Steinbach Minor Hockey has been handed a sizeable chunk of change from the Steinbach Pistons, that will help lower player fees next season.
The Steinbach Pistons and Steinbach Minor Hockey have wrapped up what is being considered a highly successful season of 50/50 draws. Through their partnership this past season, the Pistons have gifted $26,554 to Steinbach Minor Hockey.
Kevin Geisheimer is Director of Business Operations for the Pistons of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). He explains that when the hockey club moved into the Southeast Event Centre, they wanted to find different ways to collaborate with the community. One idea was to have Steinbach Minor Hockey help with their 50/50 sales.
Geisheimer says in the old building, their 50/50 sales would bring in more than $1,000 per game on a regular basis. He admits they really did not know what to expect for sales in the new rink. The answer came quickly, as the first few games last March saw pots of more than $6,000. Geisheimer says they knew this would not only be a great fundraiser for the Pistons, but it would also be a great opportunity for Steinbach Minor Hockey.
“And then it kind of set the course for this past season,” he says. “And it turned out to be pretty great.”
The money was handed over in two instalments; an initial cheque for $19,720 was handed over at the start of the MJHL playoffs, while an additional $6,834.12 was given following the playoffs.
50/50 proceeds will help with player fees
“Our partnership with the Pistons has been fantastic,” says Josh Plett, President of Steinbach Minor Hockey. “The money we get from the 50/50 proceeds goes directly into lowering costs for families to register their kids as costs continue to increase.”
Plett says rising fees could be the biggest factor why more children in Steinbach and area are not playing hockey.
“We’re just trying to make it easier for families to get their kids involved in hockey,” he says. “It means a great deal.”
Geisheimer says it has been great to see young hockey players look up to the Steinbach Pistons and cheer them on. He notes that in addition to getting the youth involved in 50/50 ticket sales, the Pistons had other promotions this season to attract the younger fans. For example, in late January, the hockey club invited local schools to take in a weekday afternoon game for free, drawing a crowd of nearly 2,000 students.
“I think it’s great to build young hockey fans and create that tradition with their family today, where it’s tradition to go with Dad and Mom to a game,” explains Geisheimer. ” And 15, 20 years down the road, now it’s a tradition for them to bring their kids to the games and have that cool community experience.”
Plett adds it is a great connection between young hockey players and the Steinbach Pistons. He notes what this is doing is igniting a passion and allowing a kid to dream of one day playing competitive hockey at that level.
Meanwhile, the Steinbach Pistons extend a thank you to the community for supporting the 50/50 draws throughout the season. Geisheimer says the enthusiasm from fans made it incredibly fun to watch the prize pots grow to over $10,000, directly benefiting local youth hockey. Geisheimer says the outcome this year far exceeded expectations.
Article Courtesy of Steinbachonline.com
