This is the time of year where we give thanks, hope for peace throughout our world and good cheer, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We will be adding more features and hope to create the most in depth information source for Canada's national past-time, ball hockey.

Enjoy, this is Your Source for Ball Hockey Information.

There were many outstanding athletes throughout the world that excelled and ultimately became the greatest players in their respective sports. They are highly revered and formally recognized for their skills and career accomplishments.

“When Etienne takes his cousin out to play street hockey for the first time, he has a lot of explaining to do. Street hockey is nothing like ice hockey. Everyone has to wear a number nine Canadiens hockey sweater, but beyond that, the game has more to do with a fun day in the snow than with winning or losing.” (That’s Hockey – David Bouchard & Dean Griffiths)

All summer we had exciting games throughout our province at the league level and throughout the respective qualifiers and ultimately culminating with the Provincial Championships. The game and our events keep growing thanks to our membership. Yes, we offer more, but when your having this good of a time at a ball hockey event, we say keep the ball rolling!

Ontario enjoys a long association with the sport of ball hockey. Formed in 1974 by a relatively small group of ball hockey enthusiasts the Ontario Ball Hockey Association (OBHA) has brought Canada’s beloved game of street hockey indoors, to now offer the most comprehensive program in Canada. The OBHA is a registered non-profit organization officially recognized as the governing body of the sport in Ontario by the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada and the World Ball hockey Federation.  The OBHA provides the following administrative services:

- Office Services
- Annual General Meeting and Awards Reception
- Organize Mens, Womens & Minor Provincial Championships
- Organize Mens Provincial Qualifiers
- Eastern Regional Championships for Mens B & C level teams
- Junior Nationals for players under 19 years of age
- National Championships for Mens & Womens A level
- Assist new leagues with start up kits
- Print and distribute rulebooks for members
- Promote the sport of ball hockey across the province and country
- Publish the Concrete Chronicles (official Ball hockey newsletter)
- Set bylaws and regulations for members as a guideline
- Obtain Provincial sponsorships
- Resolve any disputes leagues or teams may have with provinces
- Arrange insurance program which includes general liability and medical/dental accident insurance
- Provide a provincial certification program for officials
- Provide a provincial registration program for its members
- Distribute coaching materials

The objective of the OBHA is to foster the growth of the sport. This has been accomplished through the development of programs, provision of member services, local, regional and national tournaments and its commitment to:

• to provide a fun safe recreational activity for all levels of competition from house league to elite programs
• creating and implementing leadership opportunities for officials, coaches, volunteers and administrators
• establishing standards of play and for quality of equipment to ensure good sport and safety for all participants
• to maintain, distribute and uphold the rules and regulations of ball hockey in Ontario

As the grass roots essence of the great game of hockey, the sport of ball hockey, often called street hockey can easily be played by anyone in the world, regardless of socio-economic background. It is our belief that it can not only achieve national prominence, but international respect as well. Our goal is to strive for official status in the Canada Games and in future, the Olympic Games. With dedication and leadership, we will succeed in setting an example for the rest of the world, unifying our efforts into realizing our vision.

The OBHA is governed on a day-to-day basis by its appointed Executive Director, and nine volunteer Board of Directors, elected by the member provincial associations. Provincial delegates represent their leagues at all general meetings and establish all rules and regulations governing the sport. These delegates are volunteers elected by the players and leagues within each province.

Our member leagues operate in cities and towns offering teams the opportunity to interact with a wider variety of competition, resulting in greater enjoyment of their involvement in the sport. Local programs are enhanced by the products and services available through the OBHA.

To be officially recognized as a member league, you must have a minimum of 4 teams. Each team must have no fewer than 12 players, but no more than 22. You must also follow the basic rules and regulations of the association, including the mandatory CSA helmet and hockey gloves rules. Our Men’s Division offers four levels of classification: A (elite), B, C and D. The Master’s Division is for men 30 years of age and over. Women’s Divisions typically offer four levels of play A (competitive) and B (house league) with Girls Under 18 and 14 levels. Minor programs range from 6 and up.

An annual league fee of $105 is required every year, as well as a fee of $240/adult team and $12.00/player for minor programs ($6.00/player for Learn to Play/Squirt).

All member leagues must follow the rules & regulations of the Ontario Ball Hockey Association. A copy of the rulebook and divisional handbook are distributed to each team at the start of each year.

The OBHA regulations are subject to change at each general meetings. Any questions or suggestions should be channeled through your leagues to your provincial association

Street Hockey was appropriately described by Toronto Star writer Mitch Potter as, "the recessive gene that makes us Canadian.....the precise point on the genetic double-helix spiral that equates road hockey with spontaneous, innocent fun.....a truly cultural phenomenon that harkens to Canadians on the street and their memories of childhood."

Although Street Hockey was not originally intended to have been played in manufactured concrete structures, governed by administrative authorities with established rules and regulations in highly organized leagues that provide it's participants with local, provincial and national championship competitions. The sport is now much more organized, for many, their first experience remains the same as for those who first played ball hockey. It simply involved a few friends or family members, an open area, such as a roadway or parking lot near their home, some rocks or bricks to mark the goal posts, a tennis ball, old hockey sticks, and the game was on.

The official version of street or ball hockey is a relatively young sport with a very short modern history, but its roots can be traced back to similar games played with a ball and stick. The first documented history of such a game, called hurling, dates back to the second millennium BC when it was played in Ireland. The word hockey derives from a similar game played by the Native Indians in North America, firstly observed in 1572.

The development of ball hockey has closely followed that of ice hockey, as it has spread around the world in the northern (colder) climates. Formally organized street or ball hockey leagues, in its modern form, grew independently in several countries, Canada (late 1960s), the USA (early 1970s), Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia (1980s), Finland, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland (early 1990s), and more recently in other countries. Due to its close relationship with ice hockey, street and ball hockey developed with similar rules throughout these countries. After the political changes in Eastern Europe in 1989, international exchanges flourished, and included cross-Atlantic competitions as early as 1991, leading to the establishment of the World Ball Hockey Federation and the bi-annual World Junior and Senior Championships.

The Canadian version of the game began to take its shape in the late 1960s in Toronto, Ontario, with Habitant Arena hosting a summer program in 1969, and some speculate that it may have even started the year before in the east end of the city. The oldest continuously run league is the Mississauga Ball Hockey Association, which commenced in 1971. The first plastic orange ball was introduced by Arnold Herka, of Viceroy Rubber, to George Butterwick who was operating a Toronto league circa 1970, and the game has never looked back.

The first known provincial association was formed in 1974 in Ontario, and the Canadian Ball Hockey Association a few years later in 1977. Ken White, John Forrest, Paul Coulter and Mike Bernard founded the OBHA in 1974. The game's trailblazers could not have imagined the association's ensuing growth and development at the Minors, Womens, Mens and Masters levels of participation throughout the province of Ontario. No one, however, bothered to inform the "administrative pioneers" who steadfastly moved the game "off the streets" and into rinks.

The metamorphosis had began as one of the most successful amateur sports organizations in Canada, notably the Ontario Ball Hockey Association (OBHA), was born and the evolution ensued. Since it's inception the OBHA has arguably become the standard for the Sport of Ball Hockey in Canada and throughout the world as it continues to enhance the development of the game at the local, provincial, national and international level of competition well into the new century.

Because street hockey is so easy to play, it is quickly finding its way around the world in as many as 48 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Czechia, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honk Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, USA, and Yugoslavia.

The object of the game quite simply is to strike the ball with the hockey stick and knock it into the opponent's hockey net (6 feet wide x 4 feet high, 1.83 m x 1.22 m). Typically, a low-bounce type of ball is used. For added safety, hockey gloves and helmets are recommended, and in fact are mandatory for play in our member leagues.

Any size or type of non-slip flooring can be used as a playing field. In Canada, most of our leagues operate in hockey arenas or gymnasiums. All OBHA provincial, regional and national events are held in full sized hockey arenas (generally around 200 feet long x 85 feet wide, 60.96 m x 25.91 m). When played on the surface of a hockey rink, six players, including the goalie, compete against the opposing team's six players. Extra players are usually kept on each bench, outside the playing surface, and interchanged with the six on the floor either during play or at a stoppage of play.

When played on smaller surfaces, fewer players can be used during play. In its simplest form, the game can be played without floor markings and few rules. However, in organized competition regular ice hockey floor markings are used, including goal lines, goal creases, blue lines, center line, face-off circles and neutral zone face-off dots.The following are additional rules:

• Face-offs(players are lined up facing each other in a designated area on the floor), are used at the start of each period of play and after goals, penalties, icing, offside, or when the ball leaves the playing area.
• Penalties are called when a player commits a foul. The offending player is then removed from playing for a period of time, depending on the severity of the infraction and the team continues play one player short until the penalty has elapsed.
• When an offside occurs Play is stopped. Before entering an opponent team's zone (the area from behind their net to their blue line) the ball must cross the blue line first before the player or any of his teammates.
• Icing (or flooring) occurs when a team shoots the ball before the player physically crosses the center line and the ball passes the opponent's goal before any player, of either team, can touch it. A stoppage of play shall occur with the ensuing faceoff taking place in the end zone of the team that shot the ball. If the goalie touches the ball, or the shot creates a goal, there is no icing on the play.
• "Floating Blue Line": expansion of the offensive zones occurs once a team crosses the opponent's blue line with the ball. The attacking team will then have half of the entire playing surface within which to control the ball, from behind the opponent's goal to the center line of the area. If the defending team sends the ball past center, the zone is reset to the blue line and their opponent must regain it as explained above.
• To score a legal goal, it cannot be kicked in; struck with a stick above the shoulders; pushed in using the hand, or while offside.

Games may vary in length, for example two 15 minute periods, but are generally played with either two or three periods of equal time. Where a time clock is available, there is a stoppage in play, after a goal, penalty, offside, icing, ball out of play, or goaltender holding the ball for more than a few seconds. If a clock is not available, or the time available to play is limited, running time periods may be used, for example three 15 minute periods.

Programs available vary from province to province with the youngest age groups commencing at five years old. Youth leagues typically run in groupings of two to three years depending on the size of the community and number of participants. A sample program may offer the following age groups:

• Junior - under 18 (as at start of year)
• Bantam - under 16
• Pee Wee - under 14
• Atom - under 12
• Novice - under 10
• Tyke - under 8
• Squirt - under 6

Mens programs usually commence at 18 years of age with some exceptions allowing under 18's to play with parental consent. In Ontario, there are five levels of play Men’s A, B, C, D, E and Recreational based on competitiveness of the player/team. Masters Open (over 31) & Master’s (over 40) is also available for any individual interested in participating in the old-timers (pizza & pop) leagues.  Ontario offers six levels of play at the Women’s/Girls level of play. Two of the levels are determined by age and the other two by level of play, below are the four levels:

• Womens 'A'
• Womens 'B'
• Womens 'C'
• Master's
• Girls Under 18
• Girls Under 16
• Girls Under 14
• Girls Under 12

As players/teams succeed at each league level, they are normally expected to graduate to higher competitive levels of play if offered in their communities, in order to keep programs fair and fun for all participants.

All players must wear a CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved helmet, ice hockey gloves and running shoes.Women and players under the age of 18 are required to wear full facial protection as well.

Although not mandatory, it is recommended that players wear elbow pads, athletic cup, soft knee pads and shin guards. As well, adult men should consider wearing facial protection to protect their eyes. Standard ice hockey sticks are used to play the game.