Community Partnerships
The Greater Toronto Hockey League is proud to have a number of community partnerships which focus specifically on improving culture, diversity, and inclusion throughout the League and hockey in the Greater Toronto Area. The ongoing community partnerships support the GTHL’s current implementation of its Strategic Plan, adopted by the GTHL Board of Directors in May 2021.
KIDSPORT ONTARIO
In September 2024, the GTHL and KidSport Ontario announced a partnership agreement for the 2024-25 season. The partnership will strive to assist young athletes in GTHL house league and competitive (‘AAA,’ ‘AA,’ ‘A’) programs in need of support by helping to remove financial barriers for new and current players.
HOCKEY EQUALITY
The GTHL and Hockey Equality announced a five-year partnership agreement in March 2022 that will further promote the shared values of working to remove barriers and foster life-long learning through the game of hockey.
Hockey Equality, a charity formed in 2021 and founded by GTHL and NHL alumnus Anthony Stewart, aims to make hockey more inclusive and accessible for all while simultaneously supporting programs that eliminate discrimination in hockey. Working to create sustainable programming designed to support BIPOC, female, LGBTQ2S+, and equity deserving youth is the ultimate goal for Stewart and his team.
In addition to offering their own programs, Hockey Equality brings together a network of existing programs working within their respective communities to provide resources to a larger population of players while maintaining the integrity of a successful outreach model.
The partnership will involve collaboration on nine objectives, including:
- Mentorship
- Education and Prevention
- Counselling and Intervention
- Hockey Equality acting as advisors to the GTHL and its organizations
- The inclusion of Hockey Equality’s Accountability Project
- Leadership Development (Coach and On-Ice Officials)
- Player Development
- Grassroots
- Sharing of facilities
NEWS
- GTHL, Hockey Equality announce five-year partnership (March 2022)
- North Toronto announces three-year partnership with Hockey Equality (March 2023)
- Toronto Red Wings announce three-year partnership with Hockey Equality (September 2023)
MLSE FOUNDATION: HOCKEY COACH EDUCATION PROGRAM
MLSE Foundation and Scotiabank launched the Hockey Coach Education Program to provide equitable opportunities for Black, Indigenous and other racialized youth across Ontario to obtain hockey coaching certifications and connect them to coaching positions in their community.
We are on a mission to change the game and make hockey a more inclusive, diverse, and accessible sport for players and coaches alike.To change the face of hockey, we are committed to providing opportunities for underrepresented youth to be involved in the game at the coaching level. Our aim is to improve representation in leadership positions to inspire a diverse generation of youth to engage in hockey. We will also provide pathways and connections for youth coaches to increase employment opportunities and facilitate community involvement through sport.
Through collaboration with the GTHL, the Hockey Coach Education Program provides youth coaches aged 16-29 with the opportunity to obtain Coach Level 1 certification at no cost to the participant. The GTHL also assists MLSE Foundation in connecting youth coaches to further education opportunities for those interested in obtaining Level 2 certification.
NEWS
- GTHL supports MLSE Foundation and Scotiabank’s Hockey Coach Education Program (November 2021)
- GTHL supports MLSE Foundation and Scotiabank’s Hockey Coach Education Program (May 2022)
- GTHL supports MLSE Foundation and Scotiabank’s Hockey Coach Education Program for third straight season (October 2023)
YOU CAN PLAY
The GTHL and You Can Play announced a three-year partnership agreement in August 2022 that will continue to create a space that is more inviting to 2SLGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, officials, and fans while simultaneously striving to be leaders beyond the sports world.
You Can Play – also known as the You Can Play Project – works to ensure the safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, including 2SLGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, and fans. You Can Play achieves this by creating a community of allies that is able to foster a true sense of belonging focusing on an individual’s skills, work ethic, and competitive spirit, rather than sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. You Can Play actively seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by developing a culture of respect in every player, coach, and fan.
The GTHL and You Can Play partnership focuses primarily on inclusion training for staff, coaches, officials, and players. Additionally, the partnership aims to create simple and easy to use activations and messaging to empower coaches, athletes, officials, and the League as a whole to embrace inclusivity and help move the needle on more safe locker rooms, arenas, and sport settings.
NEWS
- GTHL, You Can Play announce three-year partnership (August 2022)
- GTHL teams take in Steelheads game in support of You Can Play, GTHL Legacy Fund on Family Day (February 2023)
- You Can Play: Inclusion Basics (June 2023)
- Inclusion Not Exclusion: The GTHL and You Can Play (June 2023)