A small band of trailblazing female ice hockey players have struck a blow for women’s sports in the United States by signing up for the nation’s first professional league.
The fledgling National Women’s Hockey League began in mid-October, with four teams from Boston, New York, Buffalo and Connecticut playing each other in a season that runs until March.
For the time being, the NWHL is light years away from the glitz and glamour of its money-spinning male counterpart, the National Hockey League, where top teams are valued at over $1 billion (898 million euros) and stars like Sidney Crosby command annual salaries of up to $16.5 million.
Players in the NWHL mostly have not given up their day jobs, and are paid modest salaries ranging between $10,000 and $22,500.
And instead of sparkling, state-of-the-art, sold out sports arenas, teams play in more modest venues. The New York Riveters’ 7-1 defeat to the Boston Pride on Sunday took place in a former airfield hangar in front of 1,200 spectators.
Yet for the league’s founder, 28-year-old former college hockey player Dani Rylan, the humble beginnings represent a positive start.
Rylan is the public face of the organization, and proudly declares the league is on a sound financial footing.
“Everybody was saying: it’s a no-brainer,” Rylan told AFP about her idea to launch a league.
“It took a little convincing with some of the people that we needed to be on board. We’re fully funded for the whole first season.”
– Ticket target –
Aside from the initial investment, the league’s only other source of revenue comes from ticket sales.
The NWHL has targeted sales of 60,000 tickets this season, says NWHL spokesman Jake Duhaime.
“If we sell those tickets, we’ll make profit,” Duhaime said. Discussions are already under way with potential advertisers and television companies.
So far, NWHL matches have attracted an eclectic mix of seasoned hockey enthusiasts and curious neophytes.
“I’ve never watched a pro sports game before. Never had the chance,” said fan Laurine Lewis, contrasting the gulf in ticket prices between the NHL and NWHL.
“Tickets for a (New York) Rangers game are fairly expensive. Here, it’s 20 bucks,” she said. Brad Bonner, who brought around 30 girls aged between 10 and 16 to Sunday’s game in Brooklyn, said the professional players could serve as an inspiration.
“It’s very important for them to watch women play,” he said.
According to figures from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, hockey is the only team sport to have recorded an increase in the numbers playing the game since 2009, spiking 44 percent in the United States, a rise attributed to American silver medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
The NWHL’s first wave of players are keen to capitalize on the sport’s burgeoning popularity, acting as ambassadors for women’s hockey and readily obliging fans with selfies and autographs.
“I think this is the first time that we’ve really gotten interest, gotten people interested in the game, people wanting to come out and support us, and the first opportunity in the States at least to be professional athletes and get paid for what we’re doing, so it’s pretty special,” said New York Riveters forward Madison Packer.
Hilary Knight, one of the stars of the US national team who plays for Boston Pride, added: “Right now, it’s the highest competition that you can play in.”