Hockey Canada Introduces ‘Minimum Attire Policy’ To Protect Minors

Summary

• Hockey Canada has come out with a new minimum attire dressing room policy
• Minor hockey players will now have to wear a minimum layer before entering a dressing room
• The new policy has drawn a mixed reaction from different stakeholders

Hockey Canada has come out with a new minimum attire dressing room policy for the 2023-2024 season. The new minimum attire dressing room policy will require minors to wear a minimum layer before entering a dressing room. This policy will be enforced by coaches who will also have to conform to the new policy.

Minimum Layer Clothing Now Required

Minors will now have to ensure they are wearing a sports bra, swimsuit or a compression shorts when they are using the open showers. This minimum base layer will be required when they enter a dressing room. This policy will govern all minors U-18.

Hockey Canada wants minors to enter a private shower using minimum attire and also change into their clothing after in a private dressing room. This policy was rolled out with the intention of creating inclusive, safe and equitable dressing room environments which provides team spaces for everyone.

In a statement, Hockey Canada said

Hockey Canada recognizes the physical limitations of some facilities and encourages associations to work creatively and proactively, using an athlete-focused, ethical and values-based approach, with local facility management to ensure that appropriate and equivalent dressing environments are available to all participants who would prefer not to get dressed in the team dressing room.

New Policy Gets Mixed Reactions

The new policy from Hockey Canada has so far drawn mixed reactions from stakeholders and the hockey community at large. Kevin Kobelka, President for Hockey Calgary said the new policy was not communicated to his organization by Hockey Canada or Hockey Alberta.

Kristi Allain, sociology professor at St. Thomas University said she was puzzled by the new policy from Hockey Canada and wonder what they were trying to do. 

In a statement, Allain said

I think we have to ask serious questions about ‘why? If a community, the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, is asking for this, then we should have it. But if these communities have not asked for this, then I think we have to wonder if this is just a distraction from some of the really actual hard, hard changes that are going to need to happen to make hockey a safe place for women, for LGBTQ people, for racialized folks.