True Sport

Field Hockey Canada is committed to making True Sport a priority. As a long standing True Sport member, Field Hockey Canada most recently hired a True Sport Manager, Jenn Beagan, to focus on intentionally and consistently activating True Sport and creating safe, positive, inclusive, welcoming, and fulfilling sport experiences.

“The activation of the True Sport Principles is how we create a safe sport environment and a positive field hockey culture,” said Jenn. “True Sport focuses on what you can do. It is a positive, proactive, unified approach achieved through a commitment to living the True Sport Principles.”

Jenn recommends that those who are looking to activate True Sport in their own organization should have a clear vision and set of values to follow and then consistently communicate those values.

“Field Hockey Canada is committed to managing by their identified values: Integrity, Fun, Accountability, Teamwork, Respect and Transparency, and by living the True Sport Principles. By allowing our values to lead, we can ensure that all decisions and actions taken by our organization contribute to a positive, principle-driven sport culture, from executive boardroom to field of play,” said Jenn.

This year, Field Hockey Canada decided to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and launched a
social campaign called #FHCSheCan to feature stories of female athletes, coaches, administrators, volunteers, and support staff, and showcase the accomplishments of women and girls involved in field hockey.

“As per the True Sport Principle of ‘Include Everyone,’ we are working to make sure field hockey is visible, accessible and exciting for female-identifying participants. By featuring these stories within our community, our hope is to motivate and empower girls to start playing and stay involved,” explained Jenn.

Field Hockey Canada’s commitment to True Sport is evident in their goals for the future. They plan to expand the presence of True Sport in field hockey and increase communication about it to their stakeholders.

“We will be rolling out a comprehensive True Sport Framework that will include guidelines to support organizations, as well as individuals in building True Sport into their programs,” said Jenn. “We will be updating the True Sport area of our website to include resources that address policy, education/access, and advocacy/culture in a variety of topics such as Safe Sport, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, and Health and Wellness.”

“It is our goal to continue to work with our stakeholders to plan, build, and implement programing that supports our mission to create fun field hockey experiences in Canada, and to lead a system that reaches all our communities across the country.”