HIGH FIVE and CWHL Partner To Bring Hockey to Young Female Athletes

HIGH FIVE, a division of Parks and Recreation Ontario, is joining forces with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League to launch #HIGHFIVE4Girls, a campaign offering complementary tickets to the 2015 Clarkson Cup to organizations that empower girls through sport and recreation.

Said CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress of the partnership,

“We are delighted to partner with the #HIGHFIVE4Girls Campaign … We want to share the success of our elite female athletes with the kids taking part, and hope to leave them with a lasting positive impression of the joy found in playing the game of hockey.”

HIGH FIVE seeks to ensure that all children have “positive sport and recreation experiences that support their healthy development,” which dovetails nicely with the increasing focus on the growth of girls’ youth hockey. Part of encouraging kids to stay active and involved in sports as they grow and develop is generating positive experiences.

“It’s time that we focus on promoting positive experiences in sport and recreation, so that kids want to stay involved. The research is clear: we know why girls and boys stay in sport and why they leave, and 70 per cent leave sport because of negative experiences,” said HIGH FIVE national director LJ Bartle.

Giving young girls the opportunity to see athletes compete at the highest level at the Clarkson Cup will certainly go a long way in providing not only an incredible experience for young girls, but will also introduce them to new role models — and endear the league to them. Establishing a young fanbase can only help the CWHL grow, as little girls grow up desiring to play on the teams they cheered for as children.

As Andress noted, the #HIGHFIVE4Girls campaign “gives young fans the chance to check out what the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is all about.”

The Clarkson Cup will be held at Centennial Arena in Markham, Ontario on March 4-7, 2015.