GROW THE GAME. A 10-year global initiative to add 1 million new players to our game GROW THE GAME

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1 A 10-year global initiative to add 1 million new players to our game

2 Our Mission As leaders in the sport, we have a responsibility to grow, advance and protect the game Launched in October 2012, Grow the Game is a global Bauer initiative to add 1 million new players to the game in 10 years

3 Our Approach At Bauer, developing world-class products starts with the player s needs and continues with a multi-year commitment to comprehensive research. We believe that same approach is required to create meaningful solutions to grow the game. With such a deep heritage and a historically low participation growth rate, our efforts started in Canada. In partnership with Hockey Canada, we explored why active, non-hockey families choose other sports over hockey. Through this research and an understanding of the barriers to play we can develop meaningful solutions designed to recruit new players into the sport worldwide.

4 The Research

5 Methodology Online survey of 875 Canadians across 2 provinces, Ontario and Nova Scotia Targeted parents of kids 4-16, who: have chosen not to play hockey play at least one organized sport per year Sample consisted of 200 immigrants from Southeast Asia, who had been in Canada longer than one year * Research conducted by GFK, an independent research firm based in Toronto. Research Director available upon request.

6 Summary of Findings 1. Growing the game is an achievable objective 73 percent of non-hockey parents would consider enrolling their kids in hockey in the future, with nearly 40 percent definitely considering enrollment 2. Non-hockey parents remain engaged in the sport and view the sport positively Almost half of non-hockey parents either watch or attend games, and have played in the past Many parents said hockey helps build character and life-skills for my child, a quality that was unique to hockey compared to other sports 3. Barriers to entry are consistent across the different regional and demographic groups No meaningful differences between generational Canadians and New Canadians Those parents who played hockey view the game more favorably than those who didn t, but they are also slightly more sensitive to key barriers than those who didn t play

7 Perceived Barriers to Entry 1. Hockey s not perceived to be fun Parents said the sport is too competitive and too intense with crazy hockey parents Nearly every other sport in this research, such as soccer and baseball, was described as fun by respondents 2. Hockey requires too much time commitment Many parents cited too much required travel and a commitment of three days per week Need to make available alternatives to high-level hockey. Programming should account for various levels of play and ways to sample the game similar to the different options available in other sports 3. Hockey s not perceived to be safe Parents do not perceive the sport as safe for their children to play, including a risk of concussion and a belief that the game promotes violent behavior Better education and awareness is necessary. For instance, approximately 80 percent of kids (ages 4-17) playing hockey in Canada play no-check 4. Hockey s not perceived to be affordable Parents cited the high costs of enrollment fees and equipment Entry-level players can get on the ice for approximately $300 - $400, and part of this program s goal is to better communicate these options

8 NET Organized The Competition Team sports that non-hockey children participate in annually 85 Soccer 60 (%) Basketball Baseball percent play soccer Ball/Floor Hockey 18 Approx. one-third play basketball Field Hockey Football Approx. one-third play baseball Volleyball 7 Lacrosse Ultimate Frisbee Rugby * During the year, what activities is your child involved in?

9 How Hockey s Perceived vs. Other Sports Ice Hockey Soccer Basketball Lacrosse Baseball Ball Hockey Snowboarding/ Skiing Provides a welcoming environment Helps build character /life-skills for my child Has strong role models for children to look up to Has a strong heritage Is fun to watch Provides a welcoming environment Is fun to watch Is easy to enroll in /sign up for Has competent coaching staff Is affordable to play Offers a variety ways to participate Is easy for a parent to teach Is fun to play Has a strong heritage Is easy to enroll in /sign up for Is a sport you play for life Is fun to watch Is safe for my child to play Is fun to play Is fun to watch Is a sport you play for life Hockey shows distinct drivers versus other sports. It helps build character, develop life-skills and has strong role models for children. Unlike the other sports, however, it s not considered fun. Some sports, such as basketball and baseball, are easy to enroll, which is a learning we need to apply to entry-level programs in hockey.

10 Size of Perceived Barriers Cost Safety Adults Involved Time Commitment Skills Program Knowledge 15% 14% 13% 12% 12% 12% *Other factors included in the list of approximately 50 choices totaled 22 percent. The above barriers were the largest factors.

11 Future Consideration 73 percent would consider enrolling their child in hockey & nearly 40% would definitely consider enrollment Definitely 38 Maybe 35 Not Sure 15 Probably Not 8 Definitely Not 4 * Would you consider enrolling your child in organized ice hockey program in the future?

12 Engagement & Consideration, New Canadians 40 percent of New Canadian adults watch and/or attend hockey games Urban Immigrant Suburban Immigrant Adult Child Nearly two-thirds of non-hockey New Canadian families would consider enrolling their child in the sport and 20 percent say they would definitely consider Barriers are consistent across groups *Would you consider enrolling your child in organized ice hockey program in the future? (Select one)

13 Key Perceived Barriers Of the 50 barriers, these were the key areas identified by respondents. Fun Safety Commitment Affordability Other parents are too competitive, intimidating, Other sports more fun Too focused on elite play My child didn t start early enough, couldn t keep up Even if it s house league, physical violence is still an issue Hockey has more concussions than other sports Too many games a week Too many practices a week Too much travel Runs into holidays Enrollment is too expensive Equipment is too expensive Enrollment is too difficult There are a lot of negative stories about hockey in the media Does not let me play other sports Game times are inconvenient

14 Open Ended Quotes from Parents He is afraid that he will not be able to handle the pressure from coaches if he can not keep up. Too much internal politics at the club level. If you are not part of the "clique", you do not get evaluated properly. We were never provided with a lot of information regarding hockey activities when my children were younger. Too expensive overall, and in general too big a timecommitment, extremely competitive. Hockey is too life consuming. Practice and games leave no time for anything else! No...hockey is taken far too seriously at far too young an age. Hockey doesn't let kids experiment with other sports simultaneously. The expectation is that kids will only pursue hockey at a very young age. Really aggressive parents at the rinks are a huge turn off. They set a bad example for the kids and make it intolerable for other parents.

15 The Solution

16 Hockey Initiation Program The Objective: Inspire participation by addressing the primary barriers to entry fun, safety, commitment and affordability. The Idea: Fun hockey initiation programs for new-to-hockey kids ages 4 8 that are easy to sign up for, affordable and less time commitment The Approach: Offer hockey in a different way. Focus on 4 pilot markets, 2 sessions per market (spring and fall). Measure success. Adjust program as appropriate and expand in Market the programs locally not in rinks but with schools and in local media

17 The Offering Facilitate positive on & off-ice experience for players and to make parents feel comfortable (Fun & Safety) Host fun enrollment days to facilitate sense of community Educational materials re: safe play and to educate parents 2 Sessions, 6 weeks/session, 1x/week Enrollment + Equipment = 1 price ($100) Keep the sticks/skates if you intend to sign up again next year; rest of the equipment stays with the association. (Accessibility) (Affordability) Minimal time investment Feels more approachable Allows for other family commitments & activities Bundle offer Low risk / Enables you to try before you buy Gifting sticks & skates encourages retention

18 The Markets Hamilton Rapid decrease in registration in downtown area reflective of worsening economic conditions Income gap between rich and poor in Ontario is at an all-time high Abundance of ice time available to service new programming Scarborough Hit hardest in GTHL region as it relates to participation decline More than half of city s residents are born outside Canada; the majority arriving in the last four decades South Asian & Chinese account for most prominent minority groups Yet only 10% of current hockey participants are immigrants

19 The Markets, cont d Halifax Small but consistent decline in registration over the past couple of years as younger families move out and the population base is changing Real desire to ensure hockey remains the No. 1 winter sport in largest urban centre East Hants One of the fastest growing rural municipalities in Nova Scotia With young families moving in, there s a desire to ensure programs are in place to attract them to the sport

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