By: Lindsay Iaquinta
Edited by: Katie LeLasher
Women’s professional hockey in the US is something that has been overlooked and stymied by a lack of funding and support. There have always been sexist narratives surrounding women’s and girls’ hockey as a whole. This has previously led to young girls feeling the need to play in youth boys' leagues since girls' hockey has not been seen very seriously.
The PHF (Premier Hockey Federation) is a hockey league that aims to crush the stigma surrounding women’s hockey, create opportunities for women and inspire the next generation of athletes by advancing the game of women's hockey (premierhockeyfederation.com).
They aim to do this by Offering an opportunity for elite players to earn a living playing hockey, providing a powerful platform for sponsors to reach a valuable audience, delivering an entertaining experience that attracts a loyal fanbase, and building a respected and admired brand.
Bryan Murphy
The PHF has values that they adhere to. Integrity is the most important value to the PHF; they want to act with high integrity in everything they do. They also keep several other values that they keep at the top of their minds.
These values are:
-Run a high-integrity league that is professional in all respects
-Maintain independence while partnering across the hockey ecosystem
-Prioritize players’ salaries, benefits, and experience as revenues accelerate
-Develop and deploy female leaders at all levels across the league
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
After being a league for eight years, the federation has now more than doubled each team’s salary cap from $300,000 to $750,000 (onherturf.nbcsports.com) for this previous season. Each player is also now receiving full eligibility for complete health care benefits and paid maternity leave. In addition to increased benefits and salaries, the league also added two new teams. One in Montreal and one in the US. There are also plans for further expansion of teams.
One huge question is, what does the future look like for women's pro hockey? The league has enormous hopes and expectations for the growth of teams, benefits, and fans. Johanna Boynton, the Principal owner of the Toronto Six, says, “The owners are unbelievably committed to this. This is the right time to invest and say, ‘We’re committed.”
The PHF has allowed women to play the sport they love at a higher, more severe level. If they do as they say and continue to expand, then time will only tell how successful they will be. This league has the chance to change perspectives on women’s hockey to make it seem as severe as the men's leagues.
Brotherlypuck.com
As the PHF looks to the future, they see expansion and new owners joining the PHF family. They look forward to seeing exciting partnerships and a path to profitability. They also hope to see professional women’s hockey players earning a living playing the game they love and enjoy and hope to see young girls worldwide being inspired to pursue their dreams in the sport. This league has already grown so much in a short amount of time, and they are expected only to go up.
Comments