In 2017 a small group of volunteers began the process of what seemed impossible; build a girls hockey association in our own community. We wanted to offer full programming so girls didn’t have to travel over an hour to access House League and Competitive play. What started with 30 girls and two teams, has now grown over 250 girls, 13 teams and further anticipated growth heading into our 7th season as the Collingwood Lightning Girls Hockey Association.
It’s been 4 years since our Little Lightning had access to female Officials. Early on, we were lucky to have a few girls in the community already reffing, but they have since moved on to college or university. Without female representation in these roles, girls are not likely to view this as a viable option for themselves. It’s time for our organization to change this. A Game Changer grant would provide us funds to host a “Girls Empower Girls Officials Day”. Introducing girls to female officials both in an in-class setting and on ice orientation would open the door to girls that are interested in becoming a Referee. The funds would cover the ice time, guest speaker(s) and instructors, each girl would receive financial support towards their first online class, and ongoing mentorship to complete the officials program and certification. We recognize that growing this part of our game will take time. Launching a referee identification program will open further doors to our players, grow another aspect of our game that is lacking in leadership and provide valuable access to roles generally considered male dominated.
If our girls can see it, they can be it! Please help us Change The Game!