Thorncliffe ball hockey league opens season.
Inside Toronto - January 28, 2011, Danielle Milley
Their sneakers squeak on the wood gym floor as they sprint from one side to the other chasing the bright orange ball. The young men let out shouts of "down here," "stay on it," and "get the ball" as they enthusiastically battle for the ball and bragging rights on a cold Sunday afternoon at Thorncliffe Park Public School.
These are young men whose fathers grew up playing cricket in India or Pakistan, but for them it's all about hockey.
"The guys who grew up here don't care for cricket," said Aamir Sukhera. "They like hockey and basketball."
Sukhera is the youth outreach worker with the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, he organizes and runs the newly formed Thorncliffe Hockey League, which had its first official ball hockey game Jan. 16.
Growing up Sukhera's dream was to play hockey. Sometimes he got to play in a pick-up street hockey game he'd organize with friends in the parking lot of one of Thorncliffe Park's many high rise buildings, but he never played in an organized league and he never learned to play the game on ice.
"(My friend) played ice hockey in Leaside I would sometimes go and watch his games," he said. "I was so envious."
For many young people growing up in Thorncliffe Park there isn't a lot of organized activities, but with organizations such as the Thorncliffe Hockey League and the Thorncliffe Soccer Club springing up things are starting to change.
But, it's not easy.
Thorncliffe Park is a neighbourhood centred around Overlea Boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive that doesn't have many recreation amenities, especially considering its population is nearing 20,000 and growing every year.
Things are a bit better now than they were when Sukhera was growing up. There's the newly renovated Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre that has a gymnasium for basketball or other activities, which is nice, Sukhera said, but it's not that big. Thorncliffe Park Public School has also opened up for community use and the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office has a slate of programs for youth.
But with a youth population in the thousands and growing it's not enough.
Thorncliffe Park has the honour of being home to the largest youth population in the country - at last count in 2006 there were 4,485 young people from newborn to 14, an increase of 24 per cent from five years previous so the number is likely greater than 5,000 today. A quarter of the total population is 14 or younger, compared with neighbouring Leaside where 21 per cent of the total population falls in that category (and even that is well above the city average).
Because of those numbers, Sukhera's focus is on recreation and employment.
He was determined to get the hockey league off the ground and when 40 youth registered even though there was originally only space for 30 he made it work and every player got "drafted" by one of the six team captains.
Safraz Motala is one of those captains. The lifelong Thorncliffe Park resident has been playing ball hockey since he was eight and even went to the 2008 world junior ball hockey championship in Newfoundland as a member of team Pakistan. Now 21, he's glad to share his passion with the next generation.
"When we were young we didn't really have anything like this so it's really good to have people looking out for young people," Motala said. "We used to play behind the buildings because the park was small."
The community is surrounded by ravine land, but it's not very accessible for play. There is R.V. Burgess Park in the centre of the community, but it's small. Even the green spaces at the schools aren't a place for play anymore as they're filled with portables.
Raza Bahadur grew up in Thorncliffe Park and now lives in nearby Flemingdon Park. He said things were better 25 years ago before the population exploded.
"Now you have all the portables and you can't even play baseball or soccer," he said.
Bahadur does believe the situation is improving for those young people because of individuals like Sukhera. He's been enlisted to help with the ball hockey league and is happy to do it.
"I'm from the area and want to stay connected to the area," Bahadur said.
Raees Ahmed is another concerned resident who saw a need for more recreation programs. He started the Thorncliffe Soccer Club nearly two years ago.
From his apartment on Thorncliffe Park Drive he can see the back of the public school and he saw young people drinking and smoking there so he wanted to present an alternative activity.
"What we realized is they don't have positive non-academic activities," Ahmed said.
The soccer league first ran in the summer of 2009 in partnership with the City of Toronto with more than 400 kids between the ages of five to 18 signed up. With the help of local businesses, Ahmed was able to continue the league without the city for an indoor season and this past summer it was back with more than 500 youth registered at the low cost of $15 per player.
But, the league can't grow any bigger than that because there isn't the space. They play on a baseball field at Leaside Park at Overlea Boulevard and Millwood Road.
"We have to turn a number of kids away even for the outdoor league because we don't have the space," Ahmed said.
The league went to Don Valley West Councillor John Parker, who represents the area, with an idea to move one of the lights from the centre of the field to the sidelines to open it up for soccer or cricket games, Ahmed said there are hardly any baseball players who use the field. The idea didn't receive a positive response, but Ahmed said he hasn't given up.
"We're trying to build something so the kids can get more time on the field and in the gym instead of in front of the TV," he said.
As of press time, Parker could not be reached for comment.
Sukhera is thinking bigger than that - he'd like to see a new recreation centre built in the community with an indoor rink. He has the perfect place for one - the tennis courts at Leaside Park.
"I always walk by it and see a closed building," he said.
The Thorncliffe Park Tennis Club had 185 members last year using five courts. Next door to the courts is an outdoor swimming pool that is only open a few months of the year and when it is open it's packed with people.
Sukhera has a vision of the courts and pool being replaced with an indoor facility that would make better use of the limited space and that could be used year round.
Vision is one thing Thorncliffe Park isn't lacking.
A committee at Valley Park Middle School are working on a project called the Go Green Cricket Field that would transform the school yard from a concrete basketball court, 11 portables, and a small field used for soccer and other sports to an oasis with a butterfly meadow, an outdoor amphitheatre, herb and vegeteable garden, interpretive marsh, and facilities to play cricket, soccer, baseball and basketball that could be used by the community in the evening and on weekends.
The committee is currently fundraising to make that vision a reality.
