Courtesy: Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella/Huskie Athletics

By Wray Morrison

2024 U Sports women's hockey

More demand for women’s sport on campus

Mar 25, 2024 | 3:12 PM

Women’s sport continues to climb to new heights in North America. Fans of all ages and genders have not just accepted but have embraced the surge. The new 6-team Professional Women’s Hockey League has been a tremendous success in its inaugural season and women’s collegiate basketball has garnered increased attention on both sides of the border.

Women are also playing prominent roles in major sports leagues like never before. Fanarch.com reports that there are eight women referees in the NBA, while hockey greats such as Manon Rheaume and Hayley Wickenheiser hold down major positions with NHL hockey teams. While women are still underrepresented in many spaces in sport, there is reason for optimism about the trajectory.

The passion for the product is alive and well at the U of S campus with Huskie Athletics. In February, the first ever Women of Influence Breakfast, assisting in scholarship funding for the women’s sports programs at the University of Saskatchewan, was a huge success. This annual event will only grow in popularity.

Huskie Athletics also hosted the 2024 GFL U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championships, presented by Connect Energy, in March in front of huge crowds at the state-of-the-art Merlis Belsher Place. The community and corporate support for the event was impressive. The building was at 98% capacity for the U of S opener against Concordia on March 14^th and momentum continued from there with new attendance records being set.

“Fans in the stands were saying how they are going to get Huskie tickets for next year”, said tournament chair, EJ Babey from Connect Energy. “When you host in a building like this, it makes a massive difference. The feedback was that we have a world class facility, and we have world class people. We are going to grow women’s hockey at the U of S, that is going to bring in more sponsorship.”

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Nutrien served as the title sponsor for the awards banquet prior to the event in Saskatoon. “We appreciated having this opportunity to reinforce our commitment to women’s leadership with an engaged audience of potential future Nutrien employees”, said Senior Manager, Talent and Employee Experience, Andrea Zablocki. “The championship’s theme of “SEE THEM, BE THEM” spoke to our shared belief that representation matters. There is incredible value in amplifying the voices of women leaders, highlighting their accomplishments, and showcasing opportunities for women in sport and the agriculture industry.”

Hockey fans from across the country heard and watched the championships with intense interest. The spike in listenership and sponsorship on Pattison Media’s HuskieFAN app illustrated the excitement of the event. “Having a team (the Huskies) compete in the national championships added another layer of excitement for us,” said HuskieFAN Project Manager, Tyler Kinash. “It just shows that we (Pattison Media) were on to something in this partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, years prior. We were ahead of our time!”

CBC and Radio-Canada streaming numbers were up 81% over the previous season and TVA Sports reported that the 2024 event at the U of S campus recorded its highest ratings in the history of the championships.

These are just some of the indicators that point to an engaged and excited fan base who can’t wait for athletes return to competition for the 2024-25 season.

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wray.morrison@pattisonmedia.com

X/@wraymorrison