Branded as the largest sports festival in the country, Play On! Canada will be in Nanaimo for a large street hockey tournament in the city's downtown on Sept. 17 and 18, 2022. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Big tournament

Nanaimo to host large street hockey tournament as part Canada-wide tour

May 31, 2022 | 2:36 PM

NANAIMO — A portion of downtown Nanaimo will be transformed into several street hockey rinks to conclude summer in the Harbour City.

Non-profit organization Play On! Canada will be in Nanaimo on Sep. 17 and 18 for a tournament geared toward people of all ages and skill levels on Front St. and Maffeo Sutton Park.

Jenn Houtby-Ferguson, interim executive director of Tourism Nanaimo, said the tournament is a great fit for increasing sports tourism offerings locally.

“This is such a great opportunity for Nanaimo. We’re anticipating that we’ll have 10 to 15 rinks in Nanaimo. We could see upwards of 2,000 athletes coming into our community to participate in this event,” Houtby-Ferguson told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Registration for the Play On! Canada event in Nanaimo is now available online, which costs $49 per player with a guarantee of four games.

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Houtby-Ferguson expects a strong contingent of Nanaimo area and Vancouver Island based teams to participate in the popular event.

“It’s nice for people to have a place to play street hockey on the Island without actually having to travel off the Island. We expect to be a destination for folks from the mainland as well and perhaps other parts of B.C.”

An estimated 10 to 15 street hockey rinks are expected to be established in downtown Nanaimo for games on Sept 17 and 18. (Play On! Canada)

Having significant numbers of people visit Nanaimo at a time of year when tourism activity slows down will offer a welcomed jolt to the local economy, Houtby-Ferguson said.

Restaurants, pubs, retail businesses and all forms of accommodations throughout the Nanaimo will be positively impacted, she noted.

“It’s a great opportunity post-COVID to put Nanaimo back on the map, encourage people to come to our community and we cam enjoy potentially up to $2 million in economic spin-off.”

Tourism Nanaimo is taking the lead in coordinating the event, involving a three-on-three format.

Communities across Canada are hosting Play On! Canada events this summer, starting on July 30 in Calgary and ending in Surrey on Sep. 25, a week following the Nanaimo event.

According to Play On! Canada, the organization has staged 170 tournaments in nearly 40 communities across Canada involving more than 400,000 participants since 2003.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes