This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2021)

Broomball Canada

Sport	Broomball
Category	Winter sport Team sport Ball sport
Abbreviation	BC
Founded	1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Replaced	Canadian Broomball Federation
Official website
www.broomball.ca

Broomball Canada, formerly the Canadian Broomball Federation (CBF), is the official governing body of the sport of broomball in Canada. ^[1]

The role of the organization is to provide leadership by promoting and developing broomball and developing and coordinating programs and services designed to meet the needs of the broomball community. The philosophy of the Broomball Canada places the athlete at the heart of the organization. ^{[2] [3]}

The annual Canadian membership is around 19,000 registered players with another 15,000 who participate at the recreational level which includes all age groups and schooling levels including elementary school.

The Canadian national broomball teams have competed in every World Broomball Championships since its inception.

Competitive categories

Broomball Canada has four main competitive categories to classify the different sports levels and divisions that are available to all ages. ^[4]

History

The exact origin of the sport has been difficult to pinpoint. Broomball can be traced back to the early 1900s. The sport was played on icy surfaces about the size of today's hockey rinks, surfaces such as lakes, ponds and rivers. The First Nations peoples are believed to have passed the sport on to the settlers.

In 1961, the Fitness and Amateur Sport Act came into force in Canada whereby the Government of Canada made an official commitment to “encourage, promote and develop fitness and amateur sport in Canada.” A few years later, the Canadian government created two new directorates: Recreation Canada, which was tasked with improving the lifestyle of Canadians, and Sport Canada, which was responsible for developing competitive sport. ^[5]

The predecessor to Broomball Canada, the Canadian Broomball Federation, was founded in 1976, roughly 10 years after the enactment of the Fitness and Amateur Sport Act. During the 1975 "national broomball tournament" in Montreal, Quebec it was decided that the sport needed a governing body. The members of the Alberta Broomball Association met with representatives of other Canadian provinces and formed what became the Canadian Broomball Federation. ^[6]

In the 1980s, the organization developed the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) to focus on Canadian youth in the sport.

Current status

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2022)

Over the past half decade^{[ when?]} the sport has seen a great decline in participation, evidence of which can be seen in all age categories and levels of competition. Schools are showing less team development in both elementary and high schools in every Canadian province.

At the Canadian Broomball Championships (CBC) there are fewer provinces participating.^{[ when?]} Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia/New Brunswick (together as Maritimes) currently hold the sport together. The remaining provinces, Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia, were once big players in the sport but have taken a step back.

The lack of participation has been blamed^{[ by whom?]} on lack of leadership at the higher levels of the sport. Additionally, a lack of general awareness and knowledge of the sport in schools across Canada is considered to be another contributing factor. Adding to the problem is that broomball is sometimes confused with ringette and curling. Parents tend to sign their children up for mainstream sports such as ice hockey. Although broomball is more well known in rural areas, it lacks funding to become more popular and achieve growth in urban areas. ^[4]

Provincial Associations

Provincial Associations
Province or Territory	Association
Alberta	Alberta Broomball Association [7]
British Columbia	British Columbia Broomball Society
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan Broomball Association
Manitoba	Manitoba Broomball
Ontario	Federation of Broomball Associations of Ontario [8]
Yukon	Yukon Broomball Association
Northwest Territories	Northwest Territories Broomball Association
Quebec	Federation Quebecoise de Ballon sur Glace
Newfoundland & Labrador	Broomball Newfoundland & Labrador
New Brunswick Nova Scotia	The Maritimes Broomball Association ( New Brunswick and Nova Scotia combined)

Broomball Canada executives

National Championship results

Senior Men's

Senior Women's

Mixed

U20 Boy's

U20 Boy's ^[13]

Year	Host	Winner
2022	Cornwall, Ontario	Blitx (Quebec)
2021	NO EVENT HELD(COVID-19)
2020	NO EVENT HELD(COVID-19)
2019	Riviere du Loup, Quebec	Sting (Ontario)
2018	Owen Sound, Ontario	Sting (Ontario)
2017	Estevan, Saskatchewan	Valley Gamblers (Ontario)
2016	Arnprior, Ontario	Valley Gamblers (Ontario)
2015	Portage la Prairie, Manitoba	As St-Coeur de Marie (Quebec)
2014	Alma, Quebec	Valley Gamblers (Ontario)
2013	Cornwall, Ontario	Valley Gamblers (Ontario)
2012	St. Laurent, Quebec	Sting (Ontario)
2011	Portage La Prairie, Manitoba	Valley Gamblers (Ontario)
2010	Balgonie/White City, Saskatchewan	Clippers (Saskatchewan)
2009	Terrebonne, Quebec	Odessa Bandits (Saskatchewan)
2008	Windsor, Ontario	Briquetal (Quebec)
2007	Balgonie, Saskatchewan	Sphinx L’Assomption (Quebec)
2006	Carleton Place, Ontario	College L’Assomption (Quebec)
2005	Leduc, Alberta	College L’Assomption (Quebec)
2004	Regina, Saskatchewan	College Laval (Quebec)
2003	Joliette, Quebec	Bruno Jr. Axemen (Saskatchewan)
2002	Oak Bluff, Manitoba	Bruno Jr. Axemen (Saskatchewan)
2001	Palmerston, Ontario	Seaforth Hitmen (Ontario)
2000	Embrun, Ontario	College Laval (Quebec)

U20 Girl's

U20 Girl's ^[14]

Year	Host	Winner
2022	Cornwall, Ontario	Debden Roadrunners (Saskatchewan)
2021	NO EVENT HELD(COVID-19)
2020	NO EVENT HELD(COVID-19)
2019	Riviere du Loup, Quebec	Palmerston Terminators (Ontario)
2018	Owen Sound, Ontario	T-Miss (Quebec)
2017	Estevan, Saskatchewan	CAJ Centre du Quebec (Quebec)
2016	Arnprior, Ontario	CAJ Centre du Quebec (Quebec)
2015	Portage la Prairie, Manitoba	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2014	Alma, Quebec	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2013	Cornwall, Ontario	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2012	St. Laurent, Quebec	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2011	Portage La Prairie, Manitoba	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2010	Balgonie/White City, Saskatchewan	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2009	Terrebonne, Quebec	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2008	Windsor, Ontario	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2007	Balgonie, Saskatchewan	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2006	Carleton Place, Ontario	Eastern Thunder (Ontario)
2005	Leduc, Alberta	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2004	Regina, Saskatchewan	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2003	Joliette, Quebec	Seaway Valley Devils (Ontario)
2002	Oak Bluff, Manitoba	College Stanislas (Quebec)
2001	Palmerston, Ontario	College Stanislas (Quebec)
2000	Embrun, Ontario	College Stanislas (Quebec)

Funding

Broomball is recognized as one of the first 6 Canadian heritage sports and thus receives funding from Heritage Canada to the amount of $105,000. The funding is meant to develop and build the sport as it receives little sponsorship from companies, the remaining income to the sport is from membership fees and workshops. To continue to receive funding from Heritage Canada, the broomball federation must continue to actively seek sponsorship from corporate sponsors. While the sport is strongly supported by Heritage Canada it would prefer to reduce dependency in order to more readily finance other initiatives. ^[4]

See also

• Broomball
• List of broomball teams
• USA Broomball – Now represented by two different sporting bodies: All Elite Broomball (AEB) ^[15] and the United States Broomball Association (USBA). ^[16]
• Broomball Australia
• International Federation of Broomball Associations

References