photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Andrea Cardin
HER – networking and mentoring platform for women in coaching
Even though women’s hockey has taken big strides in recent years, and even though there’s even a female coach in the NHL, progress takes time. While half the teams – Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and the US – at the under-18 Women’s World Championship have female head coaches, at the 2024 Women’s Worlds in Utica the number of female head coaches was one. Czechia’s Carla MacLeod was the lone woman among men.
A casual conversation about the small number of female coaches behind the benches sparked another one. And today, half year later, the IIHF launches HER, a networking and mentoring platform for female coaches.
“The lack of female coaches is a real issue everywhere and we wanted to offer support to our membership. That’s why we created HER, a network for female coaches. We know from camps and other events that we’ve organized that woman-to-woman communication is just different. We know it works,” says Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, IIHF Women’s Program Manager. “What’s important to remember is that it’s not a place where you’ll find drills, HER is a mentoring, networking and life coaching network.”
A casual conversation about the small number of female coaches behind the benches sparked another one. And today, half year later, the IIHF launches HER, a networking and mentoring platform for female coaches.
“The lack of female coaches is a real issue everywhere and we wanted to offer support to our membership. That’s why we created HER, a network for female coaches. We know from camps and other events that we’ve organized that woman-to-woman communication is just different. We know it works,” says Blanka Elekes Szentagotai, IIHF Women’s Program Manager. “What’s important to remember is that it’s not a place where you’ll find drills, HER is a mentoring, networking and life coaching network.”
HER - Coaching Network
The old axiom is “if you see it, you can be it.” A network like HER was created so that more female coaches will not only see others, but also interact with them.
“If I see there’s a path, I can set goals and plan my career. Sometimes it’s scary to be the first one and it can be hard to convince even yourself about your ability, especially if the environment makes it difficult for women to operate,” says Marta Zawadzka, IIHF Council Member and Poland’s women’s teams GM.
A network’s true value is always in its members. The more, not only merrier, but also more supportive, and more useful. HER registration goes online during the WW18 in Vantaa, a soft launch supported by HER ambassadors.
“Right now, there will be a registration form, and a link to join the network. While we have a few ambassadors, we don’t want this to become a hierarchical system, but instead the ambassadors’ role is to share their experiences and spread the word,” Elekes Szentagotai says.
The IIHF has set up the platform but the members will be encouraged to utilize it according to their needs.
“We hope that there will be regional groups, individually organized get-togethers to watch hockey, or other networking events,” she adds.
HER will be officially launched during the Women’s Worlds in April.
“If I see there’s a path, I can set goals and plan my career. Sometimes it’s scary to be the first one and it can be hard to convince even yourself about your ability, especially if the environment makes it difficult for women to operate,” says Marta Zawadzka, IIHF Council Member and Poland’s women’s teams GM.
A network’s true value is always in its members. The more, not only merrier, but also more supportive, and more useful. HER registration goes online during the WW18 in Vantaa, a soft launch supported by HER ambassadors.
“Right now, there will be a registration form, and a link to join the network. While we have a few ambassadors, we don’t want this to become a hierarchical system, but instead the ambassadors’ role is to share their experiences and spread the word,” Elekes Szentagotai says.
The IIHF has set up the platform but the members will be encouraged to utilize it according to their needs.
“We hope that there will be regional groups, individually organized get-togethers to watch hockey, or other networking events,” she adds.
HER will be officially launched during the Women’s Worlds in April.