Exclusive game-worn jersey partner outfitting fans with authentic collections since 2016
BOSTON, MA – (November 18, 2022) – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced a partnership extension with MeiGray (MGG) for the 2022-23 season. Since 2016, the industry-leading sports memorabilia source has been the exclusive game-worn partner of the PHF, providing fans the unique opportunity to purchase authentic jerseys worn by PHF players.
“For seven seasons, MeiGray has helped the PHF and its athletes connect with our passionate fans in a truly special way that captures and celebrates the history of professional women’s hockey,” said Jim Pfeifer, PHF Chief Marketing Officer. “We’re excited to continue growing the new era of the PHF with partners like MeiGray who share our goal of strengthening fan engagement with one-of-a-kind experiences and offerings that distinguish the PHF from others in sport.”
Game-worn jerseys from all seven teams competing in the PHF’s eighth season can be pre-ordered, exclusively through MeiGray, with available inventory at MeiGray.com. Specialty-themed jerseys will also be auctioned throughout the season, along with collections from the 2023 PHF All-Star Showcase and 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs, including goal pucks, at MeiGrayAuctions.com. Details on any specialty or charity auctions will be provided by individual teams at later dates.
“We believe company investment, visibility and marketing is key to growing the women’s game and helping it realize its full potential, and MeiGray will continue to put its full energy and resources behind the PHF bringing its hallmark offering to the sport,” said Dave Meisel, MeiGray’s PHF Program Director. “MeiGray was the first company in the game-worn space to offer customers the chance to purchase a jersey and watch the player wearing it in game action – as we say at MeiGray, ‘It’s your jersey, the player’s just wearing it.’
“Our hybrid retail/auction format with PHF jerseys has become tried-and-true, and we’re thrilled with the growth of interest we’ve seen in the league in terms of both retail purchasing and auction bidding,” added Meisel. “For example, the 2022 Isobel Cup Playoffs Goal Puck auction was the most successful of its kind to date.”
MeiGray works directly with the PHF and its teams to monitor jersey inventory beginning with manufacturer orders prior to the season. MeiGray catalogues jerseys throughout the season and uniquely numbers each garment with its authentication tags to ensure the jerseys customers receive are 100% authentic and game-worn. MeiGray’s authenticators and researchers monitor every game that every jersey is worn in, and also examines all jerseys upon receiving them to ensure the jerseys match the ones worn in games. All jerseys, produced by K1 Sportswear, feature the beautiful crests, team logos, tackle twill names and numbers that fans have grown to know and love.
Earlier this season, MeiGray introduced a Game-Used Equipment Program that features Metropolitan Riveters captain Madison Packer and Toronto Six goaltender Carly Jackson. The exclusive partnership provides fans the opportunity to own items such as helmets, gloves, and sticks used by two of the league’s stars.
About MeiGray
MeiGray was formed by Barry Meisel and Bob Gray, two sports memorabilia collectors from New Jersey who met in January 1997 trading game-worn hockey jerseys. MeiGray began selling jerseys worn by professional athletes to the sports-collecting public in August 1997.
Most of the game-worn jerseys MeiGray offers come directly from the pro sports teams with which it signs working agreements. Every jersey MeiGray sells is registered into The MeiGrade System, the exclusive registry MeiGray created to track and protect the authenticity of game-worn jerseys. It is the game-worn memorabilia industry’s most powerful stamp of approval.
About the Premier Hockey Federation
The PHF is the home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and provide opportunities for elite athletes to earn a living playing the game they love while fueling the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. As part of a two-year agreement with ESPN, live coverage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 PHF seasons is available exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and provides international rights for games which includes TSN in Canada. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.
