2024-25 Youth Travel Registration Now Open!
Dear AHA Families,
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2024-25 Andover Hockey Association season is now open for our coed and girls full season youth travel teams!
Please read this note carefully as it contains important information concerning the registration and placement process, as well as information on AHA’s refund and installment payment plan policies.
Which AHA Programs Are Now Open for Registration?
Registration is open now through Wednesday, March 13th for the following 2024-25 full season youth travel programs:
• Mites/U-8 (Birth Years 2016-2018)
• Squirts/U-10 (2014-2015)
• PeeWees/U-12 (2012-2013)
• Bantams/U-14 (2010-2011)
Registration for AHA’s 2024-25 Learn to Skate (LTS), Learn to Play (LTP), Mite House League (MHL), Fall High School Half Season (HS), Winter Midgets, and Rec Hockey programs will open at a later date.
What is the 2024-25 Tuition for AHA Full Season Youth Travel Players?
Coed:
Mites - $1750 (plus $500 for supplemental full ice games, see below for more details)
Squirts - $2350
Pee Wees - $2350
Bantams - $2550
Girls:
U-8 - $1750 (plus $500 for supplemental full ice games, see below for more details)
U-10 - $2350
U-12 - $2350
U-14 - $2350
Goalies: $500 (plus additional fees for GDS goalie training, see below for more details)
When Is Payment Due?
A fee of $200 will be charged to all skaters ($20 for goalies) at the time of registration. This non-refundable fee will be applied in full to tuition for all players who participate with AHA for next season. Players with an outstanding balance will not be permitted to register for next season.
Please review AHA's refund and installment payment plan policy, and contact treasurer@andoverhockey.org should you have any questions. For families who utilize the installment payment plan, an initial tuition payment will be charged once your player is rostered to his or her team this spring. The balance of the tuition will then be charged in installments before the start of the season this fall.
What does AHA Offer for Goalies?
In recognition of the extra expenses incurred by our goalie families, AHA has a significantly reduced tuition for goalies. We also have an arrangement for special discounts, preferred scheduling, and off season training from our goalie skills provider, GDS. Full time goalies are charged a flat tuition of $500. Any goalie wishing to participate in AHA’s goalie training program through GDS would then pay an additional fee depending on the number of sessions in which he or she participates. For more information about the AHA goalie program, please contact operations@andoverhockey.org.
What Will AHA’s Youth Girls Program Look Like Next Season?
As in the past, we plan to host our traditional full season girls only teams at the U-8, U-10, U-12, and U-14 age levels, composed of a full season game and practice schedule as well as sessions with AHA’s skills vendors and special programs and events for our female players.
In addition, starting next season, girls who are full time players on an AHA girls only team will be permitted to participate with a corresponding (i.e., age and skill level) AHA coed team for all practices and skills sessions, and for games on an as-needed basis, for no additional cost. If your daughter is interested in this option, please contact placements@andoverhockey.org with a copy to girlsdirector@andoverhockey.org. Girls interested in this opportunity should plan to attend both sets of on-ice evaluations in March.
Finally, once again next season, alternate players will be permitted on girls only teams. Please see AHA’s Alternates Policy for more information.
For more information about the AHA Girls program generally, please contact girlsdirector@andoverhockey.org.
Should My Mite/U-8 Age Level Player Sign Up Now?
Boys and girls birth years 2016 through 2018 need only to register now if they would like to be considered for placement in our Mite/U-8 travel program and have at least one year of experience in the MHL or an equivalent program. If you intend for your player to participate in the MHL, there is no need to register at this time; MHL registration will open later in the spring and payments will be due in the fall.
If you are uncertain whether your player would be ready for Mite/U-8 Travel, please contact your current AHA coach or mitedirector@andoverhockey.org. Note any 2016-2018 players who are not selected for a Mite/U-8 travel team will automatically be registered for, and placed onto a team in, the MHL in the fall.
In addition, players who play on a Mite/U-8 travel team will be eligible to participate in a supplemental “full ice” games-only program for an additional fee. That program runs from approximately Thanksgiving through early March and features additional full-ice games against other towns during weekend time slots that do not conflict with regular AHA games. Please indicate your interest in this program during registration.
My Child is a 2010 Birth Year Player Who Will Also Be a High School Freshman in the Fall - for Which Program(s) Should They Register?
Male 2010s (second year Bantams) who will be entering their freshman year in high school must register as full season AHA Bantam players in order to be able to participate in AHA’s Boys Fall High School Half Season program; in doing so they will be permitted to participate in the AHA Boys HSHS program at no additional cost.
Female 2010s (second year U-14s) who will be entering their freshman year in high school and who register as full-time AHA U-14 players can automatically participate in the AHA's Girls Fall High School Half Season program at no additional cost.
Female 2010s (second year U-14s) who will be entering their freshman year in high school and who are not full-time AHA U-14 players are welcome to participate in the AHA's Girls Fall High School Half Season program at that program’s full cost.
Please see AHA’s policies with respect to high school players with Bantam / U-14 eligibility for further information. As noted above, a separate registration for AHA’s HS programs will open at a later date.
When Are On-Ice Evaluations?
On-ice evaluations for AHA’s full season youth travel teams are scheduled to take place during the weeks of March 18th and 25th. Specific dates and times for each age group will be posted in advance, but plan for each age group to have at least two sessions on-ice. Evaluations for other programs if needed, including AHA’s High School programs, will take place at a later date.
We are aware that the Pike School’s spring break includes the week of March 18th. If your child attends Pike and will be traveling that week, or is otherwise unable to attend an on-ice session due to injury, illness, or other unavoidable conflict, please email placements@andoverhockey.org in advance to let us know which sessions your child will miss.
AHA is non-profit, community centered organization managed by unpaid volunteers who are balancing their own personal and professional commitments while spending countless hours in service to members. Player evaluation and placement is a daunting process which takes months of planning and weeks of hard work. In addition, not only do we need to assign hundreds of skaters to the correct teams, we also need to ensure that each team has the best coaches available and appropriate goalie coverage.
The AHA Board understands that tryouts can be a stressful time for players (and even at times more so for parents), and are cognizant of the fact that many families are trying to choose what they believe are the right options among competing opportunities for their children. For planning purposes, it is our goal to post next season’s AHA youth travel team rosters no later than Friday, April 12th. AHA believes that posting rosters for a new season while the current one is still ongoing could have a detrimental effect on team chemistry and unity, especially during a playoff push. Our target date coincides with the end of the 2023-24 season (VHL playoffs may run as late as April 7th this year) and the start of Andover public schools spring break, as well as many youth sports spring seasons. If you have specific questions about your player’s options prior to the release of rosters, please contact placements@andoverhockey.org.
The AHA Board is planning to host a parents’ meeting the week of March 10th. The meeting will consist of a recap of highlights of the 2023-24 season to date, plans for the 2024-25 season, and a brief overview of the AHA evaluation, placement, and team formation process. All current and prospective AHA families are invited to attend. Registration information for this meeting will be forthcoming. Please submit any questions in advance to coaching@andoverhockey.org.
Who Can I Contact With Questions?
If you are a new AHA member, please set up an account through our website, www.andoverhockey.org. Please make sure each player is registered only once.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to direct them as follows:
• General evaluation/placement/team formation process: placements@andoverhockey.org
• Registration questions: registrar@andoverhockey.org
• Website/technical difficulties: webmaster@andoverhockey.org
• Financial including refund and payments: treasurer@andoverhockey.org
We look forward to a successful completion to the current season and an even better experience next year!
Sincerely,
AHA Board of Directors