First and foremost, we hope that you are all doing well. CHF leadership in conjunction with its member conferences, organizations and key advisors have been exploring options for navigating the uncertainty related to the upcoming hockey season created by the COVID-19 virus. In light of many recent conference postponements along with a majority of our member programs being restricted by their universities due to the virus, the CHF has decided it is in the best interest of our student-athletes, coaches and officials to officially postpone the start of the season to January of 2021.

A delayed start of our season ultimately allows our member programs and their student-athletes to focus on a healthy and safe return to school this fall which is of primary importance in these uncertain times. The current situation with colleges and universities changing their traditional school calendars has caused some anxiety to non-varsity hockey programs on how their seasons may unfold. The built-in flexibility of the CHF will allow teams to start after January 1, 2021 without any minimum game requirements and still be eligible for the Federation Cup.

The CHF will work with the conferences in the upcoming days and weeks to ensure that the 2020-2021 season continues to provide our members with the greatest non-varsity hockey experience possible. Given that teams for the Federation Cup are selected by their respective Regional Boards of Governors (which include league representatives), it is possible for teams to play a compacted schedule of 10-12 games and qualify for post-season play. In addition, the CHF is also proud to announce that we will be supporting an extended exhibition season for all of our members who still have the ability to train and compete during the fall semester.

The CHF is also aware that schools are looking to reduce costs, and one way to do this is to diminish or eliminate funding for non-varsity programs. As a result, one of our options is allowing CHF teams to start as late as January and play teams just within their league, thereby cutting down on travel expenses and game costs without being excluded from post season play.

So, this means CHF Dues for our members will be pro-rated for teams starting later than the traditional start time as follows:

Tournament Bound Teams:
• Full Season teams beginning practices/games in Sept-early Oct will be $850 + AAU Membership
• ¾ Season teams beginning games after November 1 will be $650 + AAU Membership
• ½ Season teams beginning games after January 1 will be $500 + AAU Membership
• If a team accepts an invitation to the Fed Cup, there is a $500 tournament fee

Non-Tournament Bound Teams:
• Team costs will remain at $350 + AAU Membership

AAU Registration:
• All CHF teams must be registered members of the AAU as it is our governing body
• AAU full season membership will be $30/player to a max of $700 for 30 players (e.g. if a team has less than 23 players, it would make fiscal sense to pay $30/player in order to incur reduced costs)
• For those teams not starting until January 1st 2021, we have worked with AAU to offer a reduced fee of $20/player or $500 max for 30 players
• AAU registration for coaches, team representatives and officials will be $20/person
• AAU membership insurance will cover CHF teams and their representatives when playing USAH teams
• The CHF will take out a separate policy to cover USAH teams when they are playing CHF teams given that USAH considers these cross-over games as “non-sanctioned” and therefore won’t cover them
• For those teams wishing to have USAH membership in addition to AAU, there will be costs by region of approximately $55-$60 per player when you register individually with USAH

NOTE:
For those teams having the ability to practice during the Fall semester, you will need to register with AAU in order to have the appropriate insurance coverage in place. We anticipate having the registration portal open in the September timeframe to enable those teams wishing to sign up for AAU insurance.

Federation Cup:
We have worked closely with our partners at Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester PA to be flexible in holding the Federation Cup there again this season. Given the experience and feedback from our inaugural season national tournament was outstanding, we are excited to announce that we are holding it again at Ice Line.

Dates for the Federation Cup will be April 9-14, with pool play taking place over the weekend of April 9-11 and championship rounds occurring over the ensuing M-W April 12-14.

Declaration:
It will be important to notify us as soon as your respective schools have decided on returning to campus and its impact on the hockey program so we can keep track at a national level. We anticipate all schools making a decision on their respective Spring semesters by December, so we will have a deadline of December 15th to
fully declare for the season in order to give everyone the ultimate flexibility. As such, we do not require member programs to register with the CHF or provide payment until it has been determined whether and when they will be able to play this season – except if you are practicing in the Fall and therefore will need to register with AAU as outlined above.

Thank you for your consideration, cooperation and assistance as we work through how to offer the best member experience during these unprecedented times. We hope you continue to stay healthy and safe.