The Dallas Stars continue to make strides in growing the sport of hockey at the grassroots level in North Texas. The Stars have teamed up with OneGoal, a North American nonprofit whose mission is to grow the sport of hockey by building awareness of the positive aspects of the game, and helping to break-down the barriers of entry into the sport. OneGoal’s membership includes the National Hockey League, the National Hockey League Player’s Association, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada and the International Hockey Industry Association, as well as hockey rinks and retailers. The organization’s goal is to increase youth hockey participation by 15 percent over three years, targeting four- to eight-year-old boys and girls across North America.
OneGoal’s efforts are right up the Dallas Stars’ alley, which has been promoting the growth of youth hockey since coming to North Texas in 1993. One great example is the “Kids First” program in which allows kids age four to eight to try hockey for free. This program is specifically designed for kids that have never been on the ice.
The Stars are very excited about this new partnership with OneGoal. The organization will be a huge asset in helping spread the word about the greatness of hockey. There were only 500 kids playing hockey when the Stars arrived in 1993. Now there are close to 6,000. The plan is grow that number even bigger.
OneGoal chose the Dallas market as their first test market in North America to roll out their marketing campaign designed to attract young skaters to the sport of hockey. The campaign aired mid August through early September.
“We’re proud to be connected to such a committed organization like OneGoal,” said Keith Andresen, director of hockey programs for the Dallas Stars/Dr Pepper StarCenters. “We want to introduce youth in and around the Dallas area to a game that we are truly passionate about.”
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