Parents with children in the Greater Toronto Hockey League will have to pay more next season to watch their kids play hockey.
GTHL president John Gardner says that the increase is necessary as the league is $400,000 in the red this season. In addition to that, on Tuesday the City announced a 3.7 per cent increase on ice rental fees as part of the proposed budget.
One possible solution for raising this extra money is to increase the gate fee from $5 to $7. That is the fee parents, fans and players must pay to enter the arena. In 2004, the GTHL raised the gate fee from $4 to $5 and promised not to raise it for five years. Despite going into debtt, they kept their promise.
Other possible solutions include charging players an additional $547 and eliminating gate fees or charging players an extra $150 and keeping gate fees stable at $5.
However, City of Toronto Budget Chief, Shelley Carroll, disputes the need to increase gate fees by that much. She says that the increase in ice rentals only amounts to 22 cents per player.
Meanwhile, hockey parents across the city are not happy with the decision. They want to know what all the extra money is going toward specifically.
The GTHL currently has about 7,600 players on 510 teams.
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