TORONTO, April 12, 2023 /CNW/ — With the IIHF Women’s World Championships under way in Ontario this week, leading Canadian brands joined forces to elevate and advance gender equity in hockey.
Today, TSN’s Tekeyah Singh moderated a panel highlighting the additional work needed to achieve equity in hockey and featuring Renee Hess, Founder of Black Girl Hockey Club, Amy Walsh, Co-founder of the Future of Hockey Lab, Tara Chisholm, Head Coach and Director of Women’s Para Hockey of Canada and Meghan Chayka, Co-founder of Stathletes. Following the panel discussion, Bauer Hockey, Canadian Tire, FanDuel and Harvey’s announced a new $100,000 pilot, Accelerate, to empower women leaders in the game and expand opportunities and experiences in hockey.
“The goal in bringing together powerful brand partners is to leverage the collective passion for faster change. These leaders jumped on board immediately to support a pilot, which will help enable women leading the game on and off the ice to prioritize a professional career in hockey and utilize added resources to develop grassroots camps, programing, and other opportunities to welcome more young girls to our game,” said Mary-Kay Messier, VP of Global Marketing at Bauer Hockey, the world’s leading hockey brand.
Accelerate will provide funding for four world-class athletes to advance grow the game programs and support the athletes’ grassroots hockey clinics. The initial round of athletes will include:
- Renata Fast: Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and 2014 NCAA Division 1 National Champion
- Brianne Jenner: Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and 2022 World Championship Final MVP
- Alanna Mah: Team Captain, Canadian Women’s National Para Hockey Team
- Sophie Jaques: Ohio State University star and Patty Kazmaier Award recipient. Sophie is only the second defensive player to receive this award.
Each athlete will receive $25,000 to design and execute programming to increase participation for girls new to hockey, create new introductions to a hockey experience, and elevate the experience for high performance athletes. The goal is to expand the pilot into a program in Canada, the U.S. and globally with the addition of sponsors and resources.
“It’s amazing to see Canadian brands come together like this,” Jenner said. “It’s so important to know we are not alone in our efforts to advance gender equity, and the resources awarded today will help welcome new girls to our game while also advancing careers for women in our sport. Together, we can grow this pilot into an international program.”
In addition to helping to grow the game, the pilot will strengthen the camps and grassroots programs led by elite athletes, recognizing women players are the best ambassadors to welcome new families to the game and that supporting these athlete-managed camps further establishes career opportunities in hockey for women.
“We are proud to work alongside these great partners to help accelerate the growth of women’s hockey at the grassroots level,” said Kim Saunders, Vice President, ESG, Community and Sport Partnerships, Canadian Tire Corporation, one of Canada’s most iconic and trusted companies with retail customers from coast-to-coast. “It’s important for young girls to have role models in hockey, and we are excited to help give these great players an opportunity to give back to the next generation.”
“It is so important to us at FanDuel to continue the push for equity for all,” said Dale Hooper, General Manager, FanDuel Canada, a leading sports-tech entertainment company. “We are so proud to be a part of this initiative with our incredible partners as we work together with the leaders in women’s hockey to create opportunities for new players to engage with the sport.”
“At Harvey’s, we’re proud to continue our unwavering support to accelerate growth in girls and women’s hockey and to invest in the next generation of strong and resilient women,” said Adrianne Largo, Vice President Marketing, Harvey’s, a Canadian owned and operated restaurant with a 60-year history. “We plan to add some extra sizzle with the Harvey’s RV to serve our flame-grilled all-Canadian beef burgers at these grassroots clinics.”
SOURCE Bauer Hockey
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