(Photo: submitted by Gary Crossman)

‘Play On’ will be a term commonly heard this weekend in Moncton.

‘Play On Moncton!’ Event Director Gary Crossman says hundreds of ball hockey players are taking part in this year’s event, “We shut down one whole street and we build rinks and we have different divisions from youth right up to adults. It’s a two-day event and they play for the championship on Sunday.”

This is a national event that was last played in Moncton in 2015.

Teams with hundreds of players, and thousands of spectators come from all across Atlantic Canada.

“O’Canada will play at 7:55 am, and games will be played starting at 8 am Saturday and will be finished around 5 pm with the finals on Sunday,” Crossman adds.

(Photo: submitted by Gary Crossman)

At noon on Saturday, a special game will take place in the main feature rink including media, elected officials, and current and former hockey players.

The event features five customized street hockey rinks. In addition to the action, which is free to spectators, the event will have its usual blend of interactive activities, vendors, and sponsor activations.

Moncton is the fourth of nine events across Canada in 2022 and follows successful stops in Calgary Windsor, Mississauga, Ontario, and Ottawa.

Following Moncton, Play On! will shift to western Canada, where the final four events of the year will be staged

Play On! Canada is a not-for-profit organization, staging sports festivals with the mission to build communities one game at a time.

The first Play On! occurred in Halifax in 2003 and since then, 170 Play On! events have been held in 37 communities across Canada, involving over 400,000 participants and over two million spectators, volunteers, and officials.