'Still a lot of work to be done': Hockey Canada wants to get more girls playing the game

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 04, 2025 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 4

More women and girls are playing hockey than ever, but the numbers inactive airy successful examination to men and boys.

There were 108,313 women and girls registered arsenic players successful Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs successful the 2023-24 hockey season. That's astir one-fifth of each participants.

Gillian Apps, a erstwhile nationalist hockey subordinate who is present starring a steering committee connected girls for Hockey Canada, said the civilization of hockey is changing, but it is inactive a interest for parents.

"Are we going to enactment our girl successful hockey? Are we going to enactment them successful shot oregon gymnastics?" she asked.

"Hockey doesn't person a large rep close present successful presumption of the civilization piece. So I deliberation that that's an country that we request to proceed to bash a batch of enactment to benignant of marque the acquisition for the adjacent procreation adjacent amended than for the radical who came earlier us."

LISTEN | This week's occurrence of the This is Saskatchewan podcast looks astatine however radical are trying to marque hockey much welcoming for women and girls: 

Hockey Canada wants to spot 170,000 girls playing hockey by 2030, but it's presently not connected way to scope that goal.

"There has been a batch of enactment trying to code civilization issues successful hockey and determination is inactive a batch of enactment to beryllium done," Apps said.

On the agleam side, she said women successful hockey are having a infinitesimal successful the spotlight.

"There is simply a ton of excitement astir women's hockey successful Canada close now," she said.

The Professional Women's Hockey League launched successful 2023 and past twelvemonth saw the accomplishment of the archetypal full-time female manager successful the NHL.

"You spot radical successful the streets wearing immoderate of the [women's] team's cogwheel and it's truly breathtaking … but determination is inactive enactment to beryllium done," Apps said.

Colleen Sostorics, a erstwhile nationalist hockey subordinate who present coaches a co-ed squad successful Regina, said she has seen a large alteration successful her 40 years progressive successful the sport.

"There weren't a batch of girls playing, and present we've flooded that barrier," Sostorics said. "Now, a small miss with a ponytail walking into the rink with a hockey container connected her backmost is not abnormal successful the slightest."

A Hockey Canada treatment insubstantial released past autumn says barriers for girls and women see acquisition and training, argumentation and governance, structure, visibility and equity successful crystal allocation.

Girls and women instrumentality with hockey for 7.24 years connected average, astir 2.4 years little than boys and men. In the 2023-24 season, the retention complaint for girls and women was 84.9 per cent, 2.9 per cent little than boys and men.

The occurrence of the PWHL has been a large boost.

"There is TV coverage, broadcast rights and it's astonishing to see," Apps said.

"I anticipation that young girls, and boys, that are watching these games are saying, 'Hey I privation to bash that.'"

Amanda Hungle, who is caput of Hockey Regina, said determination are opening to beryllium much options for girls and women to play.

Hungle said programming starts astatine the property of 5 for co-ed and pistillate teams runs each the mode to under-18.

"We spot elder recreational leagues that person women's divisions, similar adult-safe and those types of things. So those are options for folks that privation to articulation the athletics aboriginal successful life," Hungle said.

Ice clip is inactive a struggle.

Hungle said Hockey Regina has formed a pistillate hockey maturation and improvement committee, with crystal clip parity betwixt the antithetic hockey streams arsenic 1 of those goals.

"We're conscionable successful that information gathering signifier to recognize what are the barriers to participate the sport, but besides what are the things that are driving females retired of the athletics and however bash we trim that," Hungle said.

"So however bash we connection experiences that are inclusive, that are engaging, you know, that truly empower pistillate athletes to win not conscionable connected the ice, but besides disconnected of the ice?"

Sostorics said inclusivity and wanting to beryllium with friends are important.

"Keeping the amusive successful the athletics is decidedly an important part, and I would wager to stake that's for some genders."

Hockey Canada is expected to release recommendations aboriginal successful the spring.

This communicative is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your transportation to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, Leisha Grebinski and Nichole Huck volition screen section issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping argumentation and fuelling creativity successful Saskatchewan.

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