MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 24 /CNW/ - Field Hockey Canada is pleased to
announce that the 2009 National Championships for the men's and women's under
16 age group (U16) will be held at the Iceland Fields venue in Mississauga,
Ontario beginning on Thursday, July 30th.
The nine-team women's tournament and six-team men's tournament will each
begin with BC White versus Alberta, and Saskatchewan versus BC Blue
respectively. Classification and playoff matches will begin on the weekend
with the gold medal finals scheduled for Monday, August 3rd at 10:00 AM (men)
and 12:00 PM (women). The 46-match schedule for the 2009 FHC U16 National
Championships is now available on the Field Hockey Canada website at
www.fieldhockey.ca
"We are extremely excited to be hosting the highest caliber of Canadian
field hockey players in this age group," says Ann Doggett, President of Field
Hockey Ontario. "These Championships are an important event in the development
of young field hockey players." This year's tournaments include elite-level
teams from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. The winning
province of each tournament will be awarded the right to send a team to the
Pan American Qualifier for the 1st Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
The Iceland Fields have been home to four field hockey tournaments since
September 2007 and were also used as a training ground for the 2007 FIFA U20
World Championships.
Over 300 young male and female athletes will participate in this year's
event and the winning team will represent Canada at the Pan American Qualifier
for the right to represent Canada and the Pan American Federation at the 2010
Youth Olympics in Singapore.
For information on the tournament hotel or social activities planned
during the event please visit the Field Hockey Canada website at
www.fieldhockey.ca.
For further information: Ian Clark, Program Coordinator, Field Hockey
Canada - Hockey sur gazon Canada, Tel: (613) 521-8774 x4, Fax: (613) 521-0261,
programs@fieldhockey.ca, www.fieldhockey.ca