Tavistock denied girls hockey team but vows to keep fighting

Tavistock is a hockey town but, right now, there’s no girls team in the community.

Girls who want to play hockey are forced to join a boys team, or play in a nearby city with an established girls program, like Stratford or Woodstock.

“When the idea came about that we might be able to have a team, we were all very excited,” said Jeff Lafleur.

He coaches his daughter, along with five other girls, on a co-ed team in Tavistock.

“For them to have the opportunity to continue their hockey careers here was really an awesome thing that we thought we were going to be able to do,” Lafleur added.

The process started in January 2023, with nine local girls entering the U13 age group.

They thought the timing was right.

“Because we had enough girls to do it – we had the perfect amount – and we are going to lose a couple to girls hockey in Stratford, and they would have liked to stay together as friends,” explained Deanna Boomer, a parent to one of the girls playing in Tavistock.

A team would be good for the players, and parents argue, a local team is also much better for them.

“You have a daughter and a son, they want to play in the same town, [so] you want to play in the same arena,” said Jen Mckee, the vice president of Tavistock Minor Hockey.

She explained that parents of female hockey players are often forced to drive their kids to different arenas in different communities in order to play.

The group sent a formal request to the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA).

At first, they heard nothing back. Then, they were denied.

“I didn't get an answer for months and months and then we basically just got a letter saying it would negatively impact others,” said Mckee.

The communication from the OWHA, she added, was sparse and detached.

“No name, no nothing. No personal contact.”

The letter from the OWHA said starting a team in Tavistock “would negatively impact those female programs currently operating in this area.”

According to OWHA President Fran Rider, their focus is on making sure they have strong stable teams in the larger geographic area. Before approving new teams, she added, they ask nearby organizations if it would threaten their viability.

“We've got existing membership and when we get an application for new membership, there's a form that is submitted. We send in the form to the associations that are currently in place in the area to determine the impact on their organizations,” Rider explained.

Based on the feedback the OWHA received, they decided to deny the team.

The decision left many in Tavistock disappointed.

“[I] think it's not a very valid reason,” said Mckee. “The Woodstock Wildcats had have six U13 girls’ teams and Stratford has three U13 girls’ teams, so I highly doubt that one Tavistock team would impact them at all.”

Coach Jeff Lafleur worries the decision could cause some players to leave the game.

“Girls tend to quit sports much sooner than boys, and I think that one of the big reasons is there's just not enough places for them to play. I think that, given the opportunity to have girls hockey in their hometown, it would draw more people in.”

Despite their disappointment, Mckee said they’ll try again next year to establish a girls team in Tavistock.