Play On is a ball hockey festival making it's debut in Nanaimo on Sep. 17-18.  Organizers plan to make it an annual event for at least the next five years. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Dan Marshall

Ball Hockey

Play On ball hockey tournament makes one of three BC stops in Nanaimo

Sep 16, 2022 | 5:31 AM

NANAIMO — Ball hockey will take over the downtown on the last official weekend of summer.

Play On, an event dubbed as Canada’s largest street hockey festival, will be at Maffeo Sutton Park, Front Street and Commercial Street Saturday, Sep. 17 and Sunday Sep. 18.

There will be over 200 players, 20 referees and 50 volunteers according to Play On event director Doug Lynch.

“This is the first time Play On has ever done a Nanaimo event. Street Hockey is of course at the core of it but it’s really about bringing the community back together. It’s been a tough few years for a lot of people and a lot of families and we really want to bring them all together.”

There are divisions set up for all skill levels and age groups.

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“We’ve got all the way from U6 to over 45 and we’ve got co-ed divisions and a female only division. Pretty much whatever skill level and whatever age we’ve got a spot for you.”

There are three B.C. Play On weekends this year with Nanaimo the first out of the gate. A Surrey event will take place the final weekend of September and a tournament will happen in Kelowna the first weekend in October.

Lynch notes there are plans to make the Nanaimo tournament bigger and better over time.

“Our goal is to come back for the next five years to Nanaimo to grow this event to over 200 teams with over 1000 players coming from all over the Island.”

Part of the strategy is to move Play On 2023 to the middle of the summer before kids are back at school.

Areas will be cordoned off for organized games but Lynch said it will be a full family festival with entertainment, food trucks, a celebrity game and open play areas.

“If you’ve never played street hockey before it doesn’t matter. We’ve got a professional rink set up on Front St. for everyone from kids to grandparents.”

Lynch noted community support helped get the tournament off the ground from the City of Nanaimo, Tourism Nanaimo, Nanaimo Minor Hockey and over private sponsors.

“It’s a massive undertaking and we could not have done it without them. Our back bone is donations and volunteers.”

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