Cottage Grove Hockey Association has always worked hard to keep costs as low as possible while providing a great program at a great value.  The CGHA Board has taken care to keep fees in line and competitive with other programs within District 8 while also being responsive to our member requests and feedback.  Each year we strive to find a balance between costs and providing more opportunities for our players.  The program has been able to keep fees relatively flat for a number of seasons but they will rise again in 2020-2021.  Our fee increases may not have a dramatic effect on many of our families but most will see some level of increased costs.  CGHA is a non-profit organization under CGAA and these fees are directly correlated to increased ice hours and costs, tournament costs, and players at each level.  The board will continue to work to keep these costs in line and as affordable for all players to play the great game of hockey while maintaining a healthy association that will last well beyond this current group of young hockey players.

CGHA is taking four (4) major steps this season to improve the hockey experience on and off the ice.  First is eliminating secondary registration for traveling level players.  This caused unneeded confusion and resulted often in uncertainty for families looking to budget properly for their hockey fees.  Second is outlining and being transparent with what is expected at each level (i.e. ice hours, practices, games, tournaments, etc.).  It is our goal as a board to provide the best hockey experience possible while maintaining affordability and competitiveness.  Third is the addition of NEW Dryland training to our program at all levels.  This has been a major request from our membership and something missing in our program.  Fourth is a more comprehensive Payment Plan option for all levels.  This has traditionally only been offered at the traveling levels and now will include our In-House program.  This significantly lowers the cost at the point of registration and spreads out payments up to six (6) months with no interest.  Additionally Due to the holidays Cottage Grove Hockey Association has made the decision to not put added financial stress in the month of December and has adjusted final payment into February 2021.

With the continued help of our membership in hosting four (4) tournaments this year, calendar raffle sales, Hockey Fest donations and raffles, charitable gambling within our city, team apparel sales, and direct sponsorships opportunities CGHA will be able to offer a competitive program while controlling our costs.  We ask that each family continue to lend their time and support to these fundraising events so that we may continue to offer more opportunities to our players and our community.

Cottage Grove Hockey Association continues to see significant increases in development costs, tournament entry fees, USA Hockey certification and compliance requirements and increased ice costs. One example that is unlikely to be seen but can be felt in the budget is that USA Hockey is now requiring that volunteer background screening be completed by a specific vendor at a cost of $30/screening.  This may not seem like a lot but this was previously absorbed by MN Hockey with no cost to the association. The Board has taken great care to mute these fee increases as much as possible while trimming unneeded expenses so that our fees remain competitive to other clubs in District 8 and neighboring programs.

• In-House Program: The fee structure for MiniMites, Mites, Girls 4-6U/8U is consistent with last season and includes the cost to play in Hockey Fest and depending on level of play, up to four (4) additional jamborees.  The addition of Dryland Training for all In-House levels.  Additionally, CGHA takes pride in offering an equipment program each year that more than 200 players participate in annually.

• Traveling Program: Similar to years past our fee structure for our Traveling level program (Squirt/10U and above) players includes the cost of; practice(s), sixteen (16) district games (8 home / 8 away), up to four (4) tournament(s), Districts (“Playoffs”) and NEW this year is the addition of Dryland Training.  This is all accomplished through the normalization of the fees at each level so that no matter the team that a player makes, the costs to play at the level are the same.

Although an increase in fees is never something the CGHA Board looks forward to communicating to our membership, we are excited about the new opportunities outlined above and look forward to kicking off the 2020-2021 season with you!

As always if you have any questions please let me know.