Hockey Alberta and RDC
Hockey Alberta and Red Deer College officially unveiled in April 2012 a strategic partnership that includes the relocation of Hockey Alberta’s head office to RDC’s main campus.
“Moving our head office to the campus concludes a lot of work over the last several years and keeps us moving towards our organization’s vision of becoming the most progressive and innovative sports organization in Canada,” said Hockey Alberta’s General Manager, Rob Litwinski. “This move opens the door to what we see as a significant future with RDC and we are very excited and appreciative for their commitment to the partnership."
"RDC is committed to strong partnerships that benefit our communities and we’re thrilled to have the preeminent amateur sports organization in Canada located on our campus,” said Joel Ward, President & CEO of RDC. “Having Hockey Alberta in such close proximity to our athletic and academic departments will enable us to work together to provide innovative training for players, coaches and our students."
Hockey Alberta and RDC entered into this partnership recognizing the potential for a collaborative venture that would further the mutual goals of both organizations. These goals include the promotion and development of hockey, both within the region and throughout the province, as well as the development of facilities to support these efforts. In addition, both organizations recognize the need to provide enhanced opportunities for sport leadership development including the development of new programs and new delivery options for those programs. The future development of facilities to support athlete and leadership development programs will be enhanced through collaborative participation of both partners.
The purpose of the partnership between Hockey Alberta and RDC is intended to provide:
• Administrative and office space for Hockey Alberta at RDC as well as inclusion in the development of future RDC facility plans
• Enhanced practicum and field placement opportunities for students from leadership, business, or sports programs
• Development of collaborative programming initiatives in the area of sport and leadership development
• Provide access to current and future RDC educational programs, resources, and facilities
“There is huge potential through this strategic partnership for continuing education and academic programming that can, among other possibilities, lead to enhanced coaching certification in the province,” noted Ward. “There will also be great benefit for our students to learn more about a sports development organization and to have increased employment, practical learning and volunteer opportunity with Hockey Alberta, which has a strong historic connection to RDC and our alumni.”
“Our vision at RDC is to eventually have a provincial training centre built right on campus that would be the home of Team Alberta and used to develop and deliver hockey programs and events,” added Litwinski. “Moving our head office operations to the campus is the first step towards this vision.”
Hockey Alberta’s new office location consists of approximately 5000 square feet of newly renovated office space located on the Southwest corner of RDC’s main campus, and comfortably accommodates Hockey Alberta’s 22 full-time staff members. The move also marks the 30th anniversary of Hockey Alberta’s head office being located in Red Deer.
