If Season One of the PWHL was making it happen, Season Two is about creating a preeminent mark in the greater professional sports landscape.
If Season One of the PWHL was making it happen, Season Two is about creating a preeminent mark in the greater professional sports landscape.
Just like that, we’ve reached the opening day of the 2024-25 PWHL season. The second year of the still-upstarting league that broke barriers through an abbreviated inaugural campaign.
While the season ended in two celebratory moments for the Minnesota Frost and was soon brimming with controversy, season two has arrived with full fanfare.
Team names, crests, jerseys, a new draft class, larger venues, new broadcast partners, and a few new stars. While season one might have been for the players -- a chance to finally play professional hockey full-time -- season two is for the fans, and solidifying the league’s spot in the sporting conversation.
A pro sport, not a project
Find a fan in season one, and there’s every likelihood they had a team, but for the most part, cheered on the league. Recall New Year's Day 2024 and the swirling line around the Mattamy Athletic Centre—or the smiles on the Toronto Sceptres' faces after losing the opening game.
Yes, results mattered, but in the large picture, they didn’t.
In contrast, season two sees every game critical to a more significant competitive campaign and fans cheering on their specific teams. At the same time, this includes somewhat sidelining the “inspiration” talk and focusing on winning in the moment instead of inspiring the next generation.
Sports, as it should be. Competitive, through a gruelling 30 game season and playoffs.
Making this jump, though, from a project to a truly professional sport comes with challenges. The small contracts for reserve players at $15,000 USD and lack of a developmental system don’t help, but the PWHL is in a great position to take significant steps toward the top-tier of sports conversations in 2024-25.
The key may be down to consistency. How will this league, still in its infancy and in some circles extremely niche, if not unknown, keep the fan attendance and following momentum in larger venues and with an extended season?
Having team names and brands to elevate the product will help, as will the broadcast deals. Yet, if the league is to take the next steps and make a significant impact across North America, keeping the momentum while growing in Season 2 is an essential step.
It’s about rhythm and flow and keeping Game 37 as entertaining as Game 1 and the Walter Cup Final.
There will undoubtedly be challenges in keeping that momentum, though. The novelty factor isn’t quite the same as it was in the inaugural season, and with the extended schedules in larger venues, consistently filling them could be a challenge, especially in the U.S., where outside of Minnesota, teams have struggled to gain much traction.
Combine the concerns of larger venues with the lack of ego-boosting regular record-breaking numbers throughout the year, and it’s a new world for professional women’s hockey. It’s a challenge, and one of many, but one that Stan Kasten and the league’s leadership will be ready for.
Distancing from the known stars
The first thing in marketing a sports league is to ensure the star players are known. They should be at the front of every advertisement, with in-depth storytelling and an elevated focus. It’s where the PWHL has thrived and where, until recently, the NHL has struggled.
However, for the PWHL to take the next step in establishing itself within the sporting landscape, having depth players become part of the conversation is critical. Although marketing the national team players and Olympic champions may drive some attention, bringing the league to the next level comes with elevating the others.
It’s a slow process and one that comes with time. Yet, it’s a critical point for many leagues around the world. In the last few years, we’ve seen people become familiar with the stars of European women’s soccer and the WNBA -- and with that, the tier below superstar has also garnered significant attention, a mark not yet reached in the PWHL.
Season one was all about the North American Olympians in many ways. Season two, let’s have some fun with the more significant European talents like Czechia’s Daniela Pejsova, Finland’s Ronja Savolainen or Sweden's Maya Nylen Persson, and young stars like Danielle Serdachny, Sarah Fillier and Hannah Bilka.
In every respect, the inaugural season of the PWHL was a massive success. With the efforts in the offseason and the elevated competition for roster spots among the other growth factors, there’s a lot to look forward to in season two, too.
And even with the challenges, the league, its members and players have shown they can tackle them at every turn. After all, the league’s slogan is Dare To Be Bold, and they won’t back down until they’re part of the greater sporting conversation.