History of Female Hockey
Finding a better way
In 2014, Hockey Nova Scotia began a collaborative process to better improve the administration of female hockey in our province. After a period of consultation and feedback with our grassroots stakeholders across Nova Scotia, new female hockey zones were established in six regions of the province.
After the establishment of these six zones, a seventh zone was added in 2018, executive committees were formed in each of the regions to administer the female game. The executive committees were given autonomy to oversee the operation of female hockey within their boundaries.
These modifications to the Female Hockey framework and governance model were approved by the Hockey Nova Scotia board after consultations and meetings at the grassroots level around the province in 2014 and early 2015. They were adopted at the 2015 Hockey Nova Scotia Annual General Meeting.
A new hockey model
Female Council identified that the framework that was used by Minor Hockey (and its 15,000 players) was not working as well as it could for Female Hockey (and its 2,000 players). The 33 Minor Hockey Associations that Minor Hockey uses were streamlined to six Female Hockey regional zone committees to help improve this administration.
- to improve the administration of female hockey
- to get female hockey leagues up and running earlier in the season
- to get female players playing with and against other female players of a similar skill set
The goal of these changes to the governance structure was to provide an opportunity for these committees to work with the Hockey Nova Scotia Female Council (HNSFC) to one day form female hockey associations in their regions. Over the last five years, these committees have worked closely with HNSFC to achieve this goal.
Historic first
Beginning during the 2017-18 season, the Metro West Force Female Hockey Association became Hockey Nova Scotia’s first member association solely focused on female hockey. One year later the Metro East Inferno and the Valley Wild Female became the second and third Female Hockey Associations.
With the recent approval of the Cape Breton Blizzard and Fundy Highland Female Hockey Associations, HNS now recognizes five (5) FHAs and two (2) zone executive committees, Western Riptide and Quad Counties, that successfully administer female hockey in their respective regions throughout the province.
We are hopeful that we will soon have seven full-fledged FHAs across the province. We look forward to continuing to work to grow and promote the female game from one end of Nova Scotia to the other.