A future where hockey is for everyone
After years working to transform the culture of hockey from within, we realized we could accelerate change through a dedicated organization. The Future of Hockey Lab was created to be a community-first vehicle that carries the energy from previous consultations and projects forward. With not-for-profit status, we are poised to take the work of making hockey more inclusive and accessible to new horizons.
Our journey
The motivation for the Future of Hockey Lab was inspired by the work of Hockey Nova Scotia’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. Hundreds of people offered countless ideas on how to reimagine hockey, yet there was no mechanism to act on this. We realized that despite a solid understanding of the issues and strong desire for change, what was required was dedicated action. These ideas needed space to grow. Diversity of thought is vital. And we need to push for more innovative, even disruptive, solutions.
We wanted to create an organization that supports people (inside and outside of hockey) who have an interest in reimagining hockey. This led to a lab process that develops innovative ideas, tests them “on the ground” in hockey associations and communities, then modifies the ideas to improve uptake in specific communities and across Canada.
Moving forward
The Future of Hockey Lab is just getting started. From our early days, great promise emerged from our first cohort of changemakers, where lessons and insights unearthed compelling ideas and strategies that will inform our work moving forward. We are now developing new cohorts of changemakers and building ongoing collaborations with our diverse groups of partners.
The story of the Future of Hockey Lab will continue to be written as the work evolves.
Hockey faces many barriers. Registration is down in the last decade, first generation Canadians have little interest in the game and the competition from other sports, such as basketball, soccer, and tennis is intense.
The GTHL transition game
