Starting in 2024, Airdrie will be the home of the Rockyview Silvertips, a Junior B Tier One Lacrosse team that has played out of Cochrane in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) since 2018. The team announced the move on social media on Oct. 31.
Historically, the Silvertips have split their time between Cochrane and Airdrie during the season, but since 2018 the team has played out of the Spray Lake Sawmill (SLS) Centre facility. According to Darren Deitz, the Silvertips president and general manager, the team had loosely talked about the options of moving the last couple years. Ultimately, the board “decided to relocate to Airdrie for the 2024 season and beyond.”
“When we draft players to our team, we are considering players from all parts of Calgary and all the areas surrounding Calgary,” said Deitz. “We felt Airdrie provided better accessibility for our players, potential draft eligible players, and their families.”
The Silvertips also saw several benefits to joining a larger community.
“A large percentage of Rockyview minor lacrosse families are located in the Airdrie area,” said Deitz. “We want to continue to work with Rockyview Lacrosse to help support them. Of course, we hope the location will help make it easier for families to attend our games as well.”
Deitz made it clear that the support the team got in Cochrane, and especially from the Cochrane business community, was greatly appreciated.
“We’ve had some valuable support in Cochrane,” he said. “We are looking to expand our business relationships to help cover the costs of running our program and we’ve got some great opportunities in the Airdrie business community.”
Airdrie will be the long term home of the Silvertips for the foreseeable future. Deitz said that the City of Airdrie and their faculty staff included the team in their discussions with the planning group concerning the future of the southwest recreation centre that will be built in Airdrie.
Luckily for fans of lacrosse in Airdrie, and perhaps sadly for those in Cochrane, the Silvertips will host this year's 2024 Larry Bishop Memorial Cup, which is the RMLL’s Junior B Tier One Championship. Teams from around Alberta, as well as Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg compete for a chance to play in the Larry Bishop Memorial, which will be held August 2 to August 5.
In 2023, the Silvertips had their most successful season ever, finishing the regular season at the top of the RMLL Junior B Tier One standings with 16 wins, three loses, and one tie.
