Second Season of Amelia Park Arena’s New Youth Floor Hockey League is Underway
Second Season of Amelia Park Arena’s New Youth Floor Hockey League is Underway
Amelia Park Arena’s second ever season of outdoor youth floor hockey kicked off on Saturday May 18th. The league, which has been dubbed the “AFHL”, will see 100 kids spread across 8 teams compete in a two month long season. The league has two divisions, ages 7-10 and 11-15.
The goal of the AFHL is to provide a place for the children of our community to enjoy the awesome game of Floor Hockey. Floor hockey is played in sneakers, with the only required equipment being; helmet, gloves and shin pads, making it a very inclusive sport. It provides children who may not be interested in ice skating, a chance to play the incredible game of hockey. The 2023 season was the first time in many years that something like this has been offered in Westfield.
Inspired in part by childhood experiences playing floor hockey at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club, the AFHL was created by Amelia Park General Manager Billy Fellows. “Year one was a massive success, we had just shy of 90 kids out there competing. Now in year two, we’ve hit 100 kids and we hope to see the league continue its growth for years to come”. Fellows knows this league wouldn’t be possible without the help of the amazing volunteer coaches, and a top tier referee staff put together by Westfield State Club Hockey Coach Cam Cacolice. “It takes a lot to build a league like this from scratch, the support we’ve gotten has been incredible and I couldn’t be more thankful”. Said Fellows.
Opening day saw four extremely competitive games, gigantic smiles on all of the players, and plenty of parents cheering on their superstars. Add all those elements together and it makes for an atmosphere that is simply an outstanding addition to youth sports in our area.
Derek Burdick is a seasoned Hockey Parent, who is thrilled to see the AFHL thriving as his son returns for year two. “My son has been in the Westfield Youth Hockey organization for a few years now, he loves Amelia Park and it was a no brainer to get him out here in the summer too”. Burdick was surprised to see such high participation numbers without seeing a ton of Ice Hockey kids. “I think it’s awesome to see so many different faces out there, there is clearly a different market being reached which is awesome for the youth of our community. I hope to see some of these kids on the ice one day, there is a lot of talent out there.” Said Burdick.
The “AFHL” runs through July 20th, games are played every Saturday morning from 930-130pm. The community is encouraged to come on down and check out some of the young talent lighting up the Amelia Park Outdoor Rink. 