Our Story
The IIBHL is a non-profit league run entirely by volunteers. There are no salaries to pay, so money collected from registration and sponsors goes back into the league and spent back on the kids.
To meet the demands of the growing ball hockey population at the Islamic Institute of Toronto (IIT) on Friday nights, the Islamic Institute Ball Hockey League (IIBHL) was formed. From our humble beginnings of 4 teams in 2014, we were able to grow over the years to 6, to 8, to 10 and finally to 12 teams last year. There will be no further growth so spots are now limited to first-come first-served for new players. Alhamdulillah, in 2022 there was the start of a girls initiative. It began with training camp for girls ages 6-16 and in 2023 the inaugural girls division of the IIBHL will be kicked off.
Kids are split into two age groups called Tiers. Tier 2 is for younger players 6-11 and Tier 1 is for older players 12-16. The season runs for 7 months from September to May, Friday nights from 8:00 – 11:00 pm for boys and Monday nights 6:00 – 8:00 pm for girls, with breaks for the Winter and March Breaks and now Ramadan. For the boys, three games are played each Friday night, with the younger kids (Tier 2) always playing the first game, and the older kids (Tier 1) always playing the last game. The middle game alternates between the two Tiers. This means that the younger players, when they have the middle game, may be at the gym until approximately 10 PM. For the girls, two games are played each Monday night, with the younger kids (Tier 2) playing the first game, and the older kids (Tier 1) always playing the last game.We ask that parents do not register their younger kids if this is too late for them. This can’t be stressed enough. We do not want kids dropping out once they have been picked on a team. This is not fair to their teammates and coaches.
Our Mission
Our mission is to engage our youth aged 6-16 in a safe and fun halal environment, not only by teaching them how to improve their ball hockey skills, but also by showing them how to enhance their good character with encouragement and positive role models.
We believe that the foundation for a child’s good character begins at home. This is why our mission is to also engage parents and strongly encourage them to get involved with their kids as this does wonders for their self-esteem and confidence. Parents can get involved by volunteering in the league or by simply coming out to watch their son’s games.
Our Approach
We firmly believe that our youth can play competitively and still show respect and sportsmanship towards other players. This philosophy is the lifeblood running through the veins of the IIBHL. This is what we teach our players, and we accept no less from them. Attitude, posturing, showing off and trash talking – seen everywhere in major league sport today – have no place in the IIBHL and will not be tolerated. Let us show you how to accomplish that. Because at the end of the day, our brotherhood and love for each other for Allah’s sake will be our most important victory.
Meet the Team
While the league cannot exist without, and is certainly grateful for, the contributions of the coaches and other volunteers, the leadership of the league is currently shared by five individuals.
Khalid Raheem
Founder & President
Director
The IIBHL was born in 2014, the brainchild of a single parent. Khalid had previously founded and ran his own ball hockey league, called IBHA, for 12 years with the same philosophy that sportsmanship and brotherhood can and must prevail even in the most competitive of sports.
Khalid is responsible for most of the behind-the-scenes league admin work including registration, game schedules, finances, planning of the Awards Banquet, ordering trophies, ordering team shirts, among other things. He is also a senior referee.
As a former ball hockey player himself for over 20 years, this is Khalid’s way of giving back to the sport he loves.
Abdullaah Hamid
Co-Director of Operations
Director
Abdullaah has been a part of the IIBHL since its inauguration in 2014. He played a total of four seasons and thrived at being a shutdown goaltender. Following his playing career, he coached for two seasons taking his team to the finals in both seasons.
Abdullaah has won a Most Valuable Player, two Best Goalie awards, as well as 2 Playoffs Championships and Coach of the Year. In 2018, he was inducted in the IIBHL Hall of Fame as a goalie. Abdullaah has played a vital role as a senior referee and goalie coach for Tier 1 training camps. As Director of Operations, his duties include planning and overseeing all game day operations, helping to update the Rules and Regulations, helping to plan the Awards Banquet, as well as collaborating with Khalid in making all high-level decisions regarding the league, among other things.
Abdullaah is currently attending George Brown College for an Honours Bachelor of Technology in Construction Management.
Abdur-Rahman Hamid
Administrator
Abdur-Rahman has been a part of the IIBHL for the last 4 years. He is a former player and coach. He won Rookie of the Year in 2016 and was the league’s Top Volunteer in 2018-2019. Along with his co-coach Dawoud, they led their team to the 2018-2019 Tier 2 Playoff Championships.
Outside of the IIBHL, Abdur-Rahman is an active volunteer at the IIT. He is also a young entrepreneur and runs a snow removal business.
As well as coaching a Tier 1 team, Abdur-Rahman’s duties in the league include being helping to manage volunteers, making sure game nights run smoothly, taking part in league decisions when requested to do so, and helping to put together the Awards Banquet.
Umar Hamid
Administrator
Bio to come…
Faheem Hack
Webmaster
Director
Faheem has been with the league since the inauguration in 2014. Helping out with small tasks, he grew into a bigger role formerly as the Director of Operations and currently a director and Webmaster for the IIBHL.
As the former Director of Operations, Faheem was in charge of the game-day operations of the league, scheduling and managing the volunteers, and heading up the referee corps when Khalid was not there, planning of and executing the Awards Banquet and our first All-Star Day, amongst other duties. Faheem was the right-hand for Khalid and played a vital role in the growth of the league. He is also our logo designer and our Webmaster responsible for creating, designing and maintaining the IIBHL website.
Faheem has decided to modify his commitment from what he loved the most to focus solely on his education. He is currently finishing up his degree in Athletic Therapy, in addition to being a certified Medical First Responder. He has enjoyed his tenure with the IIBHL and will continue to assist with the development of the league through an advisory role, and as our Webmaster.
Taahir Ally
Co-Director of Operations
Director
Bio to come…