Growing the Game During Times of Economic Difficulties
It doesn’t take an economist to see what the next few years of overall economic downturn will do to the hockey industry. The sport is expensive to play and while beer leaguers can hang on to the same shoulder pads for a little longer, kids don’t have that luxury – they grow, pretty much from season to season.
So what’s the solution? Give it away.
Not all of it, of course, but the industry needs to create a new supply of players in North America. The rate of people taking to the ice in Wilcox, Sask., or Roseau, Minn., isn’t going to change; it’s New York City or downtown Toronto where things can grow and, fortunately, the foundation is there.
One initiative, supported by the NHL, NHLPA and major companies in the industry, is the OneGoal grassroots movement. The premise here is to get more kids playing hockey by offering them low-cost opportunities to try on the gear, get out on the ice and play. Since hockey is expensive as a sport, parents need to know if their kids actually like playing, or just think they want to play before tossing their helmet in the back of a closet with their bass guitar and judo outfit.
There will always be hockey players, no matter how rough things get out there. But if the industry wants to be savvier than they’ve been in the past, they’ll keep fostering players in major cities, even if the end result is “only” a couple more happy kids in the short-term. With so many other options available to kids, it’s the long-term love of the game that matters.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to The Hockey News for this article.
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