The Airdrie Minor Hockey Association (AMHA) and Global Sport Academy, a subsidiary of the multi-sport development organization Village Sports, announced a partnership last week that will “revolutionize” hockey player development in Airdrie.
To start the 2024-2025 season, AMHA and Global Sport Academy, which already runs an extensive hockey program with the U18 AAA CFR Bisons, will “collaborate to bolster the high-performance and elite streams within the AMHA draw zone.”
According to a press release detailing the extent of the partnership between AMHA and Global Sport Academy, the collaboration will, “directly benefit the eight AA teams within AMHA, spanning from U11 to U18 for both male and female teams by providing a unified and structured approach to player development.”
“Village has been the hockey operations provider for our U18 AAA CFR Bisons for years, and we have extended our partnership to our two other AAA teams,” said AMHA president Christie Cameron. “This step brings the AAA and AA closer in alignment, adding a synergy between our elite and high performance streams.”
Since the Bisons relocation from Strathmore after the 2016-2017 season, Global Sport Academy has run the development program that has centralized the training and instruction of U18 AAA players from across the Airdrie draw zone. Now with the new agreement in place, Global will be responsible for all elite level players in and around the Airdrie area.
“We've been trying to engage the [AMHA] board to allow us [as] subject-matter influence experts on the hockey operations that helps benefit the kids even further at all levels within the high-performance stream,” said Village Sports COO and CFO Dustin Taylor. “[Now] the board itself can work on the governance...and allow the hockey experts to work on the hockey operations side.”
The method that Global employs to train and develop elite hockey players has a proven track record of success. Then the Bisons played in Strathmore, the organization was run like a Western Hockey League (WHL) team. Players billeted with families in the community to attend the same school, allowing for coaches and team personnel to entrench a holistic identity.
Using training methods now widely employed by Global, the Bisons went to the Telus Cup, the national U18 AAA championship tournament, in 2015, and were among the league’s top teams until the move to Airdrie in 2017.
Taylor, who served three years as head coach of the Bisons from 2018-2021, said that the partnership will help elevate developmental programming, as well as character and leadership development for kids in community and draw zone.
“There is just more of a synergy from what is happening at the Bisons from a teaching perspective and mentality and filtering that down amongst all the high performance teams so there is more connectivity between the teams [and players],” Taylor said. “It benefits the kids over a longer period of time.”
Starting in September, Global will take the helm of hockey operations for the U18 AAA CFR Bisons, U17 AAA Cannex Avalanche, and U15 AAA Airdrie Xtreme teams. The Airdrie Elite Hockey Committee (AEHC), which governs the three AAA teams, claims that the partnership will directly benefit Airdire’s teams by “providing tailored support and development opportunities.”
According to a statement released by Village Sports, AMHA and AEHC are laying the groundwork for a progressive ecosystem where athletes can thrive. The “visionary approach aims not only to elevate individual performance but also to cement Airdrie’s status as a premier destination for aspiring hockey talents.” The ultimate goal of the partnership is to “establish a program that sets the gold standard for elite streams, attracting top-tier athletes and solidifying Airdrie’s reputation as a trailblazer in the realm of minor hockey.”
“[The partnership] has the mentality of being player focused and player centric,” said Taylor. “[We’re] making sure all decisions are being made by what is best for the player and ensuring that has a trickle down on a community as a whole.”
