21
JULY, 2017
News
Locations for Quidditch Canada 2017/18 Major Events Announced
Cover photo: The Tim Hortons field located in Hamilton, Ontario. Credit to Jfvoll
After an extensive bid process, Quidditch Canada is excited to reveal the winning locations for the 2017/18 season’s Major Events. This was Quidditch Canada’s first year utilizing team consultation sessions as part of the bid process. Member teams that contributed to the bid process – either by partnering with a city to submit a bid, or by submitting potential field locations in their area – were given the opportunity to provide their feedback before final bid decisions were made.
Stay and Play policies have yet to be decided for the Regional Championships. While there will be no Stay and Play policy for Nationals, Quidditch Canada will still have a partner hotel. Shuttle service and/or airport transfers, if implemented, will only run from this partner hotel.
The 2017/18 Western Regional Championship will take place at Mouat Fields in Abbotsford, British Columbia on November 18/19, 2017. Tourism Abbotsford’s bid exhibits an unparalleled amount of event support for Quidditch Canada as well as an excellent facility with turf fields. Abbotsford’s airport is serviced by Air Canada, WestJet, and NewLeaf, a new budget airline. “We’re so thrilled to be selected to once again host the Quidditch Canada Western Regional Championship. We can’t wait to welcome the quidditch athletes to Abbotsford, and provide them a solid experience before, during, and after their matches. It’s a great opportunity for Abbotsford to host teams from all over Western Canada, and to showcase this growing sport in our community – hopefully inspiring others to try it out,” said Craig Nichols, Executive Director of Tourism Abbotsford.
The 2017/18 Eastern Regional Championship will take place on outdoor fields at the Civic Recreation Complex in Oshawa, Ontario on November 11/12, 2017. The Sport Durham/Oshawa bid emphasizes growing quidditch in their region by utilizing connections with their local post-secondary institutions. Athletes will also receive complimentary access to the Recreation Centre’s amenities all weekend long. This includes a swimming pool, fitness centre, and indoor tennis and squash courts. “We are thrilled that Quidditch Canada selected Oshawa to host the Eastern Regional Championships and to showcase this international sport. We look forward to welcoming hundreds of quidditch athletes and coaches to our great city,” said Oshawa Mayor John Henry. Brandon Pickard, the Manager of Tourism for the Durham Region, adds, “Sport Durham is excited to partner with Quidditch Canada, the City of Oshawa and other local organizations to host the Quidditch Canada Eastern Regional Championship at the Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex in November.”
The 2018 National Championship will take place at Tim Hortons Field – a CFL stadium – in Hamilton, Ontario on March 31/April 1, 2018. This prestigious venue will serve as a fantastic spot for this season’s biggest event. Note that Hamilton’s airport is serviced by Air Canada, WestJet, and NewLeaf. “We are extremely excited to bring the Quidditch Canada National Championship to Hamilton in 2018,” said Carrie Brooks-Joiner, Manager of Tourism & Events, Tourism and Culture Division, City of Hamilton. “We look forward to extending a warm Hamilton welcome to participants from across Canada.”
“I am excited to work with our partners in Abbotsford, Oshawa/Durham, and Hamilton to make our Major Events this year better than ever! As well, a big thank you to all of the partners and stakeholders who took part in this bid cycle,” said Sachin Kotecha, Events Director of Quidditch Canada.
This year’s bid cycle ran over the course of five and a half months. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the individuals that helped along the way; without them, this process would not be possible. Thanks go to Jill Staniec and Yara Kodershah for assistance with preparing the bid manual. Thanks as well to Erin McCrady and Alex Downey-Ging for representing Quidditch Canada at this year’s Sports Events Congress in Ottawa. I’d also like to thank Austin Wallace, Rebecca Alley, Jonathan Griggs, Ittaana Krow, and Joshua Muscat for assisting with site visits across the country. This was also first time that we used team consultation sessions in the bid cycle. Thank you to Jonathan Keates, Courtney Butler, Andrew Ajisebutu, Jasmin Winter, Piotr Makuch, Michelle Ferguson, Chris Radojewski, Chloe Lau, Robert Szustakowski, Philippe Burns, Garnet Lollar, Bradley Connolly, Bethan Morgan, and Samantha McCaul for representing member teams across Canada. Finally, I need to thank Alex Downey-Ging (again) , Cayley Mendoza, and Joshua Muscat (again) for sitting with me in the final selection meetings.
To the Quidditch Canada membership: I hope you enjoy this year’s events! We have some fantastic facilities and partners this upcoming season. I am still looking for applicants for the Events Manager position, please consider applying to help make our events as successful as possible. See you on the pitch!
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