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over a year ago when @PWHPA was announced, i wrote about how they could use @PremierLacrosse as a blueprint for success https://www.theicegarden.com/2019/5/7/18531465/using-the-premier-lacrosse-league-as-a-blueprint-for-the-game-pll-hilary-knight-paul-rabil
So far I’ve been disappointed, but I still think it’s possible. That being said, they’re running out of time. This time next year all or most of the biggest PWHPA names will be in centralization for the Olympics.
Like the PLL, the PWHPA adopted a touring format for a handful of teams. However that’s where the similarities end. To achieve something like the success the PLL has had, here’s a few things they need to do:
Commit to the PWHPA, all the way, not as a stopgap non-profit while we wait for the NHL to cave (assuming they ever will, which is increasingly unlikely every day).
Form a corporation- a for profit corporate entity, not another 501(c)6. Put people on the board who know hockey as players, and people who know sports as business- people like BJK and Hefford, but people like the Pegulas (yes, even them) and Ruggiero (MBA from Harvard) too.
Brand your teams. Really brand them. They can still be named after your sponsors and can still have sponsor names on them but give them real logos. Stop with the same-jerseys-in-different-colors thing and make the ponytail logo a shoulder patch. Sell shirseys.
Either ignore the NWHL entirely or hire a PR person or firm that understands the situation and can make your organization look professional.
Stop welcoming players into your organization who will never play. Let them make the team before you announce them instead of letting DIII and USports kids get excited about joining and then cutting them and telling them they can coach your clinics to stay involved.
Be transparent about everything- how much money each sponsor is giving, how much money players get (in winnings, in gear, in travel and hotel expenses).
Use your clout and leverage to secure a TV or streaming deal, even a modest one. Remember, the NWSL started on the damn Lifetime channel. Use that clout to secure investors, not just sponsors who get a tax cut for donating 100k to your non-profit.
Hire qualified coaches. Hire former women’s players, former men’s players, people who have coached, at minimum, NCAA level hockey, if not pro (in the US and/or abroad).
The PLL is owned by the players- they get a share in the company. The PWHPA might be able to do that, or sell shares to fans like the Packers. There are a lot of options- I’m not a corporate attorney so I can’t give direct advice- but a real corporate attorney could
...which leads me to: have real staff. Have operations staff. Have your own PR and Comms professionals. The sport is rife with young, graduating, incredible talent who would trip over themselves to create and manage content for that brand.
It’s a long list. It’s hard work. Much harder work than tweeting and waiting. But it’s worth it and it sends a much better, stronger message: women can do this, they can do it themselves, and they can do it well. They just have to want to. Decide to do it and really DO it.
As an addendum, to be extra clear, none of this is legal advice. Please hire an attorney to help you if you personally are reading this and wondering if you should incorporate.
