London Junior Knights Media Advisory - Trillium Grant

London – The London Rep Hockey Association, operating as the London Junior Knights, announced today that it has secured a $30,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to support its Coaches and Player Development programs. Deb Matthews, MPP for London North Centre, joined OTF representative Denis Gadwa in congratulating the Association. “I am delighted the Ontario Trillium Foundation is investing in our young athletes in London,” said MPP Matthews. “With this increased funding, our Junior Knights program will have a greater opportunity to develop our future superstar London Knights and cultivate players like Brandon Prust, Logan Couture, Justin Taylor and Drew Doughty.”

The Junior Knights, which supports and administers 22 travel hockey teams and 400 young athletes aged 9 to 17 years old from across London, serve as the enabling body for some of London’s finest young hockey players to learn and play the sport at the highest competitive level possible. Since its inception seven years ago, the Association has enjoyed considerable success, winning numerous championships and proudly representing the City of London across the Province of Ontario and the Northeast United States. As a result of this success, the Junior Knights have nearly doubled in size, creating the need for a larger number of highly qualified coaches, trainers and team managers. Moreover, the travel demands of each team have created a need for the Association to improve timely client interaction and team communications. However, the Junior Knights are equally committed to keeping the cost of travel hockey as affordable as possible.

To help the Knights meet these needs while keeping costs down, the Ontario Trillium Foundation kindly stepped forward to provide financial assistance and support the 100-plus volunteers charged with delivering this program each year. The one-year grant will be used to improve coaching and player development. “The true winners from this grant are our young athletes,” said Mike Fiorino, President of the London Junior Knights. “This generous contribution from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will go a long way to helping us meet this increased demand and help ensure our young people continue to receive the finest training in hockey and in life.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For 25 years, it has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. OTF continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org.