The mission of the Omaha Metropolitan Amateur Hockey Association (O.M.A.H.A.) is to create an environment where every individual in the Omaha area, who has an interest in playing hockey, has an opportunity to develop his or her individual skills and personal growth, regardless of financial position.
To do this, O.M.A.H.A. provides a range of comprehensive hockey programs of initial instruction; in-house recreational and competitive youth travel leagues. We enthusiastically facilitate the growth and understanding of the sport of hockey with emphasis on the guiding values of sportsmanship, respect for the individual, integrity, pursuit of excellence, enjoyment, loyalty, and teamwork for all participants.
O.M.A.H.A. is currently the largest hockey association in the USA Hockey Tri State district of Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, with a membership of 1200+ skaters and coaches this past season. Add parents into that equation and our numbers quickly grow to 2,500+. O.M.A.H.A. Hockey’s roots began in 1960 with the informal organization of four Peewee teams (ages 10-12). In 1972, with the opening of the Benson Ice Rink at 72nd and Military, Mr. Motto MacLean and Mr. Gordy Shipp officially chartered O.M.A.H.A. — and the program was expanded to include a Squirt age group (ages 8-10). In 1974, the half-ice Mites program was initiated for ages 8 & under. In 1975 the city built a second ice rink in South Omaha at 45th and Q and the program continued to grow into the hundreds. In 1984-1985, Dr. Vap was instrumental in bringing a Midget (17 & under) National Championship to Omaha. The program has continued to grow in all age division adding an initiation program in 1993. We have 51 USA Hockey registered teams, not including the Initiation Programs 12 teams and 4 women’s teams; and we also fielded 11 competitive travel teams affiliated with the University of Nebraska, Omaha, Maverick’s Division One College Hockey, Omaha Aksarben Knights farmclub of the NHL Calgary Flames and the U.S.H.L. Omaha Lancers “Junior A” programs.
The O.M.A.H.A. Hockey annual budget is now at half a million dollars annually, with the single largest expenditure being ice rental — nearly $380K for over 2500 hours of ice. Each sanctioned house or travel game costs from $15.00 - $90.00 in referee fees, and uniform costs for each player range from $25.00 to $100.00. Competitive travel players incur substantially higher individual costs by traveling to 6-10 out-of-state tournaments per season to such locations as Denver, Colorado; Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and many other locations. O.M.A.H.A. has been rewarded in the aggressiveness of our travel programs by seeing local O.M.A.H.A. players advance to the NHL, Division One Collegiate Programs at Michigan, Michigan State, Miami of Ohio, Air Force Academy, The University of Nebraska, Omaha and more.
What can you do to help? O.M.A.H.A. has several avenues for sponsors to contribute to this successful program:
- O.M.A.H.A. has a ‘hardship fund’ which pays membership costs for financially burdened families who might not otherwise be able to participate in our hockey programs.
- O.M.A.H.A. has a ’scholarship fund’ for graduating seniors who want to pursue a college or technical school after completing High School.
- O.M.A.H.A. provides goalie equipment for our recreational house teams in age groups Termite (6 & under) through Peewee (ages 10-12). This equipment is expensive and requires repair/replacement on a periodic basis.
- O.M.A.H.A. provides dual sets of travel jerseys (home/away) for our competitive travel teams (Jr. Mavericks / Jr. Lancer’s)
- Individual hockey players (both travel and recreational) can be sponsored - $375.00 per skater.
- Corporate logos are affixed to team jerseys for a team sponsor (both house - $500.00 / travel - $2000.00).
- Corporate logos are affixed to team jerseys for division (age group) sponsors - $3000.00.
- O.M.A.H.A. sponsors skating clinics during the summer - at reduced ice costs
- O.M.A.H.A. provides the cost of USA Hockey certified coaches clinics.
Your donation - of any amount - will go towards the development youth hockey and the development of the core values of our program: Integrity - Competence - Reliability - Teamwork - Commitment - Personal Growth. Please take an interest in our youth and help our community develop leaders for tomorrow - today, through youth hockey.
