ECRHA Announces Development Division

ECRHA introduces a new Developmental Division (DD) this season. ECRHA President Rebecca Breitel states, "A number of different reasons have prompted us to add this to our divisional structure. We are offering this avenue to help with the development of fledgling programs and better acclimate affiliate teams into the league as well as we wanted to give an alternative outlet to current clubs who seem to need a season to internally reorganize and are unable to fully maintain the responsibilities associated with being a full member team again this season."

Aside from generating new membership, it is through this new program that ECRHA hopes to also reestablish connections with dormant clubs such as Loyola, Bucknell, Carnigie Mellon, Indiana U of PA, Kutztown, SUNY Farmingdale, Hartford, Bloomsburg, and even current struggling clubs such as a number of ECRHA B squads and full members like Syracuse and Northeastern.

The DD will be available to all new and current teams of the ECRHA. It will consist of a 10 game season spread over 3 ECRHA events and a small play-off event for the cost of $2,300. The DD will take priority over affiliate membership. All teams are eligible to participate in the DD including past affiliate members, current struggling teams and B squads, and clubs with so much success that they are trying to launch a "C team". Though all rostered members of the DD teams must be students and maintain their letter of verification from their school, the roster and eligibility requirements for the DD will not be the same as regular full ECRHA-NCRHA membership such as a lesser credit restriction will exist. Additional provisions and restrictions will be discussed at the meeting on September 10th.

Active Club Committee President AJ Frey had this to add, "This is a wonderful opportunity for developing clubs to participate in college roller hockey competitions and experience the excitement and camaraderie of the ECRHA and learn the important systems needed to grow to become a full ECRHA member."

For various reasons such as scheduling issues and financial risks, it is the intention of ECRHA to begin to phase out Affiliate Membership and replace it with this new division. Affiliate Membership will also rise in cost this year making a membership in the DD more opportunistic for both the team and the ECRHA.

All people interested in the DD should attend the ECRHA Annual League Meeting along with the current active club representatives, being held on Saturday Sept 10th in Feasterville (Northern Philly area). More information will be released at that time. If interested in joining the DD, please contact ECRHA league President Rebecca Breitel at [email protected] right away.

ECRHA is looking to hear from the following clubs:
All PCRHL teams
All WPACRHA teams
Quinnipiac University
Pearl River Hockey Club
Nassau County Community College
Cornell University
SUNY Stony Brook
Yeshiva University
Shepherd University
Camden County Community College
Manhattan College
UMD Baltimore County
Eastern Connecticut State
Burlington County College
Fordham University
Lock Haven University
Providence College
Princeton University
Carnegie Mellon University
Averett University
Kutztown University
SUNY Farmingdale
Bloomsburg University