As a resident in Mexico it is pretty difficult to imagine a pro (or even semi-pro) league here. Yes, they have a couple of rinks as well as a considerable number of (young) players.
But a league with only four teams is in IMHO not the best way to get things started. Either you have a pretty short season or the same opponents over and over again.
The most important thing will be bringing back hockey coverage back to the screens here, you might very well understand how much we are suffering with zero pictures. Next step could be bringing an exhibition game (or regular season) to Mexico City. Coyotes vs. Panthers played here might be easier than that experiment in London. When the NFL held a game between the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals here it attracted more than 100k spectators, the largest attendance in league history. I believe, with appropriate marketing you could sell at least 5000 tickets.
Add another friendly game (or a series around the country) between the Mexican Ntl Team and say a "University All Star Team" or something similar, preferably consisting of ethnic latinos, this might be a smart start. But a league out of the blue? Difficult task, IMHO
I take it that you play hockey in Mexico? How many years have you been playing? As you might know, there are several rinks in Mexico City DF. However, they all belong to Televisa. If you are not a member of those rinks, you will not be able to participate in any tournament hockey in Mexico.
When I was in Mexico, back in 1993 to 1995, Daniel Gendrone and I built a program in Mexico at a rink called Sportica. It was located in Bosques de las Palmas, very close to Colegio Peterson.
Now it is a grocery store. Back then, if the the finest rink on the continent. Better than rinks you will find in Canada or in the USA.
We built a youth program with over 900 kids. I would bet you that the majority of the kids that are playing on the national team today, were trained at our ice rink at Sportica.
The main problem with hockey in Mexico, is the backward thinking that the federation has. They want to control hockey in Mexico and that is fine, they just need to control it at there level, not at the grass roots level.
What do I mean by that? They should promote the sport at all facilties, not just the Televisa rinks and they should have all the kids register with the federation and have the kids pay an annual due, just like they do here in the USA. All kids that play competitive hockey here in the USA has to pay around $35.00 to USA Hockey if they want to play here in the US.
What does this pay for? It pays for insurance, in case the kid get hurt and it pays for other administrative fees to help run the national office. This is where the national office gets a lot of there funding.
Now, if the sport is to grow in Mexico, the federation will have to change the way they think. Instead of trying to get a years wage from one person, it's better to get a small wage from more people and make more money than trying to get it all from just one person. This is how they think!
In order to have a pro-league in Mexico, you first have to have the number of kids to make it work, both as players and as a support base. Once you have about 5000 kids playing nation wide, then you can start thinking about starting a league for the kids to shoot for. But first you need to have a base to select from.
Yes, there are some kids in Mexcio, Canada and the USA that play hockey and have a Hispanic last name....this is all fine and well. But a handful of kids will not get you a pro-league.
Now this is for you Mr. Alfonso Gomez Haro. If you would like for me to help you, I will. I would be more than happy to come down there and help you build a national program. You know that I can do it because I have done it in the past for a private rink. You know that I know what I am doing because you saw me build that program to 950 kids. If you want me to do this for you at all your rinks...all's you have to do is ask me and I'm on the next plane down there. I could have over 900 kids playing in all your rinks in just under two years.
Will he write? Stay tune!
Headcoach
