Hamilton South Ball Hockey Club

Decent ball hockey, if you can stand the violence. I played hockey as both a goalie and a player for more than three years at Hamilton South Ball Hockey. It was nice to have an organized place to play hockey with a proper rink, with some level of refereeing. I've decided to stop playing there due to multiple injuries sustained while playing, and the insufficient action to prevent or address violence by the league. I have a permanent neck injury from playing goalie, which I received when another player decided he would try to jump over my head (he missed his jump). As a player, an opposing goalie purposefully and forcefully lifted his stick in to my genitals resulting in days of discomfort. In the latter case, since the owner refuses to install cameras and no one witnessed it, the perpetrator received a "stern warning this time" (actual quote from the owner). These are in addition to the every-other-game bruises and cuts I receive from being launched off my feet from checking, occasionally from behind. I have a total of four stitches from two different hits to the face from sticks. Although I had some fun over the years, overall I regret playing ball-hockey in this league.

Review for Brampton branch of this organization (does not have its own google places account) Avoid this league at all costs - poorly run, facility in dangerous state of disrepair, poorly officiated often resulting in dirty play League administration - the skeleton crew that runs this league changes often. Scheduling is often inconvenient, won't make changes to improve the timing or spend any money on the facility. Get the impression that this location has not flourished and the mandate is to squeeze any profits out while the league circles the drain. Facility - Outdoor rink built on a low lying wetland, has shifted significantly since being built leaving gaps in the floor, boards, doors. Gaps in boards trap stick blades leaving the shaft sticking out like a punji stick to impale you in the stomach. Doors won't close right any more, floors have ripples in places causing trip hazards. The scariest part about this facility is the chain link fence around the top of the boards (used instead of glass) has little barbs sticking off of it all over the place. Had a personal incident with this that left me with 35 stitches over my left eye and permanent nerve damage in my head. League still does not require helmets to play (for adults), summarizes their commitment to safety. Parents, do not let your kids play in this league. Refereeing - With few exceptions, this league turns over refs even more quickly than office staff. New refs are given little to no training and are not well paid. Their priorities become to get through games as quickly as possible and not make calls, which stop the clock, often results in dirty play. The only calls that get made consistently are unsportsmanlike penalties for letting the ref know he missed a call. There are one or two good refs, but the bad outweigh the good by a long shot.