Recruiting the Future of Women s Hockey Coaching Symposium
INTRODUCTION OF JOHANNA PELKONEN PROFESSION Sports Instructor (graduated 2003 from Vierumäki) FIHA EMPLOYEE SINCE 2002 Female National Team Secretary 2002 2003 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship Project Coordinator 2003-2004 Sports Secretary, Southern District 2004 2007 Girls Hockey Development Coordinator 2007 2009 IIHF World Women Championship Project Coordinator 2009 Female Hockey Development Coordinator 2011 -> OTHER POSITIONS IN FIHA / IIHF - Secretary of Finnish Female Hockey Committee 2009 > - Member of Finnish Youth Hockey Committee 2010 -> - Member of IIHF Recruitment program 2010 2011 - U16 Girls National team Coach & Team manager 2011 -> 2
BACKGROUND Ice Hockey is the most popular sport in Finland (almost 200 000 Finns) 2006 female statistics: Finland lost Olympic Bronze medal in Torino, 2627 players Conclusions = Our numbers are not good enough to challenge the top nations 3
HOW TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN 4
HOW TO DO IT? IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE? HOCKEY IS A MALE SPORT Girls Hockey Day-events launched spring 2006 in Porvoo with 49 new girls: Skate with the olympic players Bring your skates, helmet and gloves The club offers you a stick Resources to FIHA: One person hired to work for the female grassroots-project November 2007 5
PORVOO 2006 6
KEYPOINTS IN FIHA FEMALE HOCKEY STRATEGY 2007-2010 MAIN GOAL - Increase the number of female hockey licences from 2600 to 4000 by 2010 KEY FACTOR - Girls hockey day Girls hockey schools Own teams BENEFITS FOR THE CLUBS 1. New potential players, licences -> money, team officials 2. Future team sport growth of women s sport, also a family sport 7
KEYPOINTS IN OUR ACTIONS Meet people in the club Face, contact, working together Make start easy Posters, leaflets, cards Manual (what, when, why) Start planning, commit yourself too! Talk about GIRLS hockey Fresh, sporty image helps to build attractiveness Advertising make it SPECIAL for the girls 8
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Organize the possibilities! - Girls don t get to play hockey like boys Girls get to come and try ice hockey in an easy way Begin from the grassroots - Build the base Target is in 6-12 year old girls, all girls are welcome Make it FUN! GHD should be a nice experience for the girls (atmosphere, colours, environment, coaches etc.) Parents Inform the parents about girls hockey and the possibilities for girls 10
PROMOTION MAKE IT VISIBLE Website, newspapers, tv Posters and cards, other materials Games, tournaments, events Attract the girls with National team players Other players, also men Mascots Etc. 11
MARKETING COSTS Costs for marketing Logo 500 Picture-session with girls 600 Posters 1000 Flyers / Brochures 1000 12
ROLE MODELS 13
STATISTICS & RESULTS 14
PORVOO TWO YEARS AFTER 1st GHD 15
GIRLS HOCKEY DAY EVENTS IN FINLAND 2006 -> 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 0 Amount of events 16
STATISTICS AND RESULTS 2006-2010 2006: Finland lost Olympic Bronze medal in Torino, GHD started, 2627 female players 2007: The strategy started, Finland finished 4 th in WWC 2007, 4184 female players 2008: Finland took 3 rd place in WWC 2008, 4608 female players 2009: WWC in Finland, 3 rd place, over 30 000 spectators in Hämeenlinna, 4437 female players 2010: Olympic bronze medal from Vancouver, 4694 female players 17
LICENCE NUMBERS FROM 1991 18
WHAT S NEXT? 19
NATIONAL GIRLS HOCKEY DAY 2011 SUNDAY OCTOBER 2ND 2011 More visibility via national PR and media Easy to join the event Clubs can buy GHD team jerseys etc. The goal is to get 80 clubs involved 20
WORLD GIRLS HOCKEY DAY 2011??? SUNDAY OCTOBER 2ND 2011 PR and media coverage all over the world National team players to promote the game Hundreds of clubs & thousands of girls involved all over the world Great start for the Olympiad - WIN - WIN!!! 21
THE TIME IS NOW! GROWTH OF THE GAME IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY 22