Wicked Hockey

Aim

Engaging women in sport in a less pressured more flexible way to improve their mental and physical heath.

Women are still participating in sport far less that men. Women's participation in sport peaks between 16-29 (43%) and then participation declines significantly. This has been further exasperated by the Covid 19 pandemic with many women disengaging from sport and no longer wanting to commit to a competitive club. 

Women tell us being unable to commit to club expectations due to family or work commitments are the greatest barriers to their participation. Women also tell us that during lockdown some have become isolated and are suffering mental health issues. 

Wicked Hockey, a project by Instonians Ladies Hockey club, hope to engage women in sport in a less pressurised and more flexible way but still allowing for all the associated benefits of sport such as improved physical and mental health, fun and enjoyment, social inclusion and increase confidence and belonging. We want to build a community, providing a social space after games too with tea and coffee etc. to support our inclusion ethos. 

Much of our Wicked membership are women who used to play either in school or club (some as much as 35 years ago!) but we also have members brand new to the sport. Our members also include players who were starting to struggle to keep their commitment to club hockey and this allows them to continue playing rather than dropping out completely. 

We use female umpires and coaching staff as fewer than 21% of coaches across all sports in NI are female. Wicked Hockey provides an environment for females to grow in confidence, learn and have fun in a range of roles. Wicked Hockey is also a family affair with many members bringing along their daughters and getting the opportunity to play alongside them. This is a very special thing. 

Wicked hockey was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with many financial constraints we were unable to pursue our dream. With the many government restrictions fundraising activities were limited and there still remains a fundraising issue as we enter the winter when people are more cautious. Due to these fundraising pressures from the pandemic, the main club cannot afford to support this project alone, but with a little help from you we hope to grow our Wicked family and get women back playing sport. It would be the vision that Wicked would expand to further sports in the future. 

To help Wicked Hockey fulfil all of this we need help with funding, particularly for a goal keeping kit.  We are only starting out with this project so this is the most challenging part of our journey and we really hope you can support us, no matter how big or small. 

Let’s get our females active, fit, and sporty (Female Sports Forum NI, 2017)

Join the movement, donate NOW. 

Thank you, so much x

This project successfully funded on 16th December 2021