Edmonton community leagues want to sell ads on outdoor rinks

Minor hockey players could soon be bouncing pucks off advertising messages if community leagues get approval to sell space inside the boards of outdoor rinks.

The idea has the support of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, which see it as a potential source of revenue for members.

"Fundraising is getting harder these days, not easier," said Allan Bolstad, community leagues general manager. "We also don’t believe it represents a significant change to the esthetics of the surrounding neighbourhood, because you would have to be inside the rink to see the ads."

Individual community leagues would likely sell ad space to neighbourhood businesses such as flower shops and hair salons, he said. Depending on the number of ads sold, a community league could generate several thousand dollars in additional revenue in a winter, Bolstad said.

A report going to council’s community service committee Monday says the zoning bylaw would need to be amended to allow community leagues to sell outdoor rink ad space.

Community leagues need licences to operate outdoor rinks on city-owned property. Most of the sites are zoned as public parks, which means off-premises advertising signs are prohibited.

Off-premises advertising is defined as copy displayed for a business, activity, product, service or entertainment that is not principal to the site where the sign is displayed.

EFCL president David Gibbens said in a letter to council the idea was discussed at the last board meeting.

"Our group is very much in favour of allowing leagues to sell advertising on the inside of their ice rinks," Gibbens said. "To be quite frank, we don’t see this as a major issue, as only a handful of our leagues are likely to sell advertising in any given year."