The young athletes back on the field and the grandstand full of parents was enough to get Dave McPherson excited.
After two years of being hampered by pandemic restrictions, McPherson, co-chair of East Coast GamesNice to see organized sports return.
“To see the kids back in action, on the soccer field behind us we have tennis, softball, lacrosse going on today and it was a Sunday morning at 10 o’clock, it was amazing. ,” said McPherson, standing beside Emera Field in Saint John.
His enthusiasm will only grow when the East Coast Games finally return to Saint John in June, nearly three years since it last took place.
“Suddenly, in January and February, we looked at the reports and said, ‘hey, we’ve got to go try this and see what happens,’ and of course the other thing we ran into was a lot of McPherson said.
About 1,600 athletes will flood the Saint John area from June 10 to 12, taking part in Atlantic Canada’s largest annual multi-sport games. Age groups vary based on sport, although games will see young athletes through to the elderly.
McPherson said a number of venues have been booked to host various sports. The 2022 East Coast Games feature 13 sports, the latest of which is hockey.
Gary Crossman is the president of Saint John Metro Ball Hockey, and vice president of the New Brunswick Ball Hockey Association. An enthusiast promoting the sport, Crossman says he’s constantly pushing to see ball hockey feature in any major tournament. When he first heard about the East Coast Games, he pushed to see the sport he loved introduced, only to let the pandemic give him hope.
This time, Crossman is back with another plan to appeal to young athletes.
“I reached out to all the high schools and asked if we could help them get involved, and eight of them got back to me,” says Crossman.
Now, in its first showing at the games, participants from eight local high schools will battle it out in a tournament taking place at the BGC Greater Saint John.
In Crossman’s eyes, having hockey in the game would benefit everyone.
“[Players are] will start telling their friends, their friends will join ball hockey. Our adults will go see the games and they will love it, and they will want to participate too. It’s huge for the East Coast Games, but it’s also evolving our sport of ball hockey. “
The East Coast Games first launched in 2015 and have since welcomed 10,000 athletes, according to McPherson. While it was created to bring several leagues and sports together in one weekend, it has since become an unexpected economic driver for the Saint John region.
McPherson says it generates an economic impact of about $1 million.
“You know, you get younger kids, guess who’s coming? Parents, grandparents and grandpa are going to be at hotels, restaurants, going out and eating, whatever. You know, for someone coming in for the weekend, they’re spending a significant amount of money. “
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