Surrey, BC plays host to the Junior Pan American Championships at Tamanawis Park
With less than two months to go until the Junior Pan American Championships begin, the excitement is palpable not only for our Canadian junior athletes but also for the local community.
The Women’s and Men’s junior national teams will be in training camps leading up to the event, chasing the dream of a continental championship podium and qualification for the Junior World Cup. For these teams, they have a chance to build on what is becoming a rich tradition for Canadian junior national teams. Over the last two junior cycles, both Canadian junior teams qualified for back-to-back Junior World Cups – the first time in Canadian history that we achieved that feat for both divisions. Now is a chance to repeat qualification and make it a third consecutive for both teams.
With both junior teams swinging into action throughout May when they come together for their training camps, Field Hockey Canada will be covering the build-up and sharing stories, highlights and rosters in the months leading up to the tournament.
Huge thank you to Panthers Field Hockey, India Club and Dashmesh Field Hockey Club for their contributions in hosting this event
A home tournament is a rare thrill for an international team. This is a community event – hosted on Field Hockey Canada’s behalf by the clubs based at Tamanawis park. This partnership to help build and benefit at all levels of the community has been spearheaded by community leader Nick Sandhu. Nick wears several hats, as a Director on the Field Hockey Canada Board, Hall of Fame inductee and local community leader at India Club who are one of the host clubs. This is a chance to highlight the talent, expertise, and passion of the local community, Sandhu said.
“The field hockey community is excited to host this world class event and welcome all the participants from different nations. I encourage everyone to get involved either through volunteering or just supporting the event by attending in big numbers,” Sandu said.
Tamanawis Park is a two-field facility situated in the heart of a passionate hockey community. Throughout the summer, the local clubs host annual summer tournaments and events which bring together community, national and international partners to showcase the best hockey to the local Surrey community. Hosting an international tournament like the Junior Pan American Championships takes this one step further and builds international hosting into the community events planned for the summer.
Bringing international hockey to Tamanawis also supports the continued growth and investment in the community. A third field is imminent which will further support future hosting opportunities, and so this is the perfect time to host. Field Hockey Canada CEO Susan Ahrens said she knows the community will show up for this amazing international opportunity and looks forward to this event on home soil.
“In our Surrey hockey community, we have an incredible group of clubs and leaders who all play and work out of Tamanawis Park. I am delighted that the local clubs have stepped up to host this event. We, as a local organizing committee, have been meeting regularly to make this a success. I would like to thank Nick Sandhu, Narinder Sangha, Hartinder Khangura and Harjinder Basra for their leadership. It is fantastic to work alongside these leaders,” Ahrens said.
If you’d like to get involved as a sponsor, donor, volunteer or in any other way, please contact Field Hockey Canada’s event lead Hailey Yhap at hyhap@fieldhockey.ca or Tamanawis leaders at tamanawisfhbc@gmail.com
