History of Ringette

In 1963, North Bay’s Canadian Sports Hall of Fame inductee Sam Jacks, created the foundation of Ringette. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport on ice in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals.

For a decade, play centred in Ontario and Quebec, however the sport quickly spread across Canada and is now played in all ten provinces and the Northwest Territories. In fact, the sport has become one of Canada’s favourite activities for females, with over 50,000 participants across Canada.

The sport’s explosive growth isn’t just limited to Canada, as it continues to grow at an international level, with the formation of associations in the U.S.A., Finland, Sweden, Estonia and France.

There are more than 9,000 certified ringette coaches registered in the National Coaching Certification Program and 2,866 registered referees trained under Ringette Canada’s National Officiating Program. In addition, there are thousands of volunteers who administer clubs, leagues, and tournaments across Canada.

Ontario Ringette boasts a membership of over 75 local associations with more than than 9,500 registered players, 2,600 coaches, 600 referees and countless volunteers.