Manchester Storm have announced a groundbreaking partnership with sports CIC Her Game Too, becoming the first Elite League Ice Hockey club to do so.
Her Game Too is a campaign which aims to tackle sexism in sports by promoting inclusivity and diversity to create a safe and welcoming environment for players and fans, regardless of gender, background or ability.
The campaign has garnered wide success since its inception in 2021, with its initial focus on football now expanding to encompass cricket, rugby, gaming and ice hockey.
In 2023, Her Game Too became the international partner of Team GB Ice Hockey and Ice Hockey UK.
The partnership becomes the latest action from Manchester Storm in their efforts to promote diversity in ice hockey, after recently creating a women’s development team which supports young female players taking up the sport through their youth system.
In addition to this, Storm have announced that a fixture dedicated to the partnership will be played later on in the season, with details to be announced in the new year.
A huge step forward for ice hockey
Speaking about their collaboration with Her Game Too, Manchester Storm commercial manager Mark Noakes said: “Manchester Storm is delighted to become the first Elite Ice Hockey League team to partner with Her Game Too.
“We felt this would be a great partnership as we have so many female supporters within our fanbase and we want to ensure they feel represented at all times.
“As a club, we proactively promote and encourage women and girls to be supporters, to engage and play the sport and we are also proud to have two women as intrinsic members of our club’s management structure.
“The Manchester Storm Academy has an under-16s girls’ team, who are now in their second season, and our recently-established Women’s Development Team is going from strength to strength.
“It’s wonderful to watch these teams flourish and also see a growing number of young girls partaking in ice hockey sessions at the rink.
“Her Game Too is a fantastic organisation and we are looking forward to working with the campaign going forward.”
Rebecca Shaw, head of Her Game Too, added: “Partnering with Manchester Storm as our first Elite Ice Hockey League team is a huge step forward for Her Game Too Ice Hockey and we cannot wait to work with the club to promote the campaign.
“We hope to now see more teams follow in the footsteps of Manchester Storm and look forward to seeing Her Game Too Ice Hockey continue to grow.”
