A group of road hockey enthusiasts in Chatham are hoping the municipality helps them in their quest to build a ball hockey court.
The Chatham Road Hockey League has put in a request for funding in the 2019 budget towards the construction of a multipurpose ball hockey court in Kingston Park in Chatham.
The league has been running for over five years. What started with only a few participants has grown to around 100 people taking part. The group plays weekly games outdoors, travelling around to whatever empty parking lot will hold them. The league is free to play in and aims to be as inclusive as possible, letting people of all genders and skill levels play as well as including games for all ages.
One of the members, Ryan Jackson, said building the court is not just an investment for their league, but will be somewhere everyone can go to have fun.
"I'd believe it'd be a great asset to the youth of the community," said Jackson. "This ball hockey court would give young adults somewhere to go and play some hockey with their friends."
Jackson ran as a councillor during the last municipal election. According to him, as he was campaigning he heard many concerns from residents who said there isn't enough for young people to do in Chatham. By building a permanent court, he said that it will give people the chance to play an affordable sport in a safe environment.
Jackson added that a ball hockey court would be a great opportunity for the municipality as well, noting that London and Sarnia have both used the courts they have to put on charity fundraising ball hockey tournaments.
"We looked at Kingston Park for the way it's designed, how it has a family-friendly youth attachment to the park with the splash pad. If you look at an aerial map view you can see there's a spot perfect size for this kind of structure," Jackson said.
The group estimates that it would cost around $65,000 to build the court, based on the cost of a similar court in Sudbury. In addition to being large enough for five on five play, the proposed court would have boards installed around the perimeter and include basketball nets.
Jackson said if the municipality is not able to fit the court funding into the budget, he hopes they continue to support the league in other ways as it searches for a permanent location.
The league will get its answer during budget deliberations, which start on January 31.