To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day – a day dedicated to recognizing the incredible accomplishments of female athletes and highlighting the importance of sports participation – we decided to dive into one of the most exciting additions to the world of women’s hockey.
A New Frontier in Women’s Sports
National Girls and Women in Sports Day falls on February 7 this year. The purpose of this day is to recognize the incredible accomplishments of female athletes, as well as highlight the importance of sports participation for women and girls. We wanted to celebrate this day by sharing something very exciting happening in the world of women’s hockey.
January 1, 2024 marked the beginning of the inaugural season for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). This new league consists of six teams split between the United States (Boston, Minnesota, and New York) and Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto) with games being played from January to May in a chock-full schedule. If the season so far is any indication, this will be some of the best hockey you’ve seen. If you’re familiar with the famous U.S. and Canada Olympic rivalry, you will recognize many of the names appearing on the rosters for these teams, such as Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Marie-Philip Poulin.
What Makes the PWHL Stand Out
The PWHL follows on the heels of past leagues, such as the Premier Hockey Federation, which ultimately dissolved after eight seasons. All these leagues, while important in furthering women’s hockey, have not had staying power. What makes the PWHL such a wonderful development is the momentum behind it and its dedication toward improving the opportunities for and visibility of women’s hockey.
In the wake of other women’s sports leagues, the PWHL has also made a significant push toward bettering the pay for its professional athletes. Salaries have a minimum requirement of $35,000 and at least six players on each team must have three-year contracts for at least $80,000. The league’s financial backers are The Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises. You might recognize these names as the owner of the Dodgers and American tennis legend, respectively. According to them, there is a strong commitment toward setting the league up for financial success and creating a lasting space for professional women’s hockey.
The reception so far has been nothing short of outstanding. Barely a month into the season, women’s hockey stadium attendance records continue to be broken each week. Most recently (as of Jan 27) the Canadian record for pro women’s hockey attendance was surpassed as 8,646 fans showed up to watch Ottawa match off against Montreal at Place Bell.
As for those of us unfortunately not near one of the home cities, there’s also good news. A common complaint among women’s sports fans revolves around the difficulty finding access to watch their chosen sport and related content. In fact, a USC/Purdue University study found only about 6% of ESPN’s broadcast was dedicated to women’s sports coverage. Owning the right streaming services can also become difficult and costly. This season, however, the PWHL has made all its games watchable for free on YouTube. That’s right. You can stream any game in the league (sometimes multiple in the same evening) and even enjoy the live chat feed to connect with other fans. A huge step in making women’s hockey more accessible, this offers a great avenue for new fans to easily join in on the fun.
Why It Matters
On a more touching note, the advent of the PWHL is important for future generations of female hockey players. Young girls interested in a sport need professional role models. It’s heartbreaking to see talented young girls and women lose passion for a sport when they realize the lack of realistic opportunities to pursue it after college and make a living. The PWHL could change that for so many.
If you watched any of the games so far, you might have noticed the prevalence of young girls in the stands. Young hockey players, thrilled to be able to watch women at the peak of their game in front of thousands of fans. Who knows if any of those little girls in the stands will grow up to be the next great American or Canadian hockey player, but what’s wonderful is now she will have the chance. Beyond hockey, the PWHL could become a catalyst for more positive change. The more momentum women’s sports leagues gain and the more success they achieve, the more investors and the public will see the value they bring. The PWHL has a chance to set the standard for professional women’s sports. Even though it’s still in the early days, everything so far indicates this is a league and a movement to watch.
Sources:
MOE: Finding hope in PWHL – The Daily Evergreen
Kasten: Investors’ PWHL business plan exceeds 10 years | SportBusiness
Everything to Know About the Professional Women’s Hockey League (people.com)
Professional Women’s Hockey League: How PWHL was formed and why top players have high hopes for new league – CBSSports.com
PWHL – Professional Women’s Hockey League (thepwhl.com)
PWHL MN already having impact on young hockey players | kare11.com
New study finds women’s sports barely covered on TV – Sports Illustrated
More than 40 players now signed to play in the PWHL | CBC Sports
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