The Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) established the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) in 2002 to serve as the premiere competition for young Aboriginal hockey players in Canada. It provides a forum for elite Bantam/Midget aged Aboriginal male and female youth and attracts participation from First Nations, Inuit and Metis across thirteen provinces and territories. This annual event helps foster cultural unity and pride to celebrate the athletic abilities of Aboriginal athletes from across the country.
The ASC will co-host its’ 19th annual National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) in May 2020. The bid process and guidelines for the 2020 NAHC as outlined below, and written in full on the ASC website, will be used by Aboriginal communities and Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies interested in hosting this prestigious event.
Eligibility and Target Dates
The ASC is actively seeking bids to host the 2020 NAHC. To be eligible, the bid must be approved by its Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Body (P/TASB). Only one community can bid per Province/Territory.
As a sanctioned Hockey Canada event, the NAHC are staged annually during the first two weeks in May. The ASC will only entertain bids from communities that guarantee that no other major event will be staged locally during the dates of the NAHC.
The NAHC facility requirements are as follows: a minimum of two ice surfaces – the primary arena being NHL regulation size (85’ x 200’) with seating for a minimum of 500 spectators. The HOST community must be within 150 kilometers from a regional airport, which offers numerous daily flights from major airlines.
2020 Bid Timelines (All deadlines expire at 4:00 PM Eastern Time)
- Bid Process Declared Open – December 10, 2018
- Submission of ‘electronic’ letters of intent and $1500 bid fee – January 11, 2019
- Submission of electronic bid – February 15, 2019
- Bid evaluation and selection – February 15-March 30, 2019
- Announcement of the 2019 NAHC co-host – May 12, 2019
ALL Bid documents must be submitted to the ASC:
c/o Jeff Spencer, NAHC Working Group Chair,
jspencer@eskan.ca
“Aboriginal Sport Circle” c/o House of Sport,
RA Centre 2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1H
