Regional Super Teams

The impact of Regional Elite Super Teams on Local Club Growth in Canadian Underwater Hockey in Canada is facing a critical juncture. The sport, which relies heavily on local club participation, is under threat from well-meaning but potentially damaging initiatives that prioritize elite regional teams over the foundational club structure. Understanding the problems and their implications is essential if we hope to sustain and grow our sport.

The Club Structure: The Heart of Underwater Hockey
Local clubs are the bedrock of underwater hockey. Each club needs a minimum of 20 players, with about 30% being highly skilled, to remain viable. This means having around 30 players rostered to support regular attendance for practices and games. Currently, with approximately 240 competitive players across 20 clubs, maintaining club viability is already a challenge. These clubs struggle to attract and retain new players, a situation that has stagnated the sport's growth for over a decade.

The Introduction of Super Teams: A Double-Edged Sword
Recently, a proposal to create elite regional teams – or "super teams" – has gained traction. These teams, divided into eight regions across North America, would recruit the best players from local clubs. While the intention is to elevate the level of competition, this approach poses significant risks to the already fragile club ecosystem.

​By drawing top players away from their home clubs, super teams will severely undermine local clubs’ viability. Clubs would be left without their most skilled and dedicated players, turning regular club sessions into mere practice grounds for super team members. This would demoralize remaining players and could turn local clubs into recreational, non-competitive entities, further deterring new player recruitment and retention.

The Core Issue: Player Drain
For a sport that thrives on teamwork and club pride, the introduction of super teams would mean that clubs are left with fewer resources to develop and compete. Clubs need a robust player base to function effectively. The proposed super teams would pull approximately 30% of our total player base into regional competitions, leaving local clubs struggling to field competitive teams for club tournaments. Without a strong club foundation, building any higher-level competition becomes unsustainable.

​A Proposed Solution:  Strengthening the Club Pathway
​To address these issues, we must refocus on strengthening our clubs. One solution is to create a competitive pathway within North America, where the top eight clubs, rather than the top 100 players, in each category compete in a North American championship.  In Canada that would mean the club who has the strongest team gets the chance to take that team to regional events. 

This ensures that elite players remain invested in their local clubs, fostering growth and competitiveness at the grassroots level. National team Coaches would be able to use these events to select players for their teams without impacting the growth of club hockey.

Only after we have a viable and active club competitive model can we build the next level on top.

​Budget Constraints

Every player makes different choices of where they expend their, usually finite, resources. Those resources often include balancing cost and available vacation time against other commitments including, housing security, daily living, socializing, family, friends and other sports.  The attached budget is based on a player who wants to attend both club events and inter regionals.

​It should be noted that this is a non-worlds year and that in a Worlds year the commitment's to the National program increase.

Building from the Ground Up
If we cannot fix the poor state of our local clubs, any efforts to build higher levels of competition will be futile. Clubs are the lifeblood of underwater hockey, and without a solid foundation, the entire structure is at risk of collapse. By emphasizing club development and ensuring that top players are selected for national teams without having to leave their clubs, we can create a sustainable model that promotes both local and national success.
​
We are a team sport and the best of the best cannot be individual players harvested from their home clubs to a different 'league' that is competing for our players money, time and efforts.

​Imagine a competitive format that encourages our best players to invest in their home clubs to get the chance to play the best hockey in North America. Imagine clubs building both men's and women's A and B squads, competing on a national ladder to secure a top-eight spot and represent their regions as the best in North America. Imagine a program that allows the best players to compete overseas for their flag but inside North America have pride in their club.