NATIONAL BALL HOCKEY
ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mario Facciuolo to the position of Head Coach for our Women’s Team Canada (WTC) program which will look to defend their championship in Pittsburgh in 2015.

Coach Facciuolo’s appointment to this position comes after the NBHAC had conducted several interviews of prospective candidates.   Facciuolo has had previous coaching history as the head coach of the Burlington Brownies, Women’s ‘A’ Provincial Champions (2012 & 2013) in the Ontario Ball Hockey Association (OBHA) and as Assistant Coach with the Women’s Team Canada program winning gold in Toronto, 2013.

Mario's passion for sports is rooted in his Hamilton central mountain upbringing where there was always a pick-up game to be played and a team to join. His incredible work ethic is rooted in his Italian upbringing where there was always an expectation to work hard, play hard and show respect. This foundation of passion and work ethic have made him the coach he is today.  Mario's strength as a coach is in his ability to see the whole picture and the attention to details. Even while watching a hockey game for instance, he is more often than not watching the play that is happening behind the person who is controlling the puck--such practice has allowed him to become a coach who develops systems and player skill that exploit other teams' weaknesses while capitalizing on the individual strengths of his own players.

Mario's involvement in ball hockey commenced in 1980 as a player in Ancaster, Ontario. In 1999, he became involved in coaching his wife's team in a 4 on 4 women's ball hockey league in Dundas, Ontario and he never looked back. Mario's next stop was the Burlington Ball Hockey League where he has coached both women's and boys teams since 2005--he is a 12 time winning ball hockey coach at the league, provincial, national and international level. His profession is that of a Site-Superintendent and he lives in Ancaster, Ontario with his wife Michelle and their two children, Megan and Mario Jr.

Facciuolo commented, “I am thrilled with the opportunity we have in the NBHAC.  Our first goal is to put together the best staff possible and in this regard believe that we have the opportunity to effectively merge the best and brightest within the sport.  I am truly impressed by the enthusiasm with the NBHAC.  During my discussions it was very clear that they are committed to operating a professional organization and continuing on the path of building a winner.  To have a plan and to put all those aspects in place to work towards the goal is very important and along with the management of the program look forward to begin scouting and recruiting for the opportunity to wear the RED & WHITE and coming to know the group of talented players in Canada.”

Facciuolo stresses the teaching of the fundamentals of the game and strives to work in a team environment which supports the development of a strong work ethic where players and coaches can work together to achieve excellence. 

NBHAC President Steve Rumsey stated, “I have had the pleasure to get to know Mario the last few years with his team’s success and as an assistant on the Women’s Team Canada team and his preparation and passion is incredible.  He is always at the rink scouting and studying the opposition in preparation for the games.   He understands and commands respect of the players with the understanding that they are not only players, but Ambassadors for the Sport and Canada both on and off the floor.”

Facciuolo stated, “this is a tremendous honor and I am looking forward to making my contribution to the program.  Throughout my years in the sport I have enjoyed working with so many tremendous athletes with varying backgrounds from ice hockey, soccer and lacrosse and this is a wonderful opportunity to develop and work with these great up and coming players.  As a member of the 2013 World Championship team I look forward to working with the NBHAC, the assistant coaches, support staff and the players.

The NBHAC is proud to have a proven winner and leader leading the Women’s Team Canada program to defend gold in Pittsburgh in 2015.

The Tier II Tournament was one of the most competitive tournaments in many years with any of the six teams being able to win the championship as most of the games were decided by one or two goals.

The 2013 National Ball Hockey Association of Canada Men’s and Women’s Canada Cup of Ball Hockey National Championships will be played in Brampton, Ontario the week of August 13-17, 2013.

The tournament will take place at Century Gardens in Brampton and updates on competing teams will be provided as teams prepare to face off against teams from across Canada. The event will guarantee four games for all the teams at a cost of $1250.

The Nationals will be offered for Men’s and Women’s teams that participate are registered and sent by their Provincial governing associations. This is one of the scouting sessions for the 2015 Men’s and Women’s Team Canada.

In some Provinces, teams are selected the year prior while in other Provinces there are tryouts and player selections months prior to the tournament.

If you are a ball hockey member and this tournament is of interest, contact your local ball hockey association or league to find out more information on their participating teams.

For more information on the event we ask that you speak to your league representatives who are members of the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.