The cooperation, which began in the fall of 2019, between the Valais ice hockey clubs in the field of young talent takes a new step with the creation of the Hockey Valais / Wallis Elit association.
Its members are the signatory clubs represented by their president or CEO as well as the presidents of the junior movements and the cantonal Ice Hockey Valais Wallis Federation (IHVW). Its objective is to establish and maintain U17 and U20 teams in Valais at the highest national level (Elit). For the 2020/2021 season, the goal of the cantonal U17 and U20 Top teams is to reach the elite.
Since the fall of 2019 and under the leadership of the former referee Frédéric Favre, Head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, the leaders of the main Valais ice hockey clubs are working to establish a collaboration in the field of relief, under the aegis of the cantonal Ice Hockey federation Valais Wallis (IHVW) and with the support of the Cantonal Sports Office. The aim is to establish and maintain quickly and sustainably in Valais U17 and U20 teams at the highest national level (Elit). This work resulted in a new federative cantonal project which specifies the technical, organizational and financial modalities of this cooperation.
The project covers a three-year commitment and aims to build four cantonal teams. These are two teams (category U17 and U20) oriented towards performance with the aim of quickly gaining promotion to the Elit category as well as a second team by category oriented towards training. To oversee them, the Hockey Valais / Wallis Elit association was created.
Open to all clubs and junior movements, it is made up of the signatory clubs represented by their president or CEO as well as the presidents of the junior movements and the IHVW by its president and Pierre-Yves Debons, appointed by the IHVW as project delegate. To date, HC Visp and HC Sierre are part of the Hockey Valais / Wallis Elit association. This association is supported by the canton of Valais, the Sports Fund and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation (SIHF).
This project will allow young talents to progress and climb the ladder in Valais, while continuing their schooling, thanks to the cantonal Sport-Arts-Training (SAF) structures. Due to this project, which aims to promote the retention in Valais of young talents, the canton will no longer have to pay school fees for young people leaving the canton and the clubs will no longer have to pay large sums for young people who return to play in the active teams of the club where they were trained.
The U17 try-out will take place in Brig atIschi Arena on Saturday June 20, 2020. This selection is open to all players from the 2004/2005 age group in the canton.
Further information will be sent in due time by the technical manager of the IHVW (registration with Mr. Zerzuben – 079 937 60 33). The training of this team will be centralized and short term and the performance center will be located in Sion.
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