A new multisport club is starting operations in Brandon with the hopes of bringing a variety of sports programs to Brandon and the Westman region. Nextplay, operated by Brian Staples, will be starting operations from scratch this fall beginning with an Adult Ball Hockey League and an Adult Futsal League (indoor soccer).
As a kid Brian was a regular at Wheelies, the old roller rink on the North Hill, and since its closing he’s always wanted to create a bigger and better version. He opened up a multi-sport club in Kelowna which ran roller derby, inline hockey, ball hockey, indoor soccer, indoor golf, birthdays, concerts, trade shows, and a sports bar. What started as just a roller rink at the time blossomed into multiple sports leagues, and became a great place to keep fit and make new friends! Now he wants to do the same thing for Westman.
The Adult Ball Hockey League will be shorter for its inaugural season with 10 regular season games and up to 5 more in the playoffs. Games will be played once a week and depending what division you’re in will determine what week night you play.
Registration for ball hockey will be $100/player, and games will be played out of the Keystone Centre on the sport court tile. Portable fences will be used as the rink boards until they are able to raise enough registration revenue to purchase new custom rink boards. Once purchased these rink boards can be easily set up and moved when the Keystone requires the space for other events.
The ball hockey season will start Oct 4th and 5th, with 6 teams in Division 1 Ball Hockey on Wednesday evenings and 6 teams available for Division 2 on Tuesdays. For ball hockey, all you need is a helmet, gloves and a regular hockey stick. Games will be played in 2-25 minute halves.
As Brian tells bndmb.ca “I want people to know the leagues are just for fun, and that anyone can play. We offer different skill level divisions.” You can contact Brian at brianstaples@nextplay.ca for more information on how to get invoved with the various leagues.
