For the first time since 1988, Tsuut’ina Nation has a female U11 team competing in the Hockey Calgary league. The Tsuut’ina 7 Chiefs U11 Female team reached the milestone through a pilot project with Hockey Calgary, giving young players the opportunity to compete together in regular season league play.
The team celebrated its inaugural regular season home opener with a ceremony that brought hockey, culture, and community together.
The ceremony featured a prayer from an Elder, an honour song performed by local singers, traditional dancers on the ice, a gift exchange between the two teams, and a ceremony puckdrop. Representatives from Hockey Calgary and Girls Hockey Calgary were also in attendance to welcome the team to the league.
For Tsuut’ina Hockey Program Director Kyle Dodginghorse, the occasion represented more than the start of a hockey game. It was a celebration of the work that has gone into creating opportunities for young female players across the Nation. Dodginghorse oversees hockey development programs for youth in Tsuut’ina Nation, working to introduce more children to the sport and create opportunities for them to continue playing.
Over the years, the players competed through different associations, including Girls Hockey Calgary and Southwest, before coming together at the end of each season for tournaments such as Native Provincials and Alberta Street Hockey.
As participation continued to grow, Dodginghorse began looking at the numbers and saw an opportunity to take the next step.
“We have a pretty big demographic of girls playing, right from U7 to U21. We’re a community of about 2,500 people, but close to 200 of them are youth hockey players. That’s about 10% of our population, and of those 200, there are probably 60 to 70 female hockey players.” he said.
Dodginghorse hopes that seeing the team compete will encourage more girls to give hockey a try, whether they are watching from the stands, hearing about the team at school, or seeing their friends take the ice.
With participation continuing to grow, Dodginghorse hopes to see additional teams enter league play in the coming seasons, potentially creating more opportunities for both female and male players from Tsuut’ina Nation.
The success of the U11 Female team demonstrates what can happen when community leadership, grassroots programming, and partnerships come together to support young athletes.
Through the dedication of community leaders, families and young athletes, Tsuut’ina Nation is helping grow the game and create more opportunities for the next generation to play.
