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Equality and diversity are already strong values in Norske Backer, who are proud that KIL Ice Hockey is working to involve more girls and women in the sport. "We had a senior women's team until this season, but this year we faced challenges because we couldn't field enough players for a women's team," says Christer "Chirre" Eriksson, the general manager.
"There is interest among parents to restart a girls' team in KIL Ice Hockey. This is something we hope will create interest among other girls, which in turn will result in a senior women's team in a few years," explains Stian Wangen, marketing manager for KIL Ice Hockey.
It is important for the organization to collaborate with the local business community to keep the membership fees low, so that more people have the opportunity to join and try the sport. "I completely agree with this, and it is one of the main reasons why we at Norske Backer want to sponsor local sports and activities. It should be easy for everyone to participate in an activity," says sales and marketing manager Stian Gundersen. "A healthy and active local community provides both health and social benefits and prevents social exclusion!"
Getting more girls involved
"We at Norske Backer are committed to inclusion and therefore also care about the diversity work of the organizations we sponsor," says Oda Beate Lerheim, sustainability manager and marketing coordinator. KIL Ice Hockey is working towards exactly this. "We try to facilitate more diversity, including with a girls' day last year, a tournament for all girls' teams in Norway, and a combined team for several girls one day a week," Wangen explains.
Statistics from The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports show a gender disparity in hockey. According to figures from 2023, there are approximately 20,000 registered players in Norway, of which only around 4,000 are women. This underscores the need for initiatives like KIL Ice Hockey's to promote gender balance in the sport.
General manager "Chirre" explains that the organization has initiated a new focus on girls. "This is something we see as the future, and there is a strong desire within the club to eventually have a senior women's team," he explains. "We currently only have one girls' team, and that is a girls' U9 team. Since KIL Ice Hockey does not have enough girls for various age-specific teams, some girls play on other boys' teams." The club hopes that ice hockey will eventually become the first choice for girls in Kongsvinger, and they are continuously working on recruiting both girls and boys. "We hope that by doing this, we are planting seeds for the future in terms of getting more girls involved," explains "Chirre".
Opportunities for girls to develop in the sport are improving. At the moment, we do not have any sports schools here in Kongsvinger like NTG or Wang for girls, as this requires a certain number of girls, something "Chirre" hopes will come in a few years. "Today, we have several schools in Norway that offer opportunities for girls, and play in the top women's division – the Bambusa League," he explains. "We have had, and still have, several girls from Kongsvinger who play in this league and attend schools in various cities."
Diversity and equality are important!
KIL Ice Hockey includes Ukrainian children who have been registered as residents of Kongsvinger and who have played hockey in Ukraine. They have also applied for support funds to include more children from Ukraine who needed leisure activities to participate in. "We received some funds and were able to support with equipment and various other things," says "Chirre". "It can be quite expensive with equipment and fees, and unfortunately, many drop out because of this. For example, skates for 2000 NOK for a 5-year-old," elaborates Sunnqvist. "Bua has a great offer where people can borrow equipment, so that people can try it out without buying expensive equipment."
«Backer has a philosophy of sponsoring the local community due to the social aspect, and therefore it is important that these funds are properly distributed in a diverse environment," explains Stian Gundersen. Senior team player Sean Michel Sunnqvist says that it is important for everyone to find a place to belong, which is why local sports at different levels are important. "If you have more sports, you have room for more people. Not everyone likes to do the same thing; some like hockey, others like dancing or gymnastics. And finding a sport that keeps you active provides very good health benefits in the long run," Sunnqvist points out.
KIL Ice Hockey is committed to making everyone feel welcome and at home in the sport. "The more, the merrier, a bit like NIFs vision 'joy of sports for everyone'," says Stian Wangen. Wangen and Sunnqvist do not see any negatives in having greater diversity in the sport. "Hockey is for everyone, and as a sport, it is about healthy values. It doesn't matter if you are a woman or a man, whether you are straight or homosexual, or what nationality you are. We just want children to have a place to belong and participate," Sunnqvist elaborates.
Like having 20 dads
Sunnqvist continues to talk about the great environment in the sport. "I fell in love with hockey because of the environment, it was like having 20 dads, because everyone supported each other. So I decided that this would be my job, and that's how I lived for 15 years." He further explains that being active and competing, and feeling like he was in a family environment, made him fall in love with the sport, even though he was quite bad as a young boy. "I had an amazing coach, who was strict and almost a bit scary, but we also loved him because he was so pedagogical. Even though I was bad, he saw me at every single practice. He built me up, gave me the motivation to persevere," Sunnqvist continues.
The goals of KIL Ice Hockey
The entire club is an organization, which makes us a bit different. "We want to build a healthy foundation, building brick by brick. We shouldn't rush to win, but take it gradually," explains Stian Wangen. "Children are the most important, youth are the most important, the senior team is the most important." Wangen and Sunnqvist agree that it is just as important for the children to win as it is for the adults to win immediately. There is an important focus in the organization that if a lot of resources are focused on the senior team, it should not affect anyone else but the senior team itself. They must cover their own costs.
"We want to be a development club, so our goal is to develop players," explains Wangen. He further explains that many are now coming to Kongsvinger because of NTG, along with many local players. "So if we manage to develop them and send them on to the elite series, we have succeeded," he points out. They can also boast about having succeeded with several women in the sport. "Kongsvinger has developed many good women who have gone on to the national team and other major clubs in Norway," Wangen and Sunnqvist conclude.