Now is the time, NHL. Step Up.
The PWHPA has made enormous strides in securing the largest sponsorships in history for women's professional hockey leading up to the Secret - Dream Gap Tour. Notice, Secret Deodorant is the official partner of the tournament after pledging $1 Million in sponsorship to the PWHPA. There are several other major organizations that have joined together and each sponsored one of the 5 teams competing in the 2021 Dream Gap Tour:
- Team Calgary - Scotiabank
- Team New Hampshire - Women's Sports Foundation
- Team Montreal - Bauer
- Team Minnesota - adidas
- Team Toronto - Sonnet
In addition to seeing strides in the sponsorship sector of women's professional hockey, we are now seeing glimpses of support from the NHL. The PWHPA announced partnerships with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers. Each of these teams will host tournament games at their respective arenas and will provide assistance towards the marketing and promotion of the events.
Our Take...
Seeing the best players in the world take the ice for the first time in New York at Madison Square Garden is going to be a very special moment for women's professional hockey. The PWHPA must be commended for their efforts in bringing together elite sponsorships and venues to showcase what we are sure will be a phenomenal series of hockey games.
The key takeaway for us is the support from the three NHL teams (all of which are part of the Original Six NHL teams). The NHL operates their development system with their top teams at the NHL level playing in major cities across North America and filling stadiums with roughly 17,500 fans1. Each of these 31 teams also has an AHL team that is their "farm team" for developing prospect players. Uniquely, 20 of the AHL teams are under the same ownership group as their NHL club, but 11 are independently owned2. These teams are generally in smaller cities and host anywhere between 3,500 - 10,000 fans per game3.
Now, would you believe they have a 3rd level of development, with 25 teams that comprise the league known as the ECHL? These teams follow a similar ownership structure, where there is the opportunity to independently own one of the clubs, or alternatively be hosted under the same ownership group as their NHL counterpart. Average attendance for an ECHL game is around 4,400 fans and their arena capacity can generally accommodate for up to 7,500 spectators4.
Why are we bringing all of this up?
The NHL needs to add one more league into their mix. A professional women's hockey league.
It would be naive to think that a newly formed league would boast the attendance to fill an NHL arena, and it is important to the sustainability of your fan-base that your venue has the ability to create a great in-game experience for viewers. This is where the AHL and ECHL come into play. By carefully selecting the best hockey markets out of these clubs, an affiliate women's team could join their organization and share their venue, fan-base, and some team resources. These teams could be available for private ownership, or could be held under pre-existing NHL ownership groups. This model would provide an opportunity for the AHL and ECHL teams to split some of their costs with the pro women's team.
Having access to a dedicated team change room, training facilities, and team staff/therapists is mandatory for professional athletes to compete at their best. It should be no different in women's sports. If the NHL supports the start of a professional women's hockey league, shared access to these resources would help to increase the level of play and provide the chance for a sustainable league.
With the recent sponsorships of the Secret - Dream Gap Tour, we are now seeing businesses recognize the opportunities for investing in women's hockey. It is our hope that more NHL teams look at what Chicago, Toronto, and New York are doing and realize it is time to step up.
~WPS
Sources
"National Hockey League average regular season attendance 2008-2020". Statista. Published by Christina Gough.
"Why sitting out AHL season was best option for some independently owned teams". The Athletic. Retrieved February 4, 2021
"AHL Media Attendance Report". Leaguestat.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
"ECHL 2019-20 Attendance Graph". HockeyDB. Retrieved February 4, 2021.