skip navigation

Gear Up Minnesota! Sparks Growth

By Minnesota Hockey, 11/05/13, 1:00PM CST

Share

In 2010, Minnesota Hockey, Total Hockey and the Minnesota Wild Foundation joined forces to introduce an equipment grant program called Gear Up Minnesota!. Since then, Gear Up Minnesota! has become the largest program of its kind in the US, donating over 1,400 sets of starter equipment to 91 unique associations in just three years.

Gear Up Minnesota! has played a major role in the recruiting and retention activities across the state by enabling local hockey associations to attract new players and make hockey more accessible.  Each set of starter equipment provides boys and girls ages four to nine with a hockey bag, helmet, breezers, gloves, elbow and shin pads, significantly reducing the start-up costs for families that are new to hockey.

Mustangs Moving Forward

The Mounds View Youth Hockey Association (MVYHA) received ten sets of equipment this summer and has already started seeing positive results. Their Learn to Skate program, which is geared towards players ages five to eight, grew to 40 skaters which is up over 40% from the 28 that participated in 2012.

“We used the free equipment as an incentive and opportunity to recruit new hockey families,” said Jim DeMay, a MVYHA Board Member that plays a large role in their membership development efforts.  “We promoted the idea of free equipment and try hockey at our schools, community events and our try hockey days.”

One of the biggest benefits that MVYHA has noticed so far is the effect the Gear Up Minnesota! equipment has had on nontraditional families. Those families are often the most difficult to get involved as they don’t have a background in the sport and can be weary of its perception as an expensive sport. They are also some of the most coveted families, as they represent the most significant opportunity for an association to grow.

“I don’t think they have a real sense of what hockey costs,” said DeMay.  “All they hear is hockey is really expensive.  When they hear they can get $200 worth of free equipment and our learn to skate program is eight sessions for $90, it’s demystifying to people. It helped us get them comfortable with what hockey actually costs.”

That was another thing that stood out to DeMay. Gear Up Minnesota! really helped their marketing and communication efforts. Whether it was the initial award or the raffle they advertised for the actual use of the equipment, the equipment gave them something to promote. And since everyone seems to love free stuff, more people paid attention to what they were communicating.

“We were a success,” said DeMay. “These kids were just genuinely thrilled to get the equipment. And the parents really loved it. I would encourage every association to apply for the grants.  It really kick started our efforts this year, and it paid off.” 

The Falls Keeps Fighting

International Falls is a town with storied hockey tradition. Its total of seven Minnesota State High School Hockey Championships are tied for the second most with Roseau and Eveleth. Lately, the youth hockey association has doing everything they can to maintain their numbers as their local economy has faced significant job losses.

“Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when we had another part of the mill running, we had 4,000 more people in town,” said Mike Podpeskar, President of International Falls Rec Hockey Association. “We’ve lost a lot of folks. And the other thing is people don’t have five kids anymore. People have one or two kids these days. In a small town, that hurts your numbers.”

That has forced the association to put a major emphasis on membership development and retention. For them, the first step has always been to keep the costs down. Through various fundraisers and the support of the community, International Falls has been able to keep their fees among the lowest in the state.

Last fall, the association found another way to increase interest in playing hockey: Gear Up Minnesota!. International Falls was awarded 20 sets of equipment through the grant program. By advertising the availability of the equipment in their local paper, they were able to grow their Mite program by over 20 skaters, one of their largest single year jumps on record.

“I think it helps,” said Podpeskar on the ability to offer families the starter sets of equipment at no cost. “I really do.  We are going to continue offering free gear.”

International Falls hopes to restore some of its hockey glory by focusing on building its foundation of younger players. The equipment provided by the Gear Up Minnesota! grant program will continue to play a key role, and if the local job situation improves, the Broncos could once again find themselves skyrocketing to the top of the hockey landscape.

Apply now for Gear Up Minnesota! grant for the 2013-2014 season! The application deadline is February 28, 2014. Equipment grants will be awarded in the spring and delivered prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.

Most Popular