The Amerigol LATAM Cup in South Florida hosted by the Florida Panthers August 23-27 featured the Greek Heritage Team. The highlight of the tournament was the team’s 5-0 shutout victory against Team Mexico, an action-packed match that drew hockey fans from across the country to watch the game.
The Greek Heritage Team has started accumulating a rapidly growing list of players who wish to fulfill the eligibility requirements to eventually play for the national Greek team. These requirements would include acquiring Greek citizenship and a Greek passport and playing two hockey seasons in a soon-to-be-restarted Greek Hockey League within an 18-month span uninterrupted by playing hockey formally in another country.
Greek ice hockey leaders and the Greek Heritage Team are committed to growing the sport within the country of their families through efforts to bring the National Team back to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship competition by providing structure, resources, and adequate coaching to the children currently playing or wishing to play hockey in Greece and to build a permanent ice arena in the country to foster continuous growth and development.
The biggest goal remains building an NHL-sized ice rink in the county. The cost to build a temporary rink under an indoor golf-style dome is estimated between 150,000-200,000 euros and would qualify as a rink according to the IIHF standards and allow the National Team to return to World Championship competition. The second option is finding donors who would have an interest in owning and bringing a permanently structured ice rink to the country, ideally in Thessaloniki, where travel to other neighboring countries for competition would be easier. The estimated cost for construction of such a facility would be between 1-2 million Euros, with plans for either option to be completed by Spring 2025.
The team has jerseys and other merchandise available at www.whjcanada.com where 50% of the proceeds go towards building an arena in Greece. There is also a website for donations to assist with raising funds: https://www.gofundme.com/f/greek-heritage-team-funding and the IIHF has promised financial assistance for a facility once the team is closer to its fundraising goals.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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