The Chelsea Challenge is an adult LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly ice hockey tournament hosted by the New York City Gay Hockey Association. The tournament welcomes players from everywhere and attracts players from across the US, Canada and Europe.
Chelsea Challenge 2025 will be held Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 – 26, 2025.
Registration will be released around March 2025. If you have any questions, please contact cc@nycgha.org.
Festivities begin Friday night with our welcome party. Round-robin games will take place Saturday morning through Sunday mid-day. Single-elimination playoff games will be Sunday afternoon followed by the Tournament Banquet on Sunday night for all players and registered guests. Division Championships will be held Monday morning with a rink-side champagne brunch. Games are anticipated to be scheduled between 8:30 AM and 8:30 PM and Monday games will likely end by 2:30 PM. Other social events will be planned before and after games and will be announced.
$300 - Late Registration after May 1 at 9:01 AM EDT. Player spots are sold out! If you would like to be placed on the wait list please reach out to cc@nycgha.org.
$85 - Guest Entry to Tournament Banquet. Online registration is closed. Guest passes can be purchased in person at the registration desk.
Player registration includes at least three round-robin games and potential for two more (playoff and championship) games, tournament jersey and t-shirt, entry into all social events including Tournament Banquet, and gift bag.
Pricing above will carry an additional 3% + $1.00 SportsEngine transaction fee.
Full refunds, excluding SportsEngine transaction fees, will be granted during early and regular registration periods as long as we are able to find a player to fill the spot. We may consider exceptions for injuries and unforeseen circumstances.
Division D (Drop-In): This division is drop-in only. Beginner to Intermediate level players are welcome in this division. The planning committee will form balanced teams based on your self-evaluation to keep things fun and competitive.
Division C (Intermediate): This division allows both drop-ins and organized teams. A team is formed when you have 10 registered skaters (not including goalie). Groups that do not hit this number may be dispersed to other teams. A team is considered full with 14 skaters and a goalie (though you may roster more). Teams that do not reach 14 skaters and a goalie may be assigned drop-ins.
Please Note: Division C will NOT be split into upper and lower levels this year and we anticipate that the level of play will be closer to C1 (upper level) from recent years. Intermediate players who do not want to compete at this level are encouraged to participate as a Drop-In player for an expanded Division D this year.
Division B (Advanced): The same rules as Division C apply.
Guest registration is required for non-players who wish to attend our Tournament Banquet on Sunday night. The guest fee is $75 if purchased in advance. There may be limited availability to purchase at tournament check-in for $85. Banquet entry is included for all players participating in the tournament.
Tournament Rules
Concussion Information
Code of Conduct
Chelsea Challenge is organized by a team of volunteers of the NYCGHA, but we can always use extra hands to help run the tournament. Tasks include organizing gift bags and jerseys, checking-in players, scorekeeping, restocking drink bins and bananas, setting up the championship brunch, and much more. If you’re interested in helping out, please fill out any available spots on this form or email cc@nycgha.org if you have any questions or specific things you want to help out with!
If you need any additional information about the Chelsea Challenge, please reach out to us at cc@nycgha.org.