On September 7th, one of the professional hockey leagues in North America went through a brand rename. The National Women’s Hockey League (founded in 2015) changed its organization’s name to the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). This decision was made in order to represent players and their talents regardless of their gender. And while the NWHL was already inclusive with who gets to play in their league and how they treat their fans, the goal of the PHF rebrand is to be able to expand the league into more locations and communities and to make players and fans feel more included and empowered, regardless of gender.
Personally, I feel that this was a great decision by the Premier Hockey Federation. The name rebrand and what the league stands for mean so much to me. As a fan of the National Hockey League (NHL), it can be discouraging at times seeing that certain communities aren’t celebrated or aren’t appreciated as they should be, but with the PHF, everyone is welcomed and the league makes sure to recognize and appreciate fans and players of all backgrounds. Plus, I believe that with the direction the league is going, dropping the title of ‘women’ proves how committed the league is to inclusion and diversity. For example, the NWHL was inclusive with transgender players and making them feel represented and comfortable, but now with the name change, the PHF can hopefully do the same for its non-binary players. I cannot wait to see how the Premier Hockey Federation grows and continues to be a role model for future generations of hockey players and fans around the world.