By William Proulx [1]
BELLEVILLE – After 13 seasons in Kitchener-Waterloo, the Kodiaks lacrosse team will be moving to Cobourg.
The Major Series Lacrosse [2]team’s bid to relocate to Cobourg was approved by the league’s board on Jan. 24.
Allen Orth has owned the Kodiaks for 11 years and he says that despite some interest in keeping MSL team in Kitchener-Waterloo, a lack of business relationships and fan support forced the team to relocate.
“We’ve experienced over the last three to four years a declining support from a fan perspective and a decline in support from local businesses,” he said.
Orth added that ownership did not initially think of moving the team, but became interested after the Kodiaks took part in a game in Cobourg on June 6, 2015 against the Peterborough Lakers. That game drew 1800 fans.
“After the game they got asking more pointed questions about whether or not I would be interested in moving the team to Cobourg,” he said.
With the strength of the minor-league system already in place in the Cobourg area, Orth says that he expects that the team will have tremendous support in their new location. The Kodiaks will also have three new owners that will be joining Orth in John Webb, Eric Graham and Chris Galbraith.
After a perfect season in 2005, the Kodiaks moved up to MSL in 2006. The promotion saw the Kodiaks have consistent success and the team only missed the playoffs once (in the 2015 season).
The Cobourg Kodiaks will play their home games at the Cobourg Community Centre [3]. The modern facility seats 2500 and the team will continue to play Sunday afternoons during the season (May-August).