AUSTRALIAN PARA ICE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION JOINS ICE HOCKEY AUSTRALIA

Ice Hockey Australia (IHA) is pleased to announce that the Australian Para Ice Hockey Association (APIHA) has now joined IHA by mutual agreement. Excitingly, the change creates the opportunity for para ice hockey players to represent Australia at world championships.

It is also expected that this will reduce costs for para ice hockey, assist with grant applications for equipment, and aid states without para ice hockey programs to establish them.

As IHA will now be the governing body for all para ice hockey in Australia, a national portfolio will be created which will include a portfolio director position that will chair the Para Ice Hockey Council. This portfolio and council will be IHA’s expert panel and report back to the IHA Board with assistance and recommendations.

The move will now have all para ice hockey players join a club affiliated with one of the current state ice hockey member associations. These state associations are full member associations of IHA and will allow for consistent governance as all other ice hockey players have access to in Australia. 

Bill Siegloff, President and Secretary of APIHA, stated: “I would like to thank IHA for allowing APIHA to join into the IHA structure. This will streamline membership and help Para programs develop and thrive. We are working on state and national teams with a structure that mirrors other ice hockey competitions and brings Ice Hockey in line with the other major sports associations within Australia that manage Para sports.”

Jimmy Dufour, Vice-President of IHA comments: “This is an exciting opportunity that continues to bring inclusion and diversity across our hockey family, and allows for para ice hockey to be a part of mainstream ice hockey in Australia.”

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For more information, please contact Josh Thomas, Portfolio Director of Marketing at Ice Hockey Australia, at josh@iha.org.au.