Whangarei could be hosting the 2015 National Hockey League, thanks to the completion of the third hockey turf earlier this year. Photo / John Stone
Whangarei could be hosting the 2015 National Hockey League, thanks to the completion of the third hockey turf earlier this year. Photo / John Stone
Tourney would be worth $1m to Whangarei
Upwards of $1 million could be spent in Whangarei in a week if Hockey Northland gets signed off from the national body to host the 2015 National Hockey League.
More than 800 people would be visiting the area for about a week, thanks largely to the $1million of ratepayers' money which helped build the third turf this year. The association tournaments will combine with the 16-team, men's and women's, National Hockey League.
Hockey Northland chief executive Grant McLeod sees it plainly, saying if hosting rights are confirmed it would not have been possible without the third turf.
"We wouldn't be hosting it if we had two [turfs], simple as," he said. "We are 95 per cent [certain] it's going to come here, but it's not confirmed as such.
"It's a bit of a coup, really, because it [ the NHL] hasn't been out of the main centre, ever."
Coming to Whangarei was part of a bigger picture that Hockey New Zealand had in trying to spread the sport around, McLeod added.
"Hockey New Zealand has been in discussion with us for the last few months, they're trying to get strategic in where they are allocating international tournaments, and matches, and national tournaments.
"They have a strategy they are working on to get an even distribution of matches and we're part of that."
Whangarei District Councillor Crichton Christie agrees with McLeod in saying if the event was to be confirmed it would be a start in repaying the charities and ratepayers who chipped in.
Christie said he was always confident hosting a big tournament was on the cards, it was just a matter of when.
"This is over 40 teams coming here for over a week, 6000 beds, we'll book out everything," Christie said. "I'd say $1million would be on the light side.
"We had the chance of bidding for an international or this and we were hoping we got this instead, because this has a bigger response for Northland and we owe Northland and the ratepayers this."
Christie, too, added the hosting rights were still not guaranteed but was on the same page as McLeod in saying it was about 90-95 per cent set.
Announcing the potential hosting rights comes as hockey in Northland is on a high, after the Mark Cromie Holden Northland women's team finished runner-up in the NHL K Cup - the best-ever finish from a Northland women's team.
Northland women's coach Angeline Waetford said after her side went down 1-0 in Sunday's final, the team shifted their focus to winning the K Cup in front of a home crowd.
Northland has hosted the Challenge Shield, the men's NHL tournament, in the 1980s but has never hosted the men's and women's tournaments together.
