follow @CanBallHockey.

International Street and Ball Hockey Federation

Founded in 1993, the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation is a registered non-profit organization. It is officially recognized as the governing body of the sport by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), with many of its member nations officially recognized by their federal sports agencies.

For more information about the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation, please visit www.ISBHF.com.

For more information, please contact:

Canadian Ball Hockey Federation

Laurence Bishop, Executive Director

lbishop@CBHA.com        613-815-9610

International Street & Ball Hockey Federation
George Gortsos, President

info@ISBHF.com              416-418-3039