Western Ontario Athletic Association
Encyclopedia
The Western Ontario Athletic Association, abbreviated as WOAA, is the governing body of minor and senior sports in a region encompassing Grey County
, Bruce County
, Perth County
, Huron County
, northern Middlesex County
, and northern Wellington County
. The WOAA Senior Hockey League has been around since 1948 and still flourishes to this day.
, Women's Hockey, Minor Hockey, and Softball
. The WOAA also actively trains officials for these sports. The WOAA's jurisdiction over local Senior Hockey has lasted since the 1948-49 season but the association was actually established in 1942 by W. T. Cruickshank of Wingham, Ontario
. The WOAA became an incorporated body on July 24, 1986 under the Ontario
Corporations Act.
and the Ontario Hockey Federation
as of 2006. These centres are governed by the WOAA, but the WOAA works under the OMHA. The WOAA is responsible for its own tournaments, disciplinary system, and playoffs, but must provide the accounts of these actions to the OMHA.
In 2004, there were 545 sports teams with approximately 9881 registered participants and an addition approximate 2500 volunteers, executives, convenors and officials involved with the WOAA.
Grey County, Ontario
Grey County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. The population was 92,411 in 2006. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario...
, Bruce County
Bruce County, Ontario
Bruce County is a county in western Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. As of 2006, the population was 65,349. The area was . The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario. It is located at ....
, Perth County
Perth County, Ontario
Perth County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford and is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...
, Huron County
Huron County, Ontario
Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province...
, northern Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Ontario
Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...
, and northern Wellington County
Wellington County, Ontario
Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...
. The WOAA Senior Hockey League has been around since 1948 and still flourishes to this day.
Sports
The WOAA controls these sports: Senior HockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, Women's Hockey, Minor Hockey, and Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. The WOAA also actively trains officials for these sports. The WOAA's jurisdiction over local Senior Hockey has lasted since the 1948-49 season but the association was actually established in 1942 by W. T. Cruickshank of Wingham, Ontario
Wingham, Ontario
Wingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County...
. The WOAA became an incorporated body on July 24, 1986 under the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Corporations Act.
Minor Hockey Towns
These are the major member towns as agreed to by (but not limited to by) the Ontario Minor Hockey AssociationOntario Minor Hockey Association
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association is a major ice hockey governing body at the minor level. The OMHA is empowered by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The OMHA oversees minor hockey from Initiation to Juvenile throughout the majority of southern Ontario...
and the Ontario Hockey Federation
Ontario Hockey Federation
The Ontario Hockey Federation is the governing body of all sanctioned ice hockey in the province of Ontario in Canada, except for those portions governed by Hockey Northwestern Ontario and the Ottawa District Hockey Association...
as of 2006. These centres are governed by the WOAA, but the WOAA works under the OMHA. The WOAA is responsible for its own tournaments, disciplinary system, and playoffs, but must provide the accounts of these actions to the OMHA.
- BCHA (Bruce CountyBruce County, OntarioBruce County is a county in western Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. As of 2006, the population was 65,349. The area was . The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario. It is located at ....
) - Belmore
- BlythBlyth, OntarioBlyth is a community in the municipality of North Huron, Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located southwest of the town of Wingham on Huron Road 4 and geographically south of the town of Lucknow....
- BrusselsBrussels, OntarioBrussels is a community in Huron County, Ontario, Canada, located within the municipality of Huron East. It was originally called Ainleyville. The name was changed in 1872 when a branch line of the Grand Trunk Railway from Guelph came through the town...
- ChatsworthChatsworth, Ontario (town)Chatsworth is a community in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, part of the Township of Chatsworth. It is located south of Owen Sound and north of Durham where Highways 6 and 10 merge. The village neighbours Williamsford, Dornoch, and Desboro....
- ChesleyChesley, OntarioChesley is a community in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, located within the municipality of Arran-Elderslie. Its town slogan is "The Nicest Town Around"...
- CliffordClifford, OntarioClifford is a community in the Town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada.The village of Clifford was founded around 1855 as Minto Village. After the opening of the post office in 1856, the settlement was renamed Clifford by the first postmaster Francis Brown after Clifford in West...
- DraytonDrayton, OntarioDrayton is a community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is a part of the township of Mapleton in North Wellington County. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of Arthur.-Education:Drayton is in the Upper...
- DurhamDurham, OntarioDurham is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Durham is located near the base of the Bruce Peninsula.-Location:...
- Elma-Logan
- GoderichGoderich, OntarioGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
- HanoverHanover, OntarioHanover is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in southern Grey County, west of Durham and east of Walkerton on Grey/Bruce Road 4. Hanover marks the border between Grey County and Bruce County.-History:...
- HowickHowick, OntarioThe Township of Howick is a municipality in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the northeast corner of Huron County near the Bruce County border, east of Wingham....
- KincardineKincardine, OntarioThe Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres...
- Lion's HeadLion's Head, OntarioLion's Head is a community in the municipality of North Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Located at the midway point of the Bruce Peninsula, about halfway between Owen Sound and Tobermory, Lion's Head is just east of Ferndale on Bruce Road 9. Lion's Head is located on the 45th...
- Listowel
- LucknowLucknow, OntarioLucknow is a community located in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is incorporated in the Township of Huron-Kinloss.-History:...
- MildmayMildmay, OntarioMildmay is a community in the Municipality of South Bruce, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Mildmay is located northwest of Minto and south of Walkerton on Highway 9. Formosa lies tothe northwest, and Neustadt to the east....
- Milverton
- MintoMinto, OntarioMinto is a town in midwestern Ontario, Canada, on the Maitland River in Wellington County. Minto is the eastern terminus of Highway 9. It is named for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto; 8th Governor General of Canada....
(HarristonHarriston, OntarioHarriston is a community in the town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Although Harriston was formerly a village, it was amalgamated with Palmerston and Clifford to create Minto. The village has one public school , as well as shops and restaurants...
, PalmerstonPalmerston, OntarioPalmerston is an unincorporated community located at the south end of the town of Minto in northern part of Wellington County in southern Ontario, Canada.- History :...
) - MitchellMitchell, OntarioMitchell is a community in Perth County, Ontario, Canada. Mitchell is located at the intersection of Highways 8 and 23, 20 km west of Stratford, and 60 km north of London, in the municipality of West Perth.-History:...
- Monkton, Ontario
- Mount ForestMount Forest, OntarioMount Forest is an unincorporated community located on the junction of the 6 and the 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario. The town's motto is "High, Happy, Healthy", which can be seen on the water tower when approaching the town from the south....
- Normanby (AytonAyton, OntarioAyton is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada.Formerly the seat of local government for the disbanded Normanby Township, it is best described as a rural village nestled on the banks of the South Saugeen River and the centre of a prosperous farming area.Although...
) - PaisleyPaisley, OntarioPaisley is now an unincorporated community, a village in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Paisley is defined by its position at the confluence of the Saugeen River and the Teeswater River, and at the junction of Bruce Roads 1, 11, and 3.-History:Paisley began,...
- Ripley
- SeaforthSeaforth, OntarioSeaforth is a Southern Ontario community in the municipality of Huron East, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
- Shallow Lake
- Saugeen ShoresSaugeen Shores, OntarioSaugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in the 1990s, as municipal restructuring merged the towns of Southampton, Port Elgin, and the township of Saugeen...
(Port ElginPort Elgin, OntarioPort Elgin is a community in the Ontario municipality of Saugeen Shores. Close to MacGregor Point Provincial Park in Bruce County, the community has several beaches on Lake Huron....
, SouthamptonSouthampton, OntarioSouthampton is a community of approximately 3083 people on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Saugeen River....
) - TaraTara, OntarioTara is an unincorporated community in southwestern Ontario, Canada. At the 2006 census, it had 989 residents and 435 dwellings. Within the municipality of Arran-Elderslie, it is a designated place located on the Sauble River, with an area of 2.39 km², and an urban area that covers...
- TeeswaterTeeswater, OntarioTeeswater is a community in the municipality of South Bruce, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is located 12 kilometers west of Mildmay, 16 kilometers north of Wingham on County Road 4, and 25 kilometers southeast of Ripley on Bruce Road 6. The population in 2006 was about...
- TivertonTiverton, OntarioTiverton is a community located in Ontario, Canada. It is near the shore of Lake Huron on Highway 21 between Port Elgin, Ontario and Kincardine, Ontario.Tiverton is incorporated in the Municipality of Kincardine.- History :...
- WalkertonWalkerton, OntarioWalkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County...
- Wallace
- WiartonWiarton, OntarioWiarton is a community in Bruce County, Ontario, at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula. The community is part of the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario....
- WinghamWingham, OntarioWingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County...
- ZurichZurich, OntarioZurich, Ontario is a community in southwestern Ontario, Canada, in the Municipality of Bluewater in the County of Huron, about 6 km inland from Lake Huron, on Ontario's West Coast. Zurich was founded in 1856 and is known for its Swiss heritage, reflected in some of the architecture.The fourth...
Participation
This table represents the 2004 numbers put forth on the WOAA website for entry participation of players and team officials.Sport | Players | Officials |
Senior Hockey | 425 | 119 |
Minor Hockey | 2690 | 778 |
Local League Hockey | 2387 | 617 |
Women's Hockey | 1158 | 386 |
Softball | 1088 | 233 |
In 2004, there were 545 sports teams with approximately 9881 registered participants and an addition approximate 2500 volunteers, executives, convenors and officials involved with the WOAA.