Molson and PWHL boost player recognition
You’re going to notice a change to the jerseys Friday night if you are watching the PWHL tilt between Toronto and Montreal.
The player names normally found on the back of the jersey just below the shoulders will now be moved down to the bottom of the jersey in an effort to provide more visible recognition of the players themselves.
It’s the brainchild of Molson, who are dipping their toe in the PWHL sponsorship family with this particular initiative to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Too often those name plates are obscured by the hair of the player and, in moving their own sponsorship into that area and moving the player name to a more visible area, Molson ostensibly is covering its own name so the players’ can be seen.
“When we are thinking about women’s hockey in general and how they deserve the same recognition as their male counterparts, it was an easy decision to really make sure we are elevating their names,” said Kara Fitzpatrick, marketing director for Molson & Economy Brands.
“I played competitive hockey growing up, so on a personal level, this is one of the most impactful and more personally tied projects that I’ve worked on where I know the impact this can make and just as a business we feel the same way. We’ll happily hide our logo to elevate players the way that they should be.”
Natalie Spooner is one of those women whose name in the traditional acrossthe-shoulders area is often difficult to see with her long ponytail covering it up by times. Of couse, Spooner as the league’s leading goal scorer and as such is one of the most recognizable faces — and that’s beyond the exposure she regularly gets with her national team duties — but she sees great value in trying something like this.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Spooner said a day after potting her league-best 11th goal in Toronto’s 5-2 win over Ottawa. “In the past we have always kind of tried to think of ways that fans can connect with us more. The main thing has always be ‘Oh, we wear cages,’ but this is something that is so simple that maybe we didn’t think of this and Molson thought of it and brought this ‘See your name’ initiative to us.’”
More visible names is better for the individual and better for the league.
“I think it could be valuable for everyone,” Spooner said. “I think there are a lot of amazing ladies that in the past people haven’t been able to know about them and hear their stories. I know I felt that way in the CWHL. There were ladies who had full time jobs and people didn’t know what they did on the day-today basis.
“I think it’s pretty cool that hopefully everyone gets recognized. Already this league and where it has gotten to, there is already way more recognition and this will help take it one step further.”
As mentioned, this is just the first in what Molson hopes to be a series of initiatives as the two groups move forward with their multi-year sponsorship.
“Really at a high level we are looking to shine a spotlight on these players on international women’s day and really ensure we are bringing that visibility to some of these talented professionals,” Fitzpatrick said.