2016 President's Message

Dear Members,
This past season the NSIHL officially celebrated its 20th Anniversary.  Over the past few years the NSIHL has been able to maintain an active player base far better than other leagues across Canada. National participation in our sport still seems to be trending down.  Our leauge numbers have remained constant at just under 600 players.  

Identifying this decrease as a potential problem in 2013, the board was able to act and adopt a grass roots campaign in the hopes of introducing new families to our sport.  Our advertising presence is now in the two North Vancouver arenas, on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. A reworked website has proved invaluable moving us forward with transparency, keeping members better informed.  Ultimately, the best advertising is word of mouth and that's why we need you! Last season, after a record number of Survey Monkey responses, we can see that overall the feedback has been very positive. An Executive from Roller Hockey Canada stated to me that, “The NSIHL is definitely one of the best run inline leagues across Canada”.   

The driving force behind so many of our recent changes is the strong leadership role and time commitment that has been put forth by your new League Manager, Jason Granholm.  He’s worked tirelessly, and has put so much extra effort into your league, which in my opinion, has translated into most of last year’s successes.  After talking to him about the upcoming season, I know he’s got a lot of plans to keep building a strong foundation of policies, procedures, and documentation to help take the organization of this league to the next level.

We know that the long-term sustainability of the NSIHL rests with not only the younger divisions but, also parent participation at the board level. Maintaining strong ties to the community and growing the coed portion of our league is also required for its future success and longevity.

At this year’s AGM on November 23, at 7:00pm (KMA), the board will be proposing an increase to registration fees to help cover the costs of increases to expenses.  Floor rental fees, equipment, and money to continue to temporarily help subsidize our Atom & Mite divisions, along with attracting female participants are still paramount in the short term.

With your presence at this year’s AGM, you’ll be asked to vote on a $25 increase per player.  It’s important to note that this is the first proposed fee increase the board has recommended in 7 years. Those attending the AGM will be eligible for a $25 AGM discount effectively offsetting this increase. Keeping fees frozen at these levels in prior years is clearly not sustainable, even with the gaming grant money the league has received over the past few years.  We’ve heard from our membership that the league continues to provide incredibly good value and is an amazing fun sport. The fee increases are needed to keep the league viable.

The November 23rd AGM will see three board positions become vacant.  There’s a huge necessity to solicit new parent involvement especially at the Atom to Squirt ages.  Through attrition, most board members’ kids (and thus these board members) won’t be around in a few short years.  Now more than ever succession is vital for the continued health of the league.  Anyone interested in becoming involved at the board level or to volunteer please send an email expressing your desire to directors@nsihl.com . Hockey experience in ice or inline is definitely not a pre-requisite. Ideally we are looking for those who are just passionate about the sport!

I look forward to seeing you all at the AGM and at our Swap Meet in the Spring.  Remember you’ll still keep 100% of all your Swap Meet sale proceeds while satisfying one of the the league’s most important mandates; affordability. 

Best and Stay Inline,
  
Jim Pratt
NSIHL President.